- Home
- Departments
- Downtown Revitalization
Downtown Revitalization
Responsibilities of Office
In 2004, Town of Babylon Supervisor Bellone created the Office of Downtown Revitalization to revitalize aging, under-performing downtowns, and commercial corridors throughout the Town of Babylon to create or recreate vibrant downtowns that feature:
- A range of housing options
- A variety of activities and amenities
- Pedestrian friendly sidewalks and streets
- Public space to foster a sense of community
- Enhanced and preserved green space
- Preserved unique character of neighborhoods
The principles of smart growth and sustainability are the cornerstones of our efforts.
As a department, we focus on land use and development in downtown centers, areas that already have adequate infrastructure (including public transit), and areas that are recognizable as downtowns and neighborhood centers.
Deer Park Vision Plan
Informational Sheet (PDF)
Survey Link
PowerPoint Presentation from May 7, 2022 Visioning Meeting
The Town of Babylon is working with the community of Deer Park on a Visioning Plan. The process will focus on infrastructure and physical improvements, economic development and beautification. The goal of the planning process is to incorporate the community’s desires with market realities, and help Deer Park redefine their sense of place on western Suffolk County. At the end of the process, we anticipate a Vision Plan for Deer Park that will be created from extensive community input. The Town with the help of its consultants will coordinate meetings with key stakeholders, including civic, business, and community representatives, as well as developer interviews, and property owner outreach in order to inform the Vision Plan. A review of current zoning regulations will also help develop recommendations which will allow for redevelopment and public amenities within the hamlet of Deer Park. Furthermore, recommendations for walkability and infrastructure improvements will be developed, after review of the current infrastructure. Once it is determined what projects, redevelopment opportunities, and amenities the Community is seeking, the Town will pursue state, federal and private grant resource opportunities to implement the Vision Plan and its recommendations.
May 7, 2022 Community Meeting
Event Flyer (PDF)
Eventbrite registration
North Babylon Walk Audit
The Town of Babylon wants to economically revitalize the corridor along Old Deer Park Avenue in North Babylon between Starhmore Drive and Sunrise Highway. The Town plans to make it attractive and safe for residents, patrons, and business owners. Learn more
Register for the North Babylon Walk Audit here.
Other Documents:
- Copiague Facade Renovation Grant Program Application (PDF)
Copiague Facade Renovation Handbook - English (PDF)
Copiague Facade Renovation Handbook - Polish (PDF)
Copiague Facade Renovation Handbook - Spanish (PDF) - Downtown Copiague Zoning District Code (PDF)
- April 12th, 2017--First Draft: East Farmingdale TOD Form-Based Code (PDF)
- April 12th, 2017--Presentation of First Draft: East Farmingdale TOD Form-Based Code (PDF)
- April 6th, 2017--Executive Summary: East Farmingdale Design Charrette (PDF)
- 2017 East Farmingdale Design Charrette (PDF)
- 2017 East Farmingdale Design Charrette--Closing Presentation (PDF)
- Wyandanch Rising: A Community's Transformation (PDF)
- Downtown Wyandanch and Straight Path Corridor Form-Based Code. (PDF)
- Copiague FGEIS. (PDF)
- Wyandanch Cultural Arts Master Planning (PDF)
-
Marwa Fawaz
Comprehensive Planning and Downtown RevitalizationPhone: 631-957-3109
-
Downtown Revitalization
Physical Address
Babylon Town Hall - West Wing
200 East Sunrise Highway
Lindenhurst, NY 11757
- What is the Office of Downtown Revitalization?
-
In 2004, the Office of Downtown Revitalization was created to:
- Revitalize aging, underperforming downtowns and commercial corridors throughout the Town of Babylon
- To create or recreate vibrant downtowns that feature:
- Pedestrian friendly sidewalks and streets
- A range of housing options
- A variety of activities and amenities
- Public space to foster a sense of community
- Preserve the unique character of neighborhoods
- Preserve and enhance green space
The principles of smart growth and sustainability are the cornerstones of our efforts. Prioritized and focused land use is encouraged in downtown centers or areas that already have adequate infrastructure including public transit, and are recognizable as downtowns/neighborhood centers.
- What are the goals of the Office of Downtown Revitalization?
-
The goals of this office include:
- Protecting environmental resources maximize and reuse land
- Limited development on green space
- Energy efficiency
- Promoting downtowns that are walkable, bikeable, and transit oriented where appropriate
- What are the current open community planning projects?
