Friday, March 21, 2025
For the past year, Long Beach has been on the receiving end of a number of state grants. The city announced yet another one last week, this one focused on its best-known attraction, the boardwalk.
In a release on Jan. 28, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced new investments of more than $100 million for projects in so-called Pro-Housing Communities, part of a total of $123 million comprising the latest round of the state’s Regional Economic Development Council initiative. To date, 273 communities across the state have been certified as Pro-Housing Communities, including Long Beach, which was awarded $1.45 million, earmarked for improvements to the boardwalk.
“Our boardwalk is the heart of our city,” City Council President Brendan Finn said in a statement, “and this grant award will allow us to make targeted improvements to our community’s crown jewel to enhance the boardwalk experience for our residents and visitors and boost the city’s economy. Thank you, Governor Hochul. This award brings this administration’s grant total to over $8 million, a testament to our team’s efforts to keep taxes down while continuing to invest in our future and working with our partners at all levels of government. The administration has made economic development a top priority with an imaginative and aggressive pursuit of grants to help improve our city.”
Long Beach will use the money to construct one or two new concession buildings and three extensions to the 2.5-mile boardwalk. The extensions will potentially be used for shaded seating, booths for local artists and artisans to display and sell their work, new public restrooms, and event space. City officials are still in the early stages of brainstorming, and plan to gauge public interest and encourage residents’ input.
Councilman Mike Reinhart said that the project is one for which the city needs public engagement in order to ensure that everyone is happy with the additions, and to “keep Long Beach Long Beach,” he said.
The boardwalk currently has five concession stands and kiosks. With Beach Burger on Grand Boulevard, Marvel ice cream on National Boulevard, Riptides on Edwards Boulevard and Shakes & Shuckers on Lincoln Boulevard, community members have numerous options for grabbing a bite to eat. Skudin Surf, on Riverside Boulevard, is the other boardwalk shop.
Last year, the city was awarded a total of roughly $7 million in state grants — and applied for much more — which is continuing to fund everything from new hires in the police and fire departments to renovations of the city’s parks. The newest grant brings the total since last January to over $8 million.
“For our administration, in conjunction with the city manager, one of our goals is to be really aggressive with applying for grants,” Reinhart said, referring to City Manager Dan Creighton. “It’s a big push for us, and our city manager and our team are really going after it, and we’re really pleased. It’s going to help the community.”
Grants for projects in Pro-Housing Communities are intended to foster economic development not only by helping to increase the availability of and access to housing, but also by stimulating community development and neighborhood growth through place-making special projects, and eliminating and redeveloping blighted structures. The program is intended to incentivize capital investments in these communities to support infrastructure improvements and help them thrive.
“There’s only one solution to New York’s housing affordability crisis: We’ve got to build more housing,” Hochul said at a press conference. “The Pro-Housing Communities initiative is delivering the incentives communities are looking for, and this latest round of grant funding will make a real difference in every region of New York. We’re proud of all the certified Pro-Housing Communities in New York, and look forward to seeing their continued growth.”
