Business leaders speak at Revitalization Conference

Bill San Antonio

The Town of North Hempstead’s Business and Tourism Development Corporation hosted a Downtown Revitalization Conference on June 6 at Harbor Links Club House in Port Washington in conjunction with Hofstra University’s National Center for Suburban Studies.

“I believe that this conference gave attendees the opportunity to hear and learn from some individuals who were able to share their wealth of knowledge and hands-on experience in making downtown revitalization a reality,” North Hempstead Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth said in a statement. “I’d like to thank our town’s Business and Tourism Development Corporation and Hofstra’s National Center for Suburban Studies for putting together such a worthwhile event.”

The conference was marked by several speeches addressing the necessity of building grassroots momentum, developing a successful downtown plan, streetscape improvements, utilizing the arts as a downtown anchor and financing downtown efforts.

Vanessa Pugh, the deputy commissioner of the Suffolk County office of economic development, delivered the morning’s keynote address. Pugh has worked on revitalization projects in New Cassel and Wyandanch.

Kevin Law, the president and chief executive officer of the business developer the Long Island Association, delivered the conference’s keynote address, speaking about the significance of downtown funding successes in Wyandanch, Glen Cove and Huntington. Law in 2011 was appointed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo as the chair of the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council.

Michael Puntillo Jr., the president and prinicpal of the Great Neck-based Jobco Realty & Construction, also spoke about ongoing Glen Cove Piazza mixed-use development project.

“The conference was a great way for all downtown revitalization stakeholders to come together and envision the possibilities,” Kaiman said. “There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, which is why it’s important to establish partnerships between the community, their local municipality and the private sector.”

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