DCCR study releases final report

After more than a year, study of downtown Baldwin is completed

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After more than a year of research, deliberation and community input, the Baldwin Downtown and Commercial Corridor Resiliency Study is complete. The study, which was finished earlier this month, was the culmination of a yearlong process examining ways to encourage new business and residents while maximizing the efficiency of travel corridors (such as Grand Avenue and Merrick Road) and improving the business district’s infrastructure to protect it against future storms like Hurricane Sandy.

The planned projects range in complexity, from simple to long–term, according to David Vienna, legislative assistant to Laura Curran. “Some of them are policy-related. Some of them are hard concrete construction related. There are certain things we’re hoping we could finalize and provide to the town over the next year or so, and then it’s up to the town to see whether or not they want to implement them.”

There are many factors that make Baldwin a desirable place to live including its schools, train station, diversity and proximity to the beach, according to the report. Because of the hamlet’s population growth, incomes above the national average and high levels of education, the study suggests there are market demand indicators for prospective developers. According to the DCCR study, Baldwin also has a small proportion of available multi-family homes, especially those with studio and one bedroom units, signifying there is high demand for living in Baldwin.

The report also sets forth comprehensive land use, mobility, green infrastructure and storm resiliency recommendations for the Grand Avenue corridor from Merrick Road, north to the Southern State Parkway in Baldwin. 

“I certainly would like to see a beautification of the streets and public areas,” said Kathy B., a resident of Baldwin for 30 years who has attended community meetings for years and expressed frustration by the lack of community development. She said that she has waited years and not enough seems to change.

“We’ve done this over and over,” said Kathy. “I just want to see what will happen; I just want to see results.”

Since 2011, Baldwin has been awarded over $600K in planning funds, and nearly $5 million in federal and state discretionary grants for design and construction related to improving Baldwin’s businesses and infrastructure. The money was used to renovate several roads and bridges in Baldwin that had deteriorated, as well as demolishing long-vacant properties in preparation for new businesses eventually moving in.

“Over the past year, my office and the Nassau County Department of Public Works, have collaborated with community organizations, the Town of Hempstead, the LIRR, and NYSDOT, to identify solutions that will revitalize Baldwin’s downtown,” said Curran. “As the community stakeholder and intergovernmental partnership continues, I am confident this trend WILL continue in Baldwin, along with new opportunities to leverage private investment.

“These solutions will empower residents and business owners to achieve their collective goals of making Baldwin a safer, more economically prosperous, and resilient community,” she added.

Construction work can already be seen along Grand Avenue and Merrick Road as crews are repaving sections of the road.

 The Baldwin DCCR Study was conceived through the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery, New York Rising Community Revitalization Program.  The Final Report can be found online at www.BaldwinDCCRStudy.com. 

For more information about the study, please contact Legislator Curran’s office at (516) 571-6205, or email LCurran@nassaucountyny.gov.