Brookhaven Town and a Jericho developer are proposing a plan to build about 600 homes in downtown Mastic Beach and add tens of thousands of square footage for shops and restaurants as part of a $400-500 million effort to redevelop the hamlet’s blighted business district.
The plan, which will require multiple zoning changes and other approvals by the Brookhaven Town Board, was unveiled Thursday night to a crowd of about 800 people who jammed into an auditorium at William Floyd High School in Mastic Beach.
Steven Dubb, principal of the Beechwood Organization, which was tapped by Brookhaven two years ago to serve as the project’s master developer, outlined a plan involving as many as 140 properties on 37 acres in a triangle-shaped area along Neighborhood and Commack roads and Doris Drive. The idea is to turn that half-mile stretch into a modern downtown with upper-floor apartments topping ground-level stores, condominiums, town houses, parking garages, and upgraded streets, sidewalks and stormwater drains, he said.
Brookhaven officials and Mastic Beach civic leaders have said they see the project as the former village’s best bet to end decades of downtown deterioration and reverse the hamlet’s declining economic fortunes.
WHAT NEWSDAY FOUND
- Brookhaven Town and Jericho developer Beechwood Organization on Thursday unveiled plans to redevelop downtown Mastic Beach, adding about 600 homes and 130,000 square feet of space for restaurants and shops.
- Supporters see the plan as the former village’s best bet for stemming blight and economic deterioration.
- The project requires multiple zoning changes and site plan approvals from the Brookhaven Town Board.