The Town of North Hempstead, in keeping with their promise to revitalize the New Cassel community, is moving forward with plans for eight different redevelopment projects intended to bring a proper mix of residential and commercial property to the area.

Plans to revitalize the New Cassel community began more than five years ago after the town received brownfields grants to assess and clean up properties along the Prospect Avenue corridor. Back in November, the town sent out Requests for Proposals (RFPS) and kept their fingers crossed that they would get a reasonable number of responses. By the March deadline, 16 development groups with 34 different proposals for seven different properties had been submitted.

"We were walking on air at that point because it had been received as positively as it could in the development world," said David Wasserman, commissioner of the North Hempstead Department of Buildings, Planning & Economic Development. "It looked like what we had hoped and felt really had all the makings of being a tremendous initiative and it was really coming to fruition."

According to Wasserman, the purpose is to develop a critical mass of commercial and residential properties that will be self-sustaining. "If we look back historically over the past 20 years, there has been no significant commercial redevelopment or investment in New Cassel," he said. "In order to spur and support that, there needs to be a similar amount of residential construction in the immediate vicinity to help support the retail sales and purchasing power. This is a comprehensive approach which provides for both."

The projects are as follows:

The initial project, known as the "Pilot Project," pertains to property located at Prospect Avenue between Grand and Sherman Streets and is a partnership between A & C Development Partners - a real estate development company made up of the AIM Development Group, Sustainable Long Island and the Unified New Cassel Community Revitalization Corporation (UNCCRC).

Estimated at $3.7 million, this project includes such key components as a pharmacy, supermarket and bank as well as a unique townhouse-type residential concept with seven duplex residential ownership units and seven additional residential rental units above to be owned by the residential owners. It would also be an intergenerational (seniors, families, singles) mixed income residential development.

"The goal is to energize and revitalize the community by putting in buildings that meet the needs of the community such as a bank, a pharmacy, a supermarket and also some housing that will generate income for the businesses that we bring in along this corridor," said Kaiman.

According to Wasserman, the "Pilot Project" was awarded to A & C in an effort to show the community that the town was dedicated to the revitalization movement. "It was very important for us to include both Sustainable Long Island and the Unified New Cassel Community Revitalization Corporation because both organizations spearheaded the visioning process," Wasserman said. We thought it would be appropriate to have them take the lead in the first project."

He added that the "Pilot Project" identified key components of what the community was looking for and it also provided for a very interesting concept in housing. "[Through this project,] one will be able to purchase a residential unit in a condominium configuration and own the rental unit above. So you are getting homeownership, owner-occupied rental units and you are providing them at an affordable level. And you are combining it with the most significantly needed use within the New Cassel area being the pharmacy," said Wasserman. "We saw it as a means of truly hitting the most significant needs of the community, unquestionably, on a very small scale. It was the ice-breaker."

Site "A" was awarded to the Bluestone Organization, a third-generation, family-owned, full-service real estate development business that has been developing housing in the New York market for 70 years. Site "A" is located on a vacant piece of property on the corner of Prospect Avenue and Brush Hollow Road. Construction of this site is estimated to cost $17.8 million and include 57 residential units and 20,400-square-feet of commercial/other use as well as some 127 parking spots. In addition, Brook Street, which runs between Prospect Avenue and Brush Hollow Road, will be closed.

Sites "B," "C" and "D," which were awarded to Stoneridge Homes, Inc., are situated on two full blocks near the Prospect Avenue and Sheridan Street intersection - directly across from the "Pilot Project." The total estimated cost for the three sites is $15.4 million.

Site "B" refers to 735 and 765 Prospect Avenue between Siegel and Sheridan and calls for the construction of a 37,440 square foot mixed-use development including 24 residential units. Of the total site, 11,752-square- feet will be for commercial/other use. Site "C" will be a 28,596-square-foot mixed use development with 22, two bedroom units and Site "D" will be an 18,936-square-foot mixed use development with 12, two bedroom units. Four-thousand-square-feet of Site "C" and 5,520-square-feet of Site "D" will be for commercial/other use. Combined, the sites will include some 78 parking spaces.

"Presently, these sites are all vacant. They are properties that over the years, the CDA (Community Development Agency) accumulated and took down buildings that were there because they were blighted," said Wasserman. "We were trying to accumulate property so that we could have a comprehensive redevelopment as opposed to buying a property and building something small and buying another property and building something small, none of which would have had any significant overall rejuvenation."

Site "E" is a joint partnership between the Sheldrake Organization and UNCCRC, and refers to the south side of Prospect Avenue between State and Bond Streets. Through this $13.9 million project, an 80,000- square-foot, 78-unit residential development (with 38, one bedroom and 40, two-bedroom units) will be constructed at the western end of Prospect Avenue. The development will offer its residents a program whereby a percentage of their rent can be placed in an escrow account to help build a down payment on a future residential purchase in the New Cassel community.

According to Wasserman, Sheldrake has elected to seek a 9 percent tax credit for this project. This tax credit option is a competitive program run through New York State's Department of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) which requires the applicant to [complete] a very extensive and detailed application that needs to go to DHCR for review in order for the tax credit to be awards. Since applications for 2004 were due in April and Sheldrake was not selected as the site developer until late March, they were not able to complete the application in time and will have to wait until next year to submit the application.

