LIBN: Transit-oriented development fuels Lynbrook’s downtown renaissance

The promise of the Long Island Railroad offering mass transit access to our bi-county region’s quality of life has been around since the dawn of the 20^th Century.

The reality is finally becoming apparent.

With the opening of the $100 million Langdon luxury residential complex adjacent to the Lynbrook LIRR Station, that village now joins a number of Long Island communities that have successfully demonstrated the synergy of residential and rail.

A joint effort of Breslin Realty Development Corporation and Fields Grade Development, Langdon’s 201 rental apartments come with the amenities one would expect from these two premiere developers. Their offering includes concierge service, a café, rooftop terrace with extraordinary south shore views, a landscaped courtyard, a state-of-the-art fitness center, among other offerings.

But for Lynbrook Village Mayor Alan Beach the Langdon’s benefits are strategic, obvious, and immediate.  The arrival of 201 individuals in luxury rentals within the heart of his commercial “downtown” suggests an economic recalculation for merchants and the village as a whole. Each one of those new residents will bring with them a disposal income that will be spent daily within the Village.

Last year the Mayor was quoted as saying, “Whether it be young dual-income couples or empty nesters, these folks have one thing in common: they eat, shop and dine locally, especially when the amenities are in walking distance.”

Mayor Beach is likely looking at The Langdon’s arrival in Lynbrook with an eye on the benefits brought by transit-oriented developments previously opened along the LIRR Main Line communities such as Mineola and Westbury. Those rental properties have clearly strengthened their villages’ respective bottom lines, created a welcoming walkable “downtown,” boosted local merchants, and strengthened local property values.

Langdon’s arrival beside the Lynbrook LIRR Station also sets the stage for potential state dollars that could be leveraged to improve existing municipal infrastructure within the Village. For example, under the NY Forward program, transit oriented development in Mineola was recognized with a $4.5 million state grant designed to further assist in the revitalization of that community’s downtown. In addition, an independent study found that as Mineola integrated development residential, retail, and commercial spaces around its LIRR station some 30% of contracts went to Nassau County-based small businesses.

Much has been written about the lack of housing in the region and its aftershocks. Among them is the exodus of young people whose parents have spent considerable dollars in school taxes to obtain the best in public education for their children only to see those graduates leave the region after college. The reason is simple. Those young people simply cannot find a place to live. It is a brain drain that must be addressed if Long Island is to protect its future. An appropriate rental inventory would also provide students at Hofstra, Adelphi, LIU, and Molloy with far more housing options.

The Regional Plan Association recently issued an exhaustive report entitled “Homes on Track: Building Thriving Communities Around Transit.”  It reflected on multi-billion dollar projects that included East Side Access, allowing LIRR trains to arrive at Grand Central. Among its observations included, “These improvements will bring more income and wealth into Long Island and tie it more closely with the dynamic regional economy anchored by Manhattan’s central business district. They will also unlock the potential for a much more robust and transit-oriented economy on Long Island.”

That finding could well serve as a mission statement for The Langdon in Lynbrook as its creation has reminded elected officials, residents, and businesses on Nassau County’s south shore of the economic power of transit oriented development predicted long ago when the Long Island Railroad depended on steam engines and cow catches. The future has just arrived on Track One.