By Anthony Rifilato
On Nov. 13, the town board unanimously approved an urban renewal plan for Grand Avenue and Merrick Road, and chose developers who are expected to attract nationally known businesses and create an old-fashioned downtown shopping district.
"This is a great day for Baldwin," said Councilman Anthony Santino, who, along with Town Supervisor Kate Murray, proposed the project nearly two years ago, and called it a highlight of his career. "This core, central part of Baldwin is being transformed," Santino said, "and it will become an economic engine for Baldwin."
Working in tandem, developers Basser Kaufman and Engel Burman submitted the project's winning design, beating out two other developers, one of whom called for a Kohl's department store on the corner. The plan has gained widespread community support, even as the town uses its powers of eminent domain to acquire most of the 6.3-acre property, which it will turn over to the developers.
Town officials said that the goal of the project is to attract quality businesses and avoid fast-food restaurants and discount stores. The Baldwin Chamber of Commerce, which has provided input and worked with the town to create a vision for the area, praised the proposal, and thanked town officials at a public hearing last week.
"The chamber in particular commends Councilman Santino and [Planning Commissioner] Charles Theofan for communicating the specifics of this project," said Mike Rosenstock, a Baldwin resident and the chamber's attorney. "It's important for the Chamber of Commerce to know that the line of communication is open."
The Basser Kaufman/Engel Burman proposal, whose preliminary design for the area was shown to chamber members last month, features a mix of stores like Starbucks, the Gap and Borders Books & Music stretching south of Prospect Street and ending at Gale Avenue. Stores would be located along Grand Avenue and Merrick Road, with parking and additional entrances in the rear. The preliminary design features pedestrian walkways, awnings and antique lighting.
"We received nothing short of a magnificent proposal from Engel Burman/Basser Kaufman," said Theofan, the commissioner of planning and economic development, adding that he expects the project to be completed by 2009. "In the end, what we thought was going to be a difficult selection became an easy one."
On its Web site, Basser Kaufman details more than 40 projects, primarily shopping centers in five states. Its properties include the Carle Place Shopping Center, Hempstead Village Commons and Oceanside Plaza. The Web site already features a conceptual design for Grand Avenue, and lists the project as one of the firm's new developments, "a much anticipated project lauded by town officials."
Units of 4,000 to 25,100 square feet are available, according to the Web site, which also states, "With Sunrise Highway just moments away and extremely strong demographics, this streetscape project is a natural for any retailer looking to be in the heart of a revitalized central downtown area."
Last week's decision means that Basser Kaufman/Engel Burman can begin negotiating leases and attracting tenants to the area, although officials said it was too early to say which businesses would ultimately come to Baldwin. Theofan said that the town is working to draft a development agreement with the developers, a process expected to take about six weeks. "Right now they are actively speaking to prospective tenants," Theofan said after the hearing. "They can't do their final design until they know who their real anchor tenants are going to be there."
The adoption of the urban renewal plan also means that the developers will not have total control of the project, town officials said. Last month, Theofan said that the developers would work under a contract that gives the town approval of the project's tenants, since the plan is meant to revitalize the area.
Most, but not all, existing buildings would be knocked down to make way for the project, and some businesses would be relocated nearby. One, Baldwin Kitchen & Bath Designs on Merrick Road, is being included in the project, and would be moved to a vacant print shop on the southwest corner of Grand Avenue and Merrick Road.
Theofan said that a traffic study would be conducted once the project's design is finalized. An environmental study was approved on Nov. 13, having determined that the project would not have any environmental impact on the community.
Town officials said that the developers would ultimately assume the project's costs, including the town's initial outlay to acquire the property - estimated at $10 million - and the costs of relocating tenants and businesses (see story, page 4). While no homes will be taken, Theofan said that most homeowners on Gale Avenue, whose backyards slope into the town's municipal parking lot, have agreed to allow the town to purchase portions of their backyards that are overrun with brush, allowing for more space to develop the area.
Because the blight study was expanded last year to include the south corner of Merrick Road, town officials said that the project would allow for those buildings and existing businesses not slated for demolition to upgrade their facades to complement the project.
Redevelopment of the area has been more than a decade in the making, Santino said. Groups like the Baldwin Chamber of Commerce have lobbied for years to attract businesses to the area and spur redevelopment, especially after a county plan to move the 1st Police Precinct to the corner of Grand Avenue and Merrick Road - a project that was in limbo for years - was scrapped in 2003. The uncertainty of that project, many said, led the area to deteriorate, particularly since there was no incentive for landlords to maintain their facades and buildings. "As a result, over the course of the years, many - but not all - were lax in the maintenance of their property, and the area fell into disarray," Theofan said.
In 2005, the town released a blight study that concluded that more than 50 percent of buildings were empty or in poor condition, and that the redevelopment project would create "something to be proud of."
"It's been a long time coming," Santino said, adding that past efforts had stalled at the county level. "This particular parcel has been the subject of much consideration for many years. This will be a remarkable transformation for Baldwin's downtown."
Comments about this story? Baldwineditor@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 207.
