Lindenhurst hires firm with 'good understanding' of village for master plan

Lindenhurst has chosen a firm to create a master plan for the village.

The village has chosen Greenman-Pedersen Inc. of Babylon to create the plan, which will be centered on the village’s downtown. The firm will be paid $80,000, using $40,000 in state funds that require a match by the village.

Greenman-Pedersen was chosen through a request for bids that was put out by the village in October. The company beat out two other firms who made submissions, NV5 of Melville and Cameron Engineering & Associates of Woodbury, according to trustee RJ Renna.

“When we sat down with all of them we felt that GPI had a really good understanding of the village’s intentions and its current status,” Renna said.

The village hired Greenman-Pedersen last year to do a walkability study. The study, due to be completed in April, was paid for using a $200,000 Suffolk County grant. Renna said the study has allowed Greenman-Pedersen to interact with many of the business owners in the village.

“It seemed like they really had the expertise coupled with the experience that they had with the study,” Renna said.

In the RFP, the village stated that it wants a plan that “provides a foundation for sustainable development, preserves our Lindenhurst hometown character, respects our natural amenities, maximizes existing infrastructure, and improves our quality of life.” The master plan, officials wrote, “will provide a basis for decision-making about land use planning and redevelopment, budget preparation, capital improvement planning for public facilities and services, and economic development.”

Specifically, the village wrote in the RFP that the plan needs to include the following: an assessment of the re-use potential of underutilized properties downtown; the provision of parking downtown; an evaluation of relocation opportunities for residents south of Montauk Highway; and the provision of unimpeded access from the waterfront to the downtown including transit connectivity between the LIRR, bus and parking.

Renna said the village hopes to have the master plan within the next six to nine months. He said it will be a significant part of the village’s attempt to revitalize its downtown, which has seen a half-dozen new businesses open up last year, with another half-dozen in the works for 2019.

“I think it’s really going to determine the success of grant applications and it could lay the foundation for the future of Lindenhurst,” he said.  

By Denise M. Bonilla

denise.bonilla@newsday.comdenisebonilla

Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.