Baldwin Civic Association statement on Baldwin development

Development in Baldwin is back on the table after a delay caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Focus has recently turned to a proposal involving the auto dealership parking lot on Sunrise Highway between Grand and Harrison avenues. But more than just this project needs to be discussed.

Baldwin has been struggling to get reasonable redevelopment of the Grand Avenue corridor for decades. The Baldwin Civic Association has been at the forefront of this effort to get responsible, forward-thinking growth in Baldwin. Our years of advocacy have brought the realization that transit-oriented development with a mix of commercial and residential buildings promotes a walkable downtown and a main street feel that works best to build our community. The BCA reflects the community’s efforts to achieve a vibrant and dynamic community because our member’s voices have guided our efforts.

That is why the BCA took the lead and advocated that the Town of Hempstead adopt the Baldwin Mixed Use-Overlay District. The overlay zone welcomes developers’ proposals to build the type of pedestrian-friendly spaces with stores and apartments the community desires and expedites them with clear “rules of the road” to gain Town approval. Community involvement was essential in the two years it took to shape the 87-acre overlay zone, the first of its kind in the Town of Hempstead.

Baldwin overlay legal framework

A major part of implementing the overlay zone was conducting a state-mandated environmental quality review, known as SEQRA, an extensive report outlining the available infrastructure resources like water and sewer usage and pedestrian and vehicular traffic flow to address the environmental impacts of increased population density. The final SEQRA subdivided the 87 acres into three sub-districts supporting different population densities. Most importantly, the SEQRA placed limits on the number of new units that could be supported by the present infrastructure in the entire overlay zone — from 800 to 1,100 units, depending on their configuration.

The SEQRA gives the Town of Hempstead, advised by its consultants and engineers, the final say on the density and building units. The community’s desires and concerns are very important to determine what Baldwin will look like five to ten years down the road, but ultimately the Town has the authority to approve any projects, even those that will require variances in Town regulations and laws.

Community involvement

These points — pedestrian friendly downtown, what the infrastructure supports, and Town control of the process — are why it is so important for the Baldwin community to thoroughly evaluate all development plans. As of mid-August 2020, there are six mixed-use development proposals at different stages of progress with the Town. Most of the plans do not address the original impetus for the redevelopment push — the area around the intersection of Grand Avenue and Merrick Road — yet the BCA urges serious review of all the proposals. They are as follows:

• 2130 Grand Avenue (former Amendola property, 60 units)
• Malkin Appliances Apartments (27 units)
• 775 Brooklyn Avenue (107 units)
• 1891-1893 Grand Avenue (56 units)
• 800 Merrick Road (4 units)
• 803 Foxhurst Road (4 units)

There are other proposals, but they are not as advanced.

Breslin Realty proposal

Breslin Realty has proposed a mixed-use development for the 1.47-acre property at 746 Sunrise Highway between Grand and Harrison avenues. It would be unlike any other development on Sunrise Highway in the surrounding hamlets and villages. Breslin maintains it has control of the property, although in negotiations with the present owner. The Town says it has not received a site plan from Breslin for review, the minimum indication of the owners’ interest in developing a property.

The lot encompasses less than 2 of the 87 acres of the overlay zone. For Breslin’s proposal to be approved, the Town would need to grant a variance, or allowed exception, to its current rules. To Breslin’s credit, it has listened to the Baldwin community and created a more sustainable design allowing open space and better vehicle traffic flow, and its units are designed for millennials and empty nesters. Yet Breslin is seeking relief to allow more than three times the density for its lot in the area around the LIRR station, seeking to account for 201 units of the total 800-1,100 units of the entire overlay zone.

To build the development will require variance approval by the Town with buy-in from the Baldwin community. We can recommend to the Town that Breslin receive this variance, but should work to ensure that the development provides benefits to our community. The architectural design of the development — like the pedestrian seating, open spaces, wider sidewalks, and water and green features that would soften the space and lessen traffic noise — is one means by which our community can achieve benefits. The design should also include traffic flow measures to lessen the impact of cars entering and exiting on Harrison Avenue, the only vehicle access to the entire complex. It should be noted — and applauded — that there is no vehicle access to Grand Avenue in this design, which means greater building setbacks and wider sidewalks in front of commercial spaces. In addition, such a variance will set a precedent for future projects; this is something the community needs to think long and hard about.

Breslin’s proposal is a work in progress. The executive board of the BCA thinks it is an important step in the right direction and we wait to hear from the community. In the meantime the BCA will continue to advocate for responsible, community-driven, transit-oriented development and work with Baldwin’s interests in mind to develop mixed-use residential and commercial interests to enhance our quality of life.