Hicksville to get $10M state grant for downtown reboot

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Hicksville will be the Long Island recipient of a $10 million grant from the state towards redeveloping its downtown district.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo will present the award at noon on Wednesday at the Hicksville Community Center at 28 Carl St.

Hicksville won out over nearly two dozen Long Island municipalities that were also vying for the state’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant, beating out the Village of Port Jefferson, Smithtown, the City of Long Beach, the Village of Valley Stream and many more.

Town of Oyster Bay officials are in the midst of a rezoning effort that would pave the way for new development of the area surrounding the Hicksville Long Island Rail Road station, including a mix of multifamily housing, offices and a variety of retail uses. The LIRR has already begun a planned $121 million renovation of the station, which serves more than 14,000 commuters a day.

Oyster Bay Councilwoman Rebecca Alesia and Councilman Anthony Macagnone have advocated for the rezoning based on planning work done over the last few years by Vision Long Island, the Hicksville Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Hicksville Revitalization Committee and other local civic groups.

“Sometimes hard work pays off. The years of planning and collaboration between Hicksville residents, business owners and the Town of Oyster Bay have laid the groundwork for this welcome investment from New York State,” said Eric Alexander, director of Vision Long Island. “Consensus for three- and four-story development is now in place through a new zoning code which is a perfect companion to DRI funding.”

Lionel Chitty, president of the Hicksville Chamber of Commerce and chairman of the Downtown Hicksville Revitalization Committee, called the state grant a catalyst for change.

“The community has suffered long enough,” Chitty told LIBN. “Hicksville is the best opportunity for revitalization on Long Island period.”

Last year, the Village of Westbury was the recipient of the state’s $10 million downtown revitalization grant, which is given to winning municipalities in 10 regions throughout the state.