Hempstead Village wins $10 million in state revitalization funding

Hempstead Village will receive $10 million in state aid to revitalize its downtown, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office announced on Friday,

The state awarded the Village of Hempstead $10 million from its Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant. Local officials said the money will help to grow the number of businesses on Main Street, expand housing offerings in the village, and center the community as an arts destination.

The state also announced it was awarding $4.5 million to the Village of Farmingdale from its NY Forward grant. The state programs are designed to provide funding for projects that will boost the downtowns.

“Long Island’s downtowns are more than hubs for business, they’re the infrastructure that inspires people to build a better world around them,” Hochul said in the news release. “By investing nearly $15 million in revitalizing Hempstead and Farmingdale, we’re creating stronger communities that honor their history and possibility — paving a path for generations of Long Islanders to experience all they have to offer.”“

Hempstead is a proud, hardworking community, and this $10 million investment will go a long way in making our downtown a place where families, businesses, and visitors can thrive,” Mayor Waylyn Hobbs said in the news release. “This funding means more opportunities for local businesses, more housing for our residents, and a downtown that truly reflects the energy and diversity of our village.”

Hobbs said the village is “excited to get to work and make this vision a reality.”

The state’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative in recent years has awarded funds to Kings Park and Smithtown, Huntington Station, Amityville, Hicksville, Westbury, Riverhead and Central Islip, among other communities on Long Island and throughout the state.

Farmingdale Mayor Ralph Ekstrand told Newsday the $4.5 million will be used to fund a new performing arts center in the village.

“We’ll have playhouse people come in. We’ll have movies, matinees. We’ll have the local theater groups, and we have three dance troupes in the village,” Ekstrand said of the proposed center. The village, he said, still needs to secure a property for the project.

“It will fill in a long-needed gap for entertainment in our downtown,” Ekstrand said. “You now can come into the downtown and besides having a great lunch or dinner, you can see a play or a movie or children performing.”

With Jonathan LaMantia