By Anthony Rifilato
At a meeting of the Baldwin Republican Club April 6, Town Councilman Anthony Santino updated residents on the project, saying that the five-acre parcel of property is ready for a change. "This is a unique parcel where we can foster the kind of development to attract people to Baldwin to shop," Santino said. "We would love to see a Barnes and Noble or a Gap."
He explained that town officials are reaching out to developers who have proven relationships with national chain stores, though he did not name the developers, saying that there is still a request-for-proposal process that needs to be done.
Santino also said that the town is including community organizations in the planning process, like the Baldwin Chamber of Commerce and the Baldwin Community Association. He said the plan would have to be "economically feasible for the developer" and that no tax dollars are being used for the project.
"The economics of the market place will drive this," Santino said. Ultimately, he added, a developer is going to want a return on its investment.
Five acres is also not a great deal of space, Santino said, explaining that national chain stores require adequate square footage, and that the carousel might dissuade a national chain store from coming to Baldwin if it were to negatively impact the project by taking up too much space. Ideally, Santino said, officials are looking to bring at least three quality chain stores to that area. "Five acres is not a lot of space when you're talking about a couple of anchor stores you're looking to bring in," he said after the meeting.
And while the town is responsible for acquiring the property through eminent domain and reaching out to developers, Santino said that space issues could hamper the county's efforts to return Nunley's Carousel, if, say, a developer determines that the carousel would burden the project. County and town officials have been working to include the carousel in the town's redevelopment plan.
"There's a lot that has to be considered to bring all of this together, and we'd rather do it right than do it fast," Santino said, adding that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rejuvenate downtown Baldwin. "The town is very anxious to bring the carousel there. It's very early, and we're talking with developers, making it clear that we would like the carousel included in a redevelopment plan."
Santino said that the only caveat is the amount of space the carousel could take up, and that the project would include more than just refurbishing the ponies. "Something has to be built around [the carousel]," he said. "Every square foot that the carousel takes up is one less square foot that a store will take up. Putting the carousel there does limit what you can do with the property. The bottom line is, if we can get the redevelopment there and include the carousel, that's wonderful."
Legislator Joe Scannell (D-Baldwin) has been working with the town to return the carousel to Baldwin -- and specifically to that corner of Grand Avenue. Scannell said that after meeting with Town Supervisor Kate Murray and Santino earlier this month, he realized that the possibility that the carousel may have to be situated in another part of Baldwin has to taken into consideration.
"If a developer doesn't feel that [the carousel] will fit, we'll look for another location in Baldwin," said Scannell. "I want to see great businesses go there too. I'm grateful that Kate [Murray] and Tony [Santino] are considering including the carousel as part of their redevelopment project. But if that best fits a developer's plan, I'm open to that."
There is also the very real issue of getting the carousel restored, as it sits in a Mitchell Field hangar. The proposed cost of fixing the deteriorating carousel is $400,000, Scannell said, explaining that he would use $200,000 in community development funds to help with the restoration.
But the $400,000 is needed only for the restoration, and despite fund-raisers to help with those efforts, there would be additional costs in order to house and operate the ride. "The county can't afford to build the whole building," said Scannell, adding that he is looking for corporate sponsorship for the carousel and is continuing to work with county officials to move the restoration process along. "We need a partner."
And while the carousel issue is being debated, the overall redevelopment plan for Grand Avenue near Merrick Road has some residents in Baldwin saying that other parts of town are being neglected, and that there are empty rows of storefronts in need of attention as well. "People are saying, 'What about this part of Baldwin?'" said resident Karen John, a member of Residents of Baldwin, a local civic association. "Why does the south [of Baldwin] come up all of the time? With the amount of taxes we pay, it's unfortunate."
John said that her organization has been lobbying county and town officials to spur redevelopment along Grand Avenue, mainly between Garfield Road and Joy Boulevard. And though local officials have been receptive to her group's concerns, she said, ideally, John added, she would like to see some kind of façade improvement project among the numerous vacant stores on Grand Avenue and Garfield Road. "The landlords have been unresponsive," she said. "We are trying to get a meeting together with local owners."
Santino said that the town's project could have a ripple effect, and that he is aware of concerns in other parts of Baldwin. "You have to start somewhere," he said. "We're looking to attract national retail chains that would attract people from surrounding communities and make Baldwin a destination spot. There will be a ripple effect."
Box gray: Town Councilman Anthony Santino will host a town hall meeting at the South Hempstead Fire House on Thursday, May 11, at 7:30 p.m. The firehouse is located at May Street and Webber Avenue. Santino and representatives from numerous town departments will be on hand to discuss a variety of issues and projects affecting Baldwin and South Hempstead.
Comments about this story? Baldwineditor@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 207.
