Valley Stream downtown project not forgotten

Village officials hope to have a master plan for the downtown revitalization project completed in the next few months, which will create a “blueprint” for the future of Rockaway Avenue in Valley Stream.

Village Clerk Vinny Ang said the downtown project is still very much alive, and the results of a recent resident survey are being analyzed. The survey of village residents, which was available online and included with the spring edition of the Village Green newsletter, followed a survey of downtown business owners.

Ang said that the village’s consulting firm, Frederick P. Clark Associates of Westchester, will use the input from the surveys and from the village’s Business Improvement Committee to create a draft master plan. That plan will go to the village board, which will finalize it.

The revitalization project will include Rockaway Avenue, from Maple Street south to Sunrise Highway, but will primarily focus on the downtown business district, which runs from Merrick Road to Roosevelt Avenue.

Mary Ellen Acevedo, a village resident since 2001, filled out the resident survey and said she detailed exactly what businesses she would like to see downtown. “I made comments on the places that were there and how they were not so useful to me now,” Acevedo said. “While the bakery there is great — truly, and I love it there — it would be nice to also have a Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts. A bookstore would be great. It would be nice to have a small movie theater.”

Jason Sinaly, an 18-year resident whose family has been in Valley Stream for four decades, agreed that Rockaway Avenue could use a movie theater. “Rockaway Avenue is depressing now — a lot of empty stores,” Sinaly said. “I would like to see every store on Rockaway Avenue filled again.”

Ang said that the number of empty stores on Rockaway Avenue hasn’t changed over the past few years. “It’s encouraging that we’ve lost some businesses and new ones have opened up,” he said.

He noted that in recent years, the village has invested more than $1 million in improving the aesthetics of Rockaway Avenue, including new sidewalks and lamp posts.

The master plan would most likely include revisions to the village’s zoning and building codes, Ang said. For example, stores on Rockaway Avenue do not meet the village’s parking requirements. Every time a new business opens there, he explained, the owner must get a variance from the Board of Zoning Appeals, which is a costly process. “They have no property other than that which the building occupies,” he said.

Businesses on Rockaway Avenue typically share street parking and municipal lots.

T.J. Anand, an owner of Diya Fusion restaurant at Rockaway and Lincoln avenues, said he would like to see the code loosened. “There’s so many rules and regulations,” he said. “It’s hard to do anything.”

Anand said he had to go through a long process just to change the awning on his building, was denied a permit to build a second floor to expand his business, and his employees were ticketed for handing out menus. He said the village needs to be more business-friendly, and noted that the Lynbrook shopping district has banners on light poles with the names of stores, restaurants and other businesses.

Anand also suggested that the village publish a guide for local business owners advising them what they can and cannot do without village approval.

Ang said that the reason codes have not been changed — even those that village officials know are burdensome — is because of the upcoming master plan. He emphasized that officials do not want to do the project piecemeal. “You need to do it the right way,” he said, “and the formulation of a master plan is the right way.”

Barbara DeGrace, a member of the Business Improvement Committee, said that the revitalization project needs to be done thoughtfully and methodically. “I think we’re making good progress,” she said. “A lot of this is the ground work that has to be done to do a comprehensive master plan.”

Ang said that while the economy is not conducive to a downtown revitalization project, it is a good time to start developing a plan. That way, he said, when the economy does turn around, the village can take advantage. “This is not the time to lay out millions of dollars in construction you’re not going to get back for a while,” he said. “It is a good time to have your plans ready.”