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BCA discusses future downtown development
Some new businesses have opened their doors, and construction projects have been announced and recently gotten under way in Baldwin, but there is always room for more, according to members of the Baldwin Civic Association.
Making the downtown area more walkable and pedestrian-friendly, getting the ball rolling on the underutilized area at the northwest corner of Merrick Road and Grand Avenue, and finding effective ways to bring ideas to elected officials dominated the discussion at the BCA’s meeting on Jan. 8.
The discussion turned to development because Eric Alexander, executive director of Vision Long Island, an organization devoted to local redevelopment, was the guest speaker.
Alexander first met BCA officials last January, during a rally on Grand Avenue in front of a vacant plot of land just north of Merrick Road. The rally called for Smart Growth development at the site, the kind of development, according to Vision Long Island, that supports “mixed-use, mixed-income communities that are convenient, attractive, [and] pedestrian-friendly.”
Alexander said at the meeting that one way to streamline development in the area would be to create an “overlay district,” a special zoning district placed over an existing zone. Alexander added that potential investors want to make sure their projects won’t be stalled for years or fought by community members before they can move forward. “Developers want to know they won’t be wasting money,” he said.
Now, he added, residents and TOH officials have “another bite at the apple” to remarket the Grand Avenue property and bring in a developer to build something viable.
Newly elected BCA President Karen Montalbano shared news that the Town of Hempstead had recently sent a letter to Breslin Realty, which was tasked with redeveloping the site, informing the company that its services had been terminated. Montalbano said that the BCA would be meeting with town officials in the near future to discuss the property’s future. “We’re back to being able to discuss what we want here in Baldwin,” she said.
