Storefront face-lifts will lead off Amityville's downtown revival plan

Amityville is starting a storefront improvement program that will mark its first project in a $10 million downtown revitalization effort in the village that has been nearly two years in the making.

The state in January 2022 awarded the village a $10 million grant as part of its Downtown Revitalization Initiative before approving 11 projects for the funding at the end of last year.

Kicking off the projects is a $600,000 facade improvement program whereby businesses in the downtown can seek funding for upgrades to the street-facing portions of their premises.

This week the village plans to post an application for the program on its website, with two tiers of funding available: $5,000 to $25,000 for smaller projects and $25,000 to $100,000 for more extensive work.

“We didn’t want to give too much to one business so that we can get more done,” said Mayor Dennis Siry.

He said the village also is hoping to use some of the money for murals downtown.

Those taking part in the program will be reimbursed 80% of the cost. It is open to business owners, nonprofits and commercial property owners.

The goal is face-lifts for eight to 12 businesses, said Elissa Kyle of Vision Long Island, a downtown planning organization and the village’s consultant for the overall project. The Northport-based group will get 10% of the $600,000 portion of grant money.

Applications for the facade improvement program are due by Feb. 1, after which a committee will rank submissions based on state guidelines, she said.

Eligible upgrades include painting, window and door replacement, signage and lighting projects. The enhancements have to “be in line with village character” and may be used for facades, entrances and awnings, according to the mayor.

“We don’t want it to look cookie cutter-ish, but we want to be in keeping with the historical, Victorian-type of look,” Siry said.

The local planning board also has to approve all submissions, according to the mayor, who said village officials are hoping work will begin in the spring.

Amityville officials currently are working to finalize pedestrian safety and traffic calming measures, which $5 million of the grant money will finance, Siry said. That project will include narrowing Broadway/Route 110 to one lane each way in the downtown.

The mayor said other projects approved for funding under the downtown initiative include a $1.3 million effort to improve connectivity between the downtown, newly-built apartment complexes and the Long Island Rail Road station as well as enhancements to the station.

Another $1.3 million will pay for a new mixed-use building at the site of the former village hall on Greene Avenue, according to Siry. 

Vision Long Island Director Eric Alexander said the storefront and traffic projects are key to a successful downtown.

“The glue that makes downtowns work is: Is it safe and walkable and does it look good?” he said. “These pieces may seem like the smallest items but in many ways they can be some of the most important ones.”

Erin Bevilacqua, owner of Park Avenue Grill, said she will apply for a facade improvement grant in the hopes of installing a garage door-style opening in the front to make it more attractive and open it up to outdoor dining.

“We don’t look like a restaurant, we look like a drive-by brick storefront,” she said. “Unless you are stopping for a reason, you would just keep going. We need a face-lift so we can really look like a destination.”

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.