Nassau County selected three South Shore communities for a federally funded study that will explore ways to promote development surrounding the respective Long Island Rail Road stations.
Baldwin, Valley Stream and Lynbrook were chosen by the county’s Department of Public Works Planning Division in June out of 21 possible locations for the study after months of meetings and discussions between community leaders and county officials.
Last year, the county received $350,000 out of a $3.5 million New York and Connecticut Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant to conduct the study, according to DPW Commissioner Shila Shah-Gavnoudias. Funds were awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
In deciding which communities would be selected for the Nassau County Infill Redevelopment Study, Sean Sallie, a county senior planner, said the first step was evaluating each community’s desire for transit-oriented development. As the field was narrowed down to the final five, economic consultants looked at the financial feasibilities and the probability of success for redevelopment in the areas. Then a selection committee made up of county officials made its choices.
Sallie said the county would work in partnership with the selected municipalities and local civic groups to plan a redevelopment strategy around the train stations. “What we really wanted to do is infuse some resources into these local municipalities,” he said.
When the study is completed, local leaders in Baldwin, Valley Stream and Lynbrook will have all of the parameters of development that would make a deal work from a conceptual standpoint. “It’s kind of bridging the gap between vision, and an idea, and actual implementation,” Sallie added.
From the grant, a little more than $100,000 will be used to fund the studies, Sallie said. He added that the other portions of the funding were expended during the public outreach, workshops and station profiles phase and in preparation of an Existing Conditions Report, which will be released in August and detail the findings for each of the 21 stations.