New Hyde Park is looking to fill empty storefronts and strengthen road maintenance and traffic enforcement as it finishes community center construction and plans ahead for the village’s future.
“This is such an exciting time for this village,” said New Hyde Park Mayor Christopher Devane. “The sky’s the limit for this village. But we [need] to discuss where we go from here in terms of who we are as a village.”
Devane spoke in detail about the village’s vacant stores and his desire to attract new businesses.
Devane pointed to mixed-use properties as an area of interest for change, particularly in parts of the village where apartments are above a store. He said the unpleasant look of mixed-use properties, combined with a lack of foot traffic, has been a detriment to the village, and conversations on how to improve areas like Jericho Turnpike need to start happening.
“These businesses need foot traffic,” said Devane. “We need buyers…I don’t want to see empty storefronts. It doesn’t do anything for us. We’re going to start having this discussion in public as we go forward. We really have to come up with different ideas as to how we’re going to accomplish this.”
For example, he said, there is a pharmacy property that has been vacant for five years due to the owner being unable to find anyone wanting to set up shop there, due to its lack of parking.
He said the vacant pharmacy served as a metaphor for a village-wide issue, where the decline of in-person shopping due to online shopping had led to several vacant lots.
The board then provided an update on the construction of the village’s new community center, an expensive project slated to be completed around March 2026. Devane said while the cost of the project has reduced the availability of funds for road repavement, he believed it was worth it.
“We waited 75 years for a decent community center,” said Devane. “We’re aware that some blocks need to be addressed. But in a $7.5 million budget, you have to make budgetary decisions. I hope we’ll all be happy with the new community center, and we’ll deal with the roads as best we can.”
Trustees then discussed enforcement of traffic laws amid an ongoing issue of people not abiding by speed limits and ignoring stop signs.
Devane spoke about seeing and hearing people not abiding by stop signs, referring to it as an “epidemic” within the village.
“I’ve seen people routinely go through stop signs like they don’t exist. I share everybody’s concern about that,” said Devane. “If it were up to me, I’d put a video camera on every stop sign and give everybody a summons that goes through stop signs…Not to raise revenue, but to get people to stop at stop signs.”
He said the village is in communication with the Nassau County Police Department about improving traffic law enforcement, with more tickets issued for speeding and running stop signs.
The village is also increasing enforcement of the New York State law forbidding parking within 30 feet of a stop sign to ensure its full visibility. Several residents during public comment had questions on this law, with one resident stating they were surprised to hear of its existence.
The board said the enforcement of the law is state-required, and it would be advised as a driver to know in general what 30 feet looks like when one resident asked if 30-foot lines could be painted.
The board said police won’t be measuring every car’s distance to the very inch; however, if a car is parked at a sign, it will be ticketed.
Trustees said the village is also working to replace older stop signs and parking meters with modern ones.
The next board meeting is set for Sept. 18 at the New Hyde Park Village Hall.
