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1. 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.

2. 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

3. 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).

4. 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

5. 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.

6. 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

7. 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.