"They can start the design work and preliminary infrastructure work, but they are not going to be able to completely fund their project under their existing financing scenario unless they achieve the 9 percent award," said Wasserman, who added that the town is optimistic Sheldrake will qualify for the tax credit because they meet much of the necessary criteria.

"They have a community partner involved, which is UNCCRC, and they hit all the marks with respect to the types of units, the size of the units and the affordability of the units," he said. "They have a tremendous track record in dealing with DHCR in completing projects within the affordable housing market that give them a very strong leg up in achieving those tax credits. We feel very comfortable that they we get those tax credits."

Should Sheldrake not receive the tax credit, Wasserman said the developer will either have to come back to the town with an alternative financial mechanism or the site will be released.

In the meantime, the town is looking to set up a meeting with DHCR so that a representative from the agency can come to New Cassel and review the entire process. This is important, said Wasserman, because like Site "E," Site "F" is also a 9 percent tax credit project.

Site "F," located at 512 and 514 Union Avenue, will be developed through a partnership between Douglas Development, LLC and the Anna and Philip Kimmel Foundation and includes a 34,000-square-foot intergenerational mixed income residential development. The site will encompass 31 residential units as well as a live-work space, community room and 41 parking spaces. The estimated cost of the project is $6.7 million.

"They were able to make their submission to DHCR and we should have an answer some time in August," said Wasserman, who added that the town does not want to run into a situation where Kimmel is competing against Sheldrake for projects in the same area.

"This is an overall initiative and in order to make it work multiple projects need to move forward," he said. "We are strongly requesting and they seem very willing to consider this, that [DHCR] look at all of these applications within the New Cassel area in essence as a single application so that we are not going to get one versus another because they need to work together. So far, we've been received quite warmly and conceptually on that."

The final site is being revitalized by its current property owner, Wheatley Hills Nursery. Located at 542 Union Avenue, this project will include renovation of the existing site to tie into the revitalization project. As of press time, exact plans were being finalized.

"We want to rebuild Prospect Avenue, New Cassel's 'Main Street.' These projects represent the future of New Cassel," said Supervisor Jon Kaiman. "So far, we are well along in achieving that goal. Developers are realizing that New Cassel is a vibrant community with a lot of potential."

The town is hoping to have the foundations for each project in the ground and completed by year's end so that the construction can begin in the spring. From start to finish, each project should take between 12 to 18 months, weather permitting, to complete.

To date, Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy has secured $75,000 in federal money. That funding will aid in traffic calming measures in and the redevelopment of Prospect Avenue. The town is also seeking additional federal monies to offset the cost of the Prospect Avenue revitalization projects. Senator Hillary Clinton and State Senator Michael Balboni have also been working to seek grants to offset the cost of the projects.

"At this point, we are looking, on the private investment side, upwards of $54 to $55 million in redevelopment going into the New Cassel community for the sites that have already been awarded," said Wasserman. "I don't think there's been $5 million spent in New Cassel in the last 20 years."

"The revitalization project will put the 'new' back in New Cassel because we will have new buildings, new businesses and, most importantly, a new spirit of vitality in the community," said Councilman Robert Troiano.

Revitalization of the Prospect Avenue corridor will significantly increase the tax revenue into the community. "There is a significant amount of additional monies because these properties have been off the tax role for many, many years," said Wasserman. "The tax money that is going to be generated out of these projects, upwards of 60 percent of it, will go to the Westbury School District. It is a tremendous opportunity for the school district to benefit economically."

He added, "If there are more tax monies generated, the residential property owners and taxpayers, will take on less of a burden. In fact, the tax levy that they see could potentially go down long-term once you have this infusion of additional commercial tax monies coming in."

In addition, town officials are also hopeful that the above mentioned projects will increase jobs within the New Cassel community, especially the development groups will be required to comply and involve themselves with the town's apprenticeship program. "This will enable anyone in the community to apply and be accepted into an apprenticeship program, which will provide them with all the training necessary to give them a skilled, construction-related opportunity for the rest of their lives," Wasserman said.

Troiano added that another important component associated with the project is the economic engine it will create for New Cassel and the surrounding community. "The projects will have a long-term financial benefit on the community because those dollars will stay in the local area," he said, adding, "I expect there will be copycat investors who are going to want to invest money in New Cassel once they see the success of these projects. That's good for the surrounding community because it will bring in additional property tax dollars, which will serve to reduce school taxes."

The revitalization will also enable younger people to remain in the community. "What does not exist in New Cassel [now] is any kind of rental market that would enable someone coming out of school or who has a decent job the opportunity to afford to live there," said Wasserman. "This is going to enable people who want to stay within the community they were raised and grew up in the opportunity to continue to live there and support the community."

While there is still some skepticism from within the community that the projects will actually come to pass, Kaiman hopes residents realize that the town is working in their best interests. "What I've heard, both directly and indirectly, is that people have been talking a good game around here for 40 years so why should [residents] think now is any different," said Kaiman.

"I understand why they are skeptical, but just hope that they bear with us. This is different. We've dotted our I's. We've crossed our 'T'as. We've laid the foundation for this whole series of projects in a way that has never been done before. We think this is going to be a model not only for the town, but for all of Long Island and hopefully beyond."