$61M Hicksville apartment building, near LIRR station, wins key approval

Oyster Bay's planning board has approved a $61 million mixed-use project in Hicksville, part of an effort to revitalize the area by the hamlet's Long Island Rail Road station.

Cornerstone Hicksville, set to include 106 apartments and 4,000 square feet of retail space on Jerusalem Avenue, is among multiple developments in the mix for downtown Hicksville.

Anthony Bartone, the developer of Cornerstone Hicksville, said in an interview the other housing and retail projects will "complement one another" and "create a critical mass right in that downtown."

"It's very exciting to be part of it and to have all this other redevelopment on the periphery of our site," said Bartone, the CEO of Terwilliger & Bartone Properties. 

The developer’s design team is preparing to file for construction permits with the town and aims to start building early next year. The construction is expected to take around two years. Ten percent of the development’s units will be set aside as affordable for people making 80% of the area median income, Bartone said.

The complex is set to be built on two adjacent properties, one housing a Bank of America building and another with a laundromat and deli. The Bank of America building will be refaced, while the other structure will be demolished. 

Oyster Bay's planning advisory board, which is responsible for reviewing projects in certain parts of the town, green-lit the development on May 14. 

“It’s huge,” Bartone said of the town’s latest approval. “It’s the culmination of many years of work”

There are multiple private projects on tap in Hicksville, considered one of the busiest train hubs on Long Island. The list includes Alpine Residential, a 189-unit development; Fieldstone at North Broadway, the 104-unit mixed-use project; and a 30-apartment mixed-use complex at the former Chroma Paint building.

“Hundreds of millions of dollars from the private sector are being invested into the Hicksville community to create new housing opportunities for young people and seniors looking to downsize,” Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino said in a statement.

In 2017, the state awarded Oyster Bay $10 million as part of its Downtown Revitalization Initiative. The town is overseeing projects to improve walkability around the train station and to install pedestrian areas under the railroad trestle.

The town has used eminent domain to seize other properties to convert them into downtown parking lots. During a meeting on Tuesday, the town board authorized a $1.3 million payment for several properties on Herzog Place. Oyster Bay also bought out a deli on Herzog Place for $150,000, town spokesman Brian Nevin said. Oyster Bay is negotiating with other tenants on acquiring their properties, Nevin said.