Upgrades to downtowns, parks highlight list of what to expect in LI towns this year

The new year in Long Island towns will see a potentially momentous change in the way waste is collected from construction sites, the ongoing cleanup of a Bethpage park previously used as a Grumman Aerospace dumping ground, and development of new or improved parks and downtowns in Riverhead and North Hempstead.

The year starts after nine of Long Island's 13 towns pierced the state tax levy cap — meaning this year's tax hikes will be more than the customary 2% for most homeowners. Many town officials blamed higher costs for state-mandated employee pension and health insurance plans.

Four towns, however — Babylon, Brookhaven, Riverhead and Southampton, the only towns where those shops are legal — will be seeing new revenues in the form of tax income from the growing number of cannabis dispensaries.

Here are major developments expected in the new year. 

Amityville

A pedestrian/bicycle path under the Long Island Rail Road viaduct connecting train riders to the downtown is expected to be completed by summer. The village also will continue working on a downtown revitalization funded by a $10 million state grant.

Babylon Town

The Wyandanch Rising redevelopment is expected to add a mixed-use building south of the LIRR tracks that may be finished in late 2025. The next phase of development in the northeast section is expected to begin at the end of the year. 

Town officials also plan to start construction early in the year on an overdose memorial in Tanner Park in Copiague and begin construction on Beacon 2 in North Amityville, a second location for chemical dependency treatment services.

The overdose memorial will feature a walkway leading to a pergola with benches and fencing where people can attach locks with the names of loved ones lost to overdoses, said Babylon Town Chief of Staff Tom Stay.

“It’s a beautiful park, it’s peaceful,” Stay said. “People who don’t even know each other maybe, who are at the memorial at the same time, can commemorate and reflect on their friends and family.”

Babylon Village

New playground equipment will be installed at the George Street playground, new storage and work areas created at E. Donald Conroy Golf Course, and renovations will be made to the north side of Argyle Park, officials said.

Brookhaven

The town landfill no longer accepts waste from construction sites. Collection stopped in December — the first major step in a plan to permanently shutter the landfill by 2028.

The 192-acre facility will continue to take ash from incinerators run by New Jersey-based Reworld, formerly Covanta, until it runs out of capacity, Supervisor Dan Panico said. Long Island officials have said private contractors will have to ship construction waste to a privately operated Melville landfill or to landfills upstate and as far away as Pennsylvania and Ohio.

“The landfill, as planned, is going to continue to accept ash," Panico said. "Now construction and demolition debris will have to go to private outlets.”

Brookhaven officials expect to see the town's first legal cannabis dispensaries outside of the Poospatuck reservation in Mastic. 

The town also expects to hold the first public hearings on the proposed redevelopment of downtown Mastic Beach.

East Hampton

The second phase of a dune and beach recovery project at Ditch Plains Beach, an iconic Montauk surfing spot, will get underway this year. 

The town is expected to start construction in the spring or summer on an affordable housing subdivision called Cantwell Court, featuring 16 single-family residential lots for home ownership. 

Glen Cove

Mayor Pamela Panzenbeck said the city plans to launch a pilot ferry program in the late spring after a pilot program last year was unsuccessful due to lack of funding.

Hempstead

The town is expected to make a decision on whether to privatize the municipal animal shelter. Town officials issued a request for proposals in April for privatization but have not announced a decision.

Huntington

Town officials plan to add six new electric vehicles to the town fleet and install multiple charging ports throughout the town for community use.

“One of the most exciting plans is to continue decreasing our carbon footprint and preserve the environment by adding new electric vehicles," Supervisor Ed Smyth said in an email. "We are also using state and federal grants to install charging ports throughout Huntington to support the town’s electric service vehicles and the public.”

Town officials also are considering at least one dog park and are targeting either Memorial Day or Veterans Day to open a Veterans Memorial Hall honoring veterans of all wars. 

Islandia

Work to expand Suffolk OTB's Jake's 58 casino and hotel — including the addition of 1,000 new video lottery betting terminals, new restaurants and additional parking — will continue through the year. Suffolk OTB officials also plan to lobby for state permission to host a sportsbook in a separate room at the casino, hoping to capitalize on the popularity of online gaming.

Islip

Rechler Equity Partners, the developer behind a controversial Sayville housing complex, expects the town to hold a change-of-zone hearing for the 890-home proposal at the former Island Hills Country Club, said Rechler spokesman Jim Morgo.

