By Anthony Rifilato
County Legislator Joe Scannell (D-Baldwin) updated residents and business owners at a chamber meeting on Feb. 21. Scannell said that the town has agreed to include Nunley's Carousel in a proposed redevelopment plan that could materialize if the town adopts a study that determines whether the area is blighted.
Last month, the town unveiled a blight study of the western side of Grand Avenue that concluded that 50 percent of stores were empty and in various stages of deterioration, with Town Supervisor Kate Murray saying that the area is "ripe for redevelopment," and could include quality shops and businesses.
Doug Diana, a member of both the Chamber of Commerce and the town Board of Appeals, noted the significance of the proposal. "This is going to be Baldwin for the next 50 to 60 years," he said. "The biggest thing [the town] is looking to do is to make it a main attraction for national retailers."
Scannell said that this is the first step in bringing Nunley's Carousel back to Baldwin. "My sole purpose is the carousel, to get that refurbished and put it together with the town's project," Scannell said.
He explained that $450,000 is needed to restore the carousel, and that he would use $200,000 in community redevelopment funds for the project. Scannell added that progress is being made on getting the carousel restored, and that County Executive Tom Suozzi has been in talks about the project, and recently spoke to a group of Northrop-Grumman Corp. retirees who have offered to restore the structure free of charge. Scannell said the offer would have to be discussed further.
But he is hopeful that the restoration would be completed in time to coincide with a plan proposed by the town that would include acquiring the property on Grand Avenue through eminent domain if the blight study is adopted, which is scheduled for March 7.
Scannell also updated nearly 200 residents at a tax grievance workshop at the Baldwin Public Library last Thursday. He explained that the project would include five acres of land stretching from Grand Avenue, just below fire department headquarters, to Merrick Road, where a vacant auto parts store sits.
The town owns the adjacent parking lot, and Scannell said that the plan would be to knock down the buildings on Grand Avenue, which he said are deteriorating and unkempt, and develop stores in the rear section of the parking lot to allow for adequate parking.
Scannell also said that he was happy the town had agreed to include the carousel in its plans, and that it will help spur development of the area as an attraction. "It's just great for Baldwin," he said. "Our business district needs a shot in the arm. The carousel is a unique opportunity. ... It will be a magnet and attract stores."
Major concerns
But while all agreed that the area is in need of a major overhaul, chamber members expressed some concern about the town's plan. Howard Gainsburg, owner of Baldwin Kitchen and Bath Designs at 795 Merrick Road, said he was worried that his business, which has been in Baldwin for 76 years and was included in the blight study, would have to be torn down and relocated.
"I can't understand how my building is part of a blight study," Gainsburg told Scannell. "How does a thriving business get melded into this project?" Gainsburg said that he supports the plan, but doesn't want to see his business, which is successful, destroyed.
"I agree with you 110 percent," said Scannell. "You've been extremely active in the community. We are advocates for you."
Even though the town would ultimately decide which buildings would go, Scannell and Diana assured Gainsburg that the county and town would do what they could to assist his business. Town Councilman Anthony Santino said last month that the town would "bend over backwards" for business owners and residents who would be affected by such a plan.
"I think everyone can agree that we want your business to stay in Baldwin," Diana said. "Nobody wants to see you get hurt. You're on everybody's mind. I don't think anyone is going to turn their backs on you."
Others applauded the initiative, but said there was a lack of specific information about the town's plan and that the blight study had yet to be seen by the public. Chamber of Commerce Co-President Doris Duffy and others said at the meeting that the chamber was never informed about the blight study when it was being conducted.
"Certainly the chamber will insist on being part of the planning process," Co-President Ginny Foley said. "The chamber wants it to go forward and see Howard protected."
Diana explained that the proposal would have to be discussed further, and that it is still at an early stage. "All that exists today is a blight study," he said.
Diana said that if the study is adopted this month, it would be available to the public, and that the next step would be to reach out to private developers by putting out a request for proposal (RFP) and developing a vision for the area.
Diana also said that the town would work with the chamber to develop a plan to determine what kind of businesses people would like to see on Grand Avenue. The idea, Diana said, is to make that section a major hub, with quality stores, whether they be Barnes and Noble or the Gap, which will buck the trend in Baldwin of drug stores, fast food restaurants and auto parts stores.
"I don't think you're going to see anything like a Pep Boys," said Diana.
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