March 21 is shaping up to be a critical day in the history of Mastic Beach, particularly for the property owners targeted in the development plan on tap to reshape the downtown community. The date is the next meeting of the Mastic Beach Chamber of Commerce whose members have a number of questions for the Beechwood Organization, the firm chosen by Brookhaven Town officials to redevelop what has long been considered a distressed community.
“They said they would call us back in December to make an appointment with them, but we haven’t heard anything since,” said Ava Torres, Mastic Beach Chamber of Commerce president who’s operated Linsa Torr’s Place on Neighborhood Road for the last 22 years. “This is very taxing on us; our hands are tied. We can’t renovate, we can’t do anything. We have a lot of questions which we hope will be answered at our March meeting.”
Dean Denniger, owner of Ultimate Mower, said he would like negotiations to sell his property to begin as soon as possible. “They’ve been very good at keeping everyone in the dark since the get go. They’ve locked us up; they’ve damaged us already,” said Denninger, noting that he’s been in business in the area for 40 years and has anywhere from four to six employees on his payroll. “People have already had deals fall through because of this. They should really be talking to us.”
The target area, a triangle of about 47 acres encompassing Neighborhood and Commack Roads, has been the heart of the Mastic Beach business district since its heyday as a summer community beginning in the 1920s when the Brooklyn Citizen newspaper gave away lots to new subscribers. With its densely packed properties, land values decreased leading to the area’s decades-long decay. The low-lying community took a devastating hit from Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and recovery has been slow. In an effort to remake the downtown, Beechwood was named “Master Developer” based on its success with other large-scale projects on Long Island. To complete its plan, the company will have to negotiate contracts on 140 parcels and wind its way through a myriad of approvals with a major issue being the need for a sewerage system to handle the new development.
“As noted in our proposed master plan, we are committed to developing a downtown that is harmonious with and complementary to the existing neighborhood,” said Beechwood principal Michael Dubb. “For this reason, our proposal, as presented November 2022, indicates that multifamily buildings will not exceed the building height of the existing ambulance center. Our master plan also transitions property uses seamlessly, for example, from existing single-family homes to townhomes and low-rise multifamily with retail uses. Affordable housing units are included as required by Town of Brookhaven regulations and the LI Workforce Housing Act.”
Property owners fear that a drawn-out acquisition process would lower their property values and could lead to condemnation by the town. “We’re looking for a fair value for our property,” Torres said, adding that a purchase price would also have to take into consideration the value of the businesses and the cost to relocate them. “Do we want to reinvent ourselves in a new location? That’s the bottom line for many of us,” the 53-year area resident said, adding, “We don’t have a problem with Beechwood coming, doing what the community wants, but we want to be paid our fair share.”
“This is a large transformative project expected to take several years,” Dubb commented. “It is being coordinated in conjunction with multiple public approval, entitlement and design processes. Though the process is complicated, it is meant to make a meaningful and positive difference. Members of the community tell us they would like to see a thriving downtown, dining and shopping, housing of different types appealing to all ages, parks and trails, and connectivity to the waterfront for generations to come. That is our goal. With great appreciation for the Mastic Beach community support we are receiving for our proposed plan, Beechwood is progressing redevelopment in consultation with all stakeholders, including owners of commercial and residential properties, to create a neighborhood that all can be proud of and enjoy.”
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“This is a big deal coming to our community,” said Matthew Towle, vice president of the Greater Mastic Beach Chamber of Commerce. “The problem is communication. The last meeting was a lot of talking and no decorum. Let’s hope that the upcoming meeting runs a little more smoothly and issues such as the impact to the school and fire district are discussed,” the chamber vice president said.
“The goal of this project is to create a new downtown for Mastic Beach that the people desire and deserve,” Panico said. “We have encouraged, and Beechwood has said repeatedly and publicly, that they would work with existing business owners to try and locate their businesses within brand new buildings that would be constructed as part of this overall project. However, this project is complex and will take time. The goal is a clean, safe, vibrant downtown that will raise the quality of life for all.”
According to Dubb, “All potential impacts have been or will be evaluated in the ordinary course of the town’s approval process. We are in the midst of this now. Findings will be shared with the community.”
Former Mastic Beach Village Mayor Robert Miller voiced his support for Beechwood and some of the promises that were made to local owners at a December meeting. “The owners should sign on with Beechwood,” Miller suggested. “They’re looking to keep these types of businesses in the community and even offered them free rent in the new space. We’re going to need these services, there’s going to be plenty of opportunities,” the former mayor said, adding, “This project will spur new development throughout the area and is exactly what we need.” Miller said Beechwood was receptive to his request to keep the “Welcome to Mastic Beach” lighthouse at the entrance to the business district and the long-standing veterans memorial park. He noted that Neighborhood Road was officially designated as “Main Street” when he was mayor. “From what I could see from the initial proposals, this will be a beautiful Main Street with access to the waterfront that makes Mastic Beach such a desirable place.”
The area has already reaped the benefits of two new developments along the main thoroughfare, the new Mastics Moriches Shirley Community Library annex and the Mastic Beach Ambulance Company building. The town has paved local streets, put in sidewalks and street lighting and maintains a nearby waterfront park at the site of the former Bay View Medical Center.
Mastic Beach Fire District Commissioner Bill Biondi said it took a while to get a meeting with Beechwood and when they finally met, he left with unanswered questions. “We wanted to know about underground garages, where the utility lines will be, will we be able to get our trucks in,” the former Mastic Beach mayor said, pointing out that the Patchogue Fire Department had to purchase special equipment to access new development along Main Street. “We need to know exactly what’s going on so we can plan. We can’t go to the taxpayers down the road and tell them there’s a huge increase for the fire department,” he said, noting that the price of fire equipment has doubled since the COVID crisis. He said Beechwood expressed a willingness to work with the department as the project unfolds. “Everyone wants Mastic Beach to become a nice, beautiful village again, but we have to be really careful how we proceed.”
Mastic Beach made an attempt at self-governance when it became a village in 2010, but dissolved in 2017 after residents soured on the way it was managed and the revenue needed to keep it afloat, leaving some to wonder if the redevelopment would have transpired differently if the village controlled the process instead of Brookhaven Town. “I wonder what would be happening now if Mastic Beach was still a village,” Towle said.
Dubb concluded: “We have built our reputation by working closely with the communities in which we work and live. We are in the process of securing accurate contact information for all 140 property owners. For those who have not yet heard from us, or who have specific questions about their property, we welcome direct contact with project executive Elysa Goldman, who can be reached at egoldman@beechwoodhomes.com. Elysa responds to each and every query.”