Greenport

Restoration of the village's antique carousel, shut down after a mechanical failure in October, will continue, with reopening expected by Memorial Day weekend.

A multimillion-dollar infrastructure project to configure the North Ferry queue and parking lot is scheduled to be completed by Memorial Day.

Lindenhurst

Village officials say the Shore Road bulkhead replacement project will be completed this year, as will the village’s new public works department building. Deputy Mayor RJ Renna called the bulkhead project a “huge win for the village” and expects it to be completed by boating season.

“Shore Road was at risk of kind of being pushed into the water” due to bulkhead deterioration after Superstorm Sandy, he said. "We were trying to figure out how we were going to fund it for years,” Renna said. “We were ready to bite the bullet and bond, which would have put the taxpayers and the village at a great disadvantage.”

The village was able to secure $1 million in federal money and more than $2 million from the state, he said. 

The village also plans to reopen the Old Village Hall Museum and Wellwood House Museum.

North Hempstead

The $1 million renovation of Broadway Town Park in New Hyde Park should be completed by the middle of the year, officials said. The renovation, funded by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, will include a new playground with updated spray pads, safety surfaces, equipment, walkways, benches and more. 

Oyster Bay

Town officials expect construction on pedestrian pathways and streetscape improvements around the Hicksville LIRR station will begin in the spring and be completed by the end of the year. 

The state Department of Environmental Conservation plans the second phase of an effort to reduce ground contamination at Bethpage Community Park, the former Grumman dumping ground, by vaporizing contaminants beneath the surface. The process, known as thermal remediation, is expected to be completed by mid-2025. The town has called for a full excavation of the park soil and previously asked for the thermal remediation to be postponed as other investigations into the soil at the park continued.

Patchogue

Village officials are awaiting a decision from the Suffolk County Planning Commission before voting on a zoning change that would permit construction of a Tempo luxury hotel at the site of a closed bowling alley on West Avenue, near the LIRR station.

Port Washington North

Mayor Robert Weitzner said he expects construction on the village’s accessible playground for children with disabilities and autism to begin by the fall. 

Riverhead

Officials plan to break ground next summer on a multimillion-dollar town square project that would include a hotel, playground, splash pad and public green space.

Visitors to Riverhead’s Main Street may have to pay to park downtown. Town Supervisor Tim Hubbard expects a paid parking trial to get underway in the spring to give town officials a sense of potential revenues. Planning will also continue for a $23 million parking garage that will ultimately be built on First Street in Riverhead, officials said.

Hubbard said another priority is unveiling plans and possibly breaking ground on a new Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps headquarters later this year.

Shelter Island

After operating last year with just four members, the town board adds a fifth member this month as Democrat Arnott Gooding is sworn into office, giving the Democrats a 3-2 majority. Gooding won a three-way race for the open seat in November. 

Shelter Island will likely finish a code revision on dock permit approvals this year, a change officials have said is necessary in the face of accelerated waterfront development. 

Smithtown

Officials are planning upgrades to popular facilities, parks and beaches, and expanding open space preservation.

Supervisor Ed Wehrheim said the work includes additional field space for soccer, lacrosse and football while the town looks to improve park access for people with disabilities.

The town is also planning on “significant investments” to road maintenance and infrastructure, ranging from stormwater drainage and water table management to cybersecurity upgrades.

Officials also plan upgrades to the town’s Senior Citizens Center.

Wehrheim said the town is "poised for a transformative 2025, with exciting updates that reflect our community's vision and environmental sustainability." 

Southampton

The future of battery energy storage systems in Southampton could come into focus as a moratorium on the facilities ends in February. 

The recreational marijuana industry also could expand as the town planning board considers applications from Brown Budda New York and Budhampton. 

A controversial plan to end sand mining in residential areas could move forward, with a public hearing scheduled in January and an environmental review expected later in the year.

The future of the Shinnecock Nation's 10-acre gas station and travel plaza in Hampton Bays may come into view after Southampton Town filed suit against Shinnecock trustees. The tribe maintains it needs no approvals to build on sovereign land and is fighting the litigation.

Southold

Officials anticipate breaking ground on a new $1.8 million barn at the highway yard that will provide more storage for the fleet. Supervisor Al Krupski said the project can help prolong the life and decrease maintenance on department vehicles.

Krupksi said the town plans to continue stormwater drain projects and maintenance at town facilities like the senior center.

By Carl MacGowan

carl.macgowan@newsday.comCarlMacGowan

Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.