North Bellport revitalization proposals aimed at boosting affordable housing, job creation

Plans to refurbish a North Bellport park and the hamlet's train station are among more than a dozen proposals competing for a $4.5 million state grant designed to help revitalize the community, according to an official who will help select the winning bid.

About 20 proposals from developers and nonprofits were submitted as part of a state-sponsored community redevelopment aimed at adding affordable housing and creating jobs, said Jim Morgo, a state economic development official who co-chairs a committee of local officials and residents reviewing the plans. 

Proposals include housing projects, road improvements, upgrades for the hamlet's Robert Rowley Park and refurbishing the Long Island Rail Road station, Morgo said.

State economic development officials are expected to select the winning bid later this year or next year following a monthslong process that includes public workshops at which residents can inspect and comment on the proposals, Morgo said.

The next meeting is 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Boys & Girls Club, 471 Atlantic Ave., North Bellport. Two more meetings will be held Oct. 1 and 28, Brookhaven Town officials said.

The winning project will become part of a Brookhaven Town effort to revitalize North Bellport's downtown, an industrial neighborhood that residents say lacks basic amenities such as grocery stores, banks, laundromats and affordable housing.

Many residents are tired of seeing their children and grandchildren move away because the area lacks housing and job opportunities, said 19-year resident Regina Crawford. 

“They move to other places after we pay the taxes and put them through the school system,” said Crawford, co-chair of the Greater Bellport Coalition, a civic group that supports redevelopment. “There’s nothing affordable for them.”

In July, Brookhaven officials and Hauppauge nonprofit Long Island Housing Partnership announced plans for 32 single-family homes, each with a one-bedroom accessory apartment.

North Bellport's $4.5 million grant was one of three awarded to Long Island communities earlier this year as part of the state's New York Forward economic development initiative. 

Brookhaven Councilman Michael Loguercio said the proposals included "some wonderful projects that are giving people exactly what they’re asking for.

“It’s going to bring in revenue. It’s going to bring in jobs," he said. "It’s going to keep people from leaving there."

Morgo said the North Bellport committee will decide on Oct. 28 which proposal to submit to state officials.

He said the state grant is intended to act as a "catalyst" for economic development, acknowledging that $4.5 million likely would fund only a small project.

Tuesday's meeting will include presentations on each of the proposals, including public discussion of the plans, officials said.

Separate discussions will focus on plans for Robert Rowley Park, as well as on sidewalk and lighting improvements, officials said.

Joann Neal, who co-chairs the Greater Bellport Coalition with Crawford, said the park needs trees and more shade.

“When it’s hot in the summer time, it’s hard," she said. "If they had more benches and more trees, it would be nicer.”