-
The Office of Downtown Revitalization has several projects in the works on in the concept phase including:
- East Farmingdale: Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Planning and Transit-oriented Development Planning
- North Amityville - BRAC and Great Neck Avenue/Albany Avenue planning
- West Babylon - NYS DOT Safe Routes to School
- Wyandanch - Wyandanch Rising Initiative
- First Time Homebuyers Enhanced Program - Wyandanch specific
- NYS DOT - Complete Streets, Townwide
- Townwide - Foreclosure prevention/intervention forums and seminars
More project details are available by calling (631) 957-TOWN (8696).
- What is BRAC?
-
BRAC is the Federal Base Closure Community Redevelopment and Homeless Assistance Act of 1994, which was amended in 1996. It mandates a process for closing and realigning military installations within the U.S. The law also authorizes a BRAC Commission to make recommendations for military installation realignments and closures. BRAC Process and Timeline:
- Step 1: President’s Approval of BRAC Recommendations for Closures or Realignments
- Step 2: Federal Screening for Potential Federal Reuse
- Step 3: U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Recognizes the Local Redevelopment Authority (LRA)
- Step 4: LRA’s Outreach Actions
- Step 5: Completion of the Redevelopment Plan and Homeless Assistance Submission
- Step 6: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Provides Review
- Step 7: Military’s Disposal of Buildings and Property
- What are the Principles of Smart Growth?
-
- Create a range of housing opportunities and choices providing quality housing for people of all income levels is an integral component in any smart growth strategy.
- Create walkable neighborhoods and communities that are desirable places to live, work, learn, worship and play, and therefore a key component of smart growth.
- Encourage community and stakeholder collaboration growth can create great places to live, work and play if it responds to a community’s own sense of how and where it wants to grow.
- Foster distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place. Smart growth encourages communities to craft a vision and set standards for development and construction which respond to community values of architectural beauty and distinctiveness, as well as expanded choices in housing and transportation.
- Make development decisions predictable, fair and cost effective for a community to be successful in implementing Smart Growth, it must be embraced by the private sector.
- Smart Growth supports the integration of mixed land uses into communities as a critical component of achieving better places to live.
- Preserve open space, farmland, natural beauty and critical environmental areas. Open space preservation supports Smart Growth goals by bolstering local economies, preserving critical environmental areas, improving our communities quality of life, and guiding new growth into existing communities.
- Provide a variety of transportation choices providing people with more choices in housing, shopping, communities, and transportation is a key aim of Smart Growth.
- Smart Growth directs development towards existing communities already served by infrastructure, seeking to utilize the resources that existing neighborhoods offer, and conserve open space and irreplaceable natural resources on the urban fringe.
- Smart Growth provides a means for communities to incorporate more compact building design as an alternative to conventional, land consumptive development.
- What is Wyandanch Rising?
-
The Wyandanch Rising Project is a comprehensive community revitalization effort for the Hamlet of Wyandanch. Several properties have been purchased by the Town and will be used for economic development purposes. Funds for the project have been primarily secured through State, Federal, County and other community development grants and allocations.
The Wyandanch Rising Project includes but is not limited to:
- The installation of sewers, prior to vertical development, for commercial entities in downtown areas;
- Wholesale redevelopment of the downtown area under the project management of a master-developer;
- Resource Center
- Pre-apprenticeship training for local trades
- Small business development support
- 240 units of affordable/workforce housing
- 50,000 square feet of retail space (new construction)
- Street-scape improvements
- New train station
- Station plaza public green space
- Solar roof installation for selected community facilities
- Can I hook up to the sewer lines being installed for Wyandanch Rising?
-
If sewer lines are being placed directly in front of your house there is the possibility of hooking up to them. A very few homes in the area will have access to these hook ups. Specific information relating to the question of individual hookups must be requested from the engineering team responsible for the project.
If interested and logistically capable of being hooked up, the homeowner would be responsible for all fees and permits associated with gaining access to the sewer line. Contact Rich Groh, Senior Environmental Analyst, Town of Babylon (631) 422-7644 for more information.
Suffolk County is the official entity with ultimate jurisdiction over sewer development and hook up.
Contact the Suffolk County Sewer Agency, Craig Platt, (631) 852-4187, for more information.