Early last year, the Hicksville Chamber of Commerce and the Hicksville Community Council hosted a series of public meetings for the Downtown Hicksville Revitalization at the VFW and the Hicksville Community Center. Over 300 residents, business owners, civic leaders and agency representatives attended to determine the future of the triangle area of the downtown. At these meetings, community members shared their hopes and concerns for the future of downtown Hicksville and worked together to develop design plans for the area.
The design team took all of the plans and suggestions from the community and began to form a cohesive plan that could be implemented with short and longer-term strategies. The design team was led by Vision Long Island and AECOM, with assistance from PS&S, Anderson Kim Architects, StreetPlans Collaborative, ADL III Architecture, Marc Wouters and Steve Meehan Landscape Architecture.
This preliminary plan was presented last March. In order to refine and further the plan, several committees were formed with members of the community to focus on the primary issues that were raised at the initial meetings. One of the most popular suggestions at those meetings was the creation of a Farmers Market. One committee took up that task and worked with the Town to establish the Farmers Market in JFK Memorial Park last year that will be reopening on May 15. Another committee focused on issues of walkability and beautification in the downtown area. This committee presented a list of recommendations to both the Town of Oyster Bay and the Long Island Rail Road that have already begun to be implemented due to the Town’s commitment of $3 million for the area. A third committee looked at issues of housing, parking and economic development and came up with suggestions and recommendations in those areas. During this time, surveys were conducted of both residents and businesses and presentations were made at the various civic organizations within Hicksville to gather further information.
After those individual issues were analyzed, the committees joined together into a larger group that has been integrating the recommendations into a plan for Hicksville’s downtown. The design team is now working with that revitalization plan to develop it into one that can be implemented in order to improve the downtown for Hicksville’s residents and businesses.
Come see the plan that has been formed and help move revitalization efforts forward. On May 21, the updated revitalization plan will be presented at the Hicksville Public Library’s Community Room at 169 Jerusalem Ave. from 9:30 to 11:30 am.
For more information, call or e-mail the Chamber at 931-7170 or info@hicksville chamber.com, or Vision Long Island at (631) 261-0242 or info@vision longisland.org.
Thanks again for all of your help in the revitalization of downtown Hicksville. The improvements are in your hands!
