Re-Envisioning for Bay Shore
By Tara Lamberti

During the summer the popular thing to do on Long Island is take a walk downtown with a cold drink in hand, maybe even shop a little. However, the cool places to go, like Port Jefferson and Sayville, create traffic as people drive out of their way to get there. Wouldn’t it be nice if the place where great new restaurants and quaint shops were right in your backyard? With help from local community groups and the company Vision Long Island, Bay Shore has the potential to become the next hot spot on the south shore.

In the last 30 years the town of Bay Shore has seen a considerable amount of changes. In the past, its appearance gave off the impression that this was not a place where you wanted to take a leisurely stroll. As time went on new businesses began popping up and pedestrian traffic increased. However, today there are still vacant storefronts and not many people walking the streets. In a combined effort, the town of Bay Shore has collaborated with Vision Long Island and town groups such as the Chamber of Commerce and the Summit to try to revitalize the town.

Vision Long Island is a consulting group that has helped many towns regain a sense of community by creating a “downtown” feel. Their goal is to promote livability and economically sustainable and environmentally responsible growth on Long Island, otherwise known as “smart growth.” The principles of smart growth encourage the overall improvement of a community. They support development that will include housing, shops, work places, schools, parks and civic facilities, ideally situated within easy walking or short travel distances from each other.

Since Bay Shore already has the skeleton for a downtown, according to Eric Alexander of Vision Long Island, “Bay Shore just needs to be improved; it won’t be a full-scale visioning.”

Vision conducted a visual preference survey to determine what the residents of the community wanted to see changed. The results showed that the majority of people desire a traditional look for the Main Street. This would include vinyl siding on buildings and pedestrian friendly streets with lots of trees, shrubs and parks. Alexander added that the “visual poll” serves as a guideline to help with planning.

What many people want is “careful urban planning” in their community. Marilyn Schulman, of Bay Shore Lighting said, “I think it’s an idea whose time has come, providing Bay Shore with more of an urban downtown core.”

Councilman Steve Flotteron also has a vision for Bay Shore. He would like to see it become the next Chelsea or Hoboken. He believes that there should also be “hip” condos by the water available for “twentysomethings.” He said that the cool places like Long Beach are geared towards that demographic and he would like to offer that type of product here. In the winter, he would like to reverse the population of the community by having people come out to go to Bay Shore as opposed to people just coming to go to Fire Island in the summer.

Denise Sheils, 49, a longtime employee in Bay Shore, says she frequents Long Beach all the time because she seeks that type of environment. Familiar with the area 30 years ago, she said it was “run down” but she kept coming back for the sports store. “There’s nowhere for kids to go; I want to see the young and old cohabitating here,” she said. She would like to see that “quaint and cozy” feeling come back.

“It’s a shame that people just drive through the town,” said John Pierson, 40, of Ocean Beach. He feels that the town should cater to all cultures and give people a reason to stop. “ Bay Shore has so much potential; it needs something to draw the people in,” he said.

With so many different views on what should come of the town, this has been an ongoing process. Alexander noted that over 150 people are involved in the decision, and they are keeping the public’s interest in mind. To view some of Vision Long Island’s work in other areas you can visit them on the web at www.visionlongisland.org.

With so many different views on what should come of the town, this has been an ongoing process. Alexander noted that over 150 people are involved in the decision, and they are keeping the public’s interest in mind. Many projects like this take years to come to fruition. Most of the time is spent gathering information, holding meetings and drawing-up plans before any action can commence. The local government and civic associations, along with Vision Long Island, must analyze the needs of multiple groups in order to devise a plan that can hopefully satisfy the masses. The journey may be a long one, as they continue to take polls and hand out surveys, but the end result should be a beautiful Bay Shore downtown that is worth the wait.

To view some of Vision Long Island’s work in other areas you can visit them on the Web at www.visionlongisland.org