Farmingville, NY – Brookhaven Town Councilman Dan Panico has announced that the Town of Brookhaven has released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for a Master Developer to redevelop the downtown area of Mastic Beach, available for viewing on the Town’s website.
The RFQ will task those interested with creating a comprehensive plan that will showcase a variety of land uses, including housing, retail and restaurants, that would replace many of the decaying and blighted structures currently in the Neighborhood Road Redevelopment Area (NRRA). One of the goals is to create vibrancy and a sense of place for the community.
“In the advent of the County announcing that they will go forward with the Forge River Sewer District and given the amount of effort that we have put into cleaning up Mastic Beach, including our Blight Study, now is the time to solicit proposals from the development community," said Brookhaven Town Councilman Dan Panico. “We hope to get responses that enable us to write a new positive chapter in the area, attract businesses and give residents a downtown area for which they can be proud. For far too long people have talked about getting it done and now, we have taken the steps to entice the type of redevelopment that has been sought after to finally occur. We anxiously await all proposals, and in the meantime, will continue to crackdown on housing issues, protect our environment and invest in our parks for the people of the area."
The NRRA encompasses Neighborhood Road west from Commack Road, east to Doris Drive, as well as streets to the north, including Victoria Place and Linden Place. The plan does not include the municipally owned and operated parcels where the Mastic Beach Ambulance Headquarters is located or the former Mastic Beach Village Hall, where the Mastic-Moriches-Shirley Library Annex will open.
By procuring a Master Developer, the Town will be able to make Mastic Beach a viable community. “It is the Town’s goal, by working in conjunction with a Master Developer, to create a planned community that will benefit from its proximity to the south shore and miles of unspoiled waterfront,” noted Planning Commissioner Beth Reilly. “By creating this plan, we will rid Mastic Beach of blight, improve public safety, stimulate the local economy and much more.”
Supervisor Ed Romaine said, “A comprehensive plan to re-develop the Mastic Beach business district along Neighborhood Road has been a long time coming and I commend Councilman Panico for his determination to keep it on track. Now, with the approval of the Forge River Sewer District, we can finally move ahead with this transformative project that will create a bright future for the Mastic Beach community.”
Beth Reilly, the Town of Brookhaven’s Commissioner of Planning, Environmental and Land Management said, “This first step represents an opportunity for a Master Developer to work together with the Town to revitalize Mastic Beach and realize the full potential this area has to offer.”
Responses to the RFQ are due back to the Town’s Purchasing Department by September 13th.