After decades of talk of promise and potential, it looks like when it comes to developing a downtown, Hicksville’s train may finally be pulling into the station.
Following a rezoning that allows for mixed use, government and private industry are collaborating, walls around the mall are coming down and funds are flowing into what could create a new, possibly thriving downtown built on mixed use.
Gov. Kathy Hochul in July helped lead the charge with the groundbreaking for a $11.6 million project that includes a $5.8 million downtown revitalization grant to improveHicksville Station, create open space, beautify and help make the dream of a thriving downtown a reality.
“By creating public spaces and improving access for both commuters and pedestrians alike, we are reimagining what it means to connect with our communities,” Hochul said in a written statement. “This is a smart investment that builds stronger downtowns, and a stronger Long Island.”
While the government invests, developers are building hundreds of units to turn Hicksville from a commuter’s stop to a thriving place to live, work and play.
Alpine Residential, for instance, is developing 7,000 square feet of retail, including restaurants, a coffee shop and bakery, and nearly 200 apartments near the train station.The projects would replace older buildings with new structures complete with pools, game rooms, lounges, doormen, concierges and coworking space.
“There’s a downtown revitalization. It’s already been done in Farmingdale,” said Raj Kumar, owner of Bengali Sweets in Hicksville and a member of the India Association of Long Island. “There will be nice apartments. They’re repaving, putting up new buildings. We’ll have retail, nice sidewalks and greenery.”
Hicksville 2.0
Hicksville may be the perfect example of what has gone right and sometimes wrong with Long Island downtowns. The Hicksville train station means thousands leave and arrive there daily, but there has been little to keep them here. The Broadway Mall, just blocks from the station, attracted consumers, but also competed with any efforts to develop a downtown.
“The entire idea is to finally make a downtown in Hicksville, which doesn’t exist,” said Charles Razenson, president of the Hicksville Chamber of Commerce. “You have a row of stores, but nothing that will generate foot traffic. Nothing that will keep people in an area.”
The area “did a zone change” to allow a downtown development including retail on the ground floor with residential above.
“By having retail on the first level, hopefully, it’ll become a walking community like Farmingdale,” he added. “But it isn’t overnight.”
Train to somewhere
The efforts come as the MTA and the state have been improving train service and the Hicksville station. “The MTA has invested hundreds of millions of dollars upgrading Hicksville station,” LIRR President Rob Free said.
Razenson sees the trains as setting the table for the creation of a thriving downtown, now that mixed-use zoning is in in the mix. “The Hicksville train station is a mainstay,” Razenson said. “People utilize it not only to go to the city, but for every major entertainment zone.”
The MTA added a second track to the Ronkonkoma train and a third track between Hicksville and Floral Park, further turning Hicksville into a hub.
“The Hicksville Station TOD project is a smart investment,” MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said, noting it will help “create a more dynamic, walkable community” in a “win for transit users, drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians alike.”
State Assembly Member Charles D. Lavine said, beyond train tracks, “Hicksville deserves infrastructure that meets the needs of both commuters and residents.”
The state’s downtown revitalization funding for Hicksville includes $2.89 million to make a more walkable downtown.
“This whole area will be, I think, on the same par as Farmingdale,” Kumar said of the poster child of downtown development.” Hicksville has more space to expand. I think this will bring a lot of business to the area.”
That project includes pedestrian safety and beautification along Broadway (Route 107) and Newbridge Road (Route 106) plus $1 million for mixed-use transit-oriented development near the station.
Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino said millions of public and private funding are “enhancing and transforming the business district into a vibrant downtown.”
Different demographics
The new vision and efforts to create a downtown through urban planning and funding comes when demographics and business are changing. As the Southeast Asian population grows, some businesses, including restaurants, have closed. Peppercorn’s, Rabbit’s Foot and pizzerias such as Mulberry Street and Monaco’s shut as other options opened.
“They couldn’t make it,” Razenson said, noting other restaurants are opening along with an existing Southeast Asian shopping center opened.
Meanwhile, the Broadway Mall is becoming more integrated with the community under its new name of “Broadway Commons.”
“The Broadway Mall is completely redoing itself,” Razenson said. “They’re taking down the old Macy’s exterior to make it an open concept mall. It’s going to become more of an entertainment-based mall versus a shopping mall.”
The development is slated to include The District, a 150,000-square-foot space blending dining, entertainment, and community spaces with anchors such as BJ’s Wholesale Club, IKEA, and Target, along with other retail and restaurants.
“They’re revitalizing that,” Kumar said. “They’re opening the mall up. Everything will be out in the open.”
The Sears property is “in the process of transition,” Razenson added. Steel Equities bought the site and indicated “the future of the site may include retail and laboratory space,” according to the Town of Oyster Bay.
Razenson sees rentals and retail as turning Hicksville from a promising place to a thriving downtown. “We met with Farmingdale to see what the impact on the schools would be,” Razenson said of residential development, including rental. “They said they’ve seen no impact on schools.”
Riding the railroad
New development will include three buildings with nearly 200 mixed-income residential units, below-grade parking and retail and restaurants on the street level.
“Some apartments have balconies,” Razenson said. “Some people will wind up putting some greenery on the outside.”
He sees this as replacing “old office buildings that were basically empty” as landlords rent parking lots to commuters near empty offices. These buildings, he added, “are going to be repurposed into new usages.”
Hicksville is a hop, skip and a train from UBS Arena, where the Islanders play and many concerts take place, not far from Madison Square Garden, where the Knicks and Rangers play, as well as to New York City with Broadway and concerts.
“You can be in the city in 45 minutes,” Razenson said, noting new destinations in the new Hicksville also would include stores underneath the railroad tracks known as the Under Line.
