What is the perfect downtown?
January 23, 2008 by Henry E. Powderly II
The latest Long Island Index found Huntington and Port Jefferson have the best downtowns, since each grabbed 10 percent of the votes. Babylon Village, Rockville Centre and Garden City came in second with around 3 percent each.
But what makes these downtowns great? In Port Jefferson you have a varied mix of restaurants, cafes, a few well-known retailers like Starbucks and The Gap, a barber, a pet store, florists, book stores, etc., and apartments above.
Huntington is very similar, but on a grander scale. Huntington has more restaurants, pubs, the IMAC theater, book stores, clothing shops, and, again, housing above.
But if Long Island is to move in the direction of the downtown, how do we make these communities better? What would you want from the perfect downtown?
LI Biz Blog asks readers to describe the downtown of their dreams, and don’t be afraid to go beyond conventional.
What do you want, and how do we get there?
For a perfect downtown see - Great Neck & Garden City
A perfect downtown is one in which people consider a destination for the day, along with quality housing built within the town. Huntington is a prime example, and a downtown that is still undergoing a major revitalization, with many of the building owners completely restoring the buildings along with apartments above the retail stores. There is a great mix of shopping, restaurants, entertainment and park land.
This is the type of downtown location that could save Long Island from becoming one big strip mall. We certainly don’t need another indoor mall, they do nothing but kill the quality of life on the island and lower surrounding real estate. Downtowns on the other hand enhance the landscape and increase home values around them, which is what I see in Huntington right now. Hopefully the other downtowns will take note and help guide Long Island in the right direction.