Huntington Station residents met Wednesday night to offer suggestions on ways to improve the hamlet using a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant from the state.
A group appointed by the state is considering ideas to improve Huntington Station, focusing primarily on New York Avenue from just south of the LIRR station to about 11th Street. The Local Planning Committee has been meeting in working sessions, but Wednesday night’s meeting was aimed at bringing the community into the conversation.
Groups of residents sat at tables to discuss ideas, with a facilitator taking questions and requesting that participants write down their preferences for projects that would strengthen the Station’s downtown.
A few residents said outside the meeting they harbored reservations about the process, with questions about how decisions would be made, or whether their ideas would be considered.
One man who has lived in the Station for decades said that he had doubts about what will result from the grant, pointing to previous attempts at urban renewal and other development plans that never materialized. Another resident complained that only the politically connected would benefit from contracts for whatever proposals are chosen and that people from outside the community would be making decisions for them.
But Janelle Felician, a Huntington Station resident who is a social worker and the mother of two, said, “I’ve been here over 40 years and seen changes for the worse. Now that I have two kids, I’d like to see more for them.”
She said she is hoping to see more opportunities for social life in the Station. “I don’t want them to feel they have to go to Huntington Village” for entertainment. She said she brings both her social work and parent perspective to the process.
State Sen. Mario Mattera, who addressed the crowd of about 50 at St. Hugh’s Roman Catholic Church, said, “This is total progress for Huntington Station that’s long overdue. Everyone, Supervisor Ed Smyth, the Town Board, all are onboard to bring as much money as possible” to the Station.
Smyth said, “The $10 million will prime the pump to get private capital” into the Station. He said he envisions a project that creates more walkability in the Station.
Projects developed through other DRI grants around the state have included historic preservation, artist housing and public art, and support for a solar village.
The committee is charged with hearing suggestions and refining a proposal that will go to state-appointed professionals with experience in economic and other development, who will make the final decision.
More information about the process as it goes forward, including future meetings, go to https://www.huntingtonstationdri.com/
Updated: Committee on Huntington Station Revitalization to Meet
State Awards $10 Million for Huntington Station Revitalization