Tom Savino turned Franwin Pharmacy’s plans for its facade on their head.
The downtown Mineola drug store was about to move forward with a “busier” design with block lettering when Savino, president of Plainview-based Vision Accomplished, brought a “really classy” design for the Village of Mineola’s new facade improvement program, owner Allen Sankovich said.
“It almost was too late, but it worked out really really well,” he said.
Signing on with the program Mineola’s Village Board approved in February also saved Sankovich a “significant amount” of money, he said — the village will cover up to 75 percent of the cost with federal grant funds allocated through Nassau County Community Development Block Grants.
Franwin is the first business to participate in the initiative Sankovich, Savino and village Mayor Scott Strauss said will help revitalize the downtown business district by unifying it, and they hope others will soon follow suit.
“I think it’s going to revitalize the area and really make it look very successful, and when you look successful it brings people in,” Sankovich said.
About 40 storefronts along Mineola Boulevard between Harrison Avenue and North Station Plaza are the first the program will target, Savino said.
Over the next six weeks to two months, Vision Accomplished will get artist renderings of the awnings, gooseneck lights and signs each storefront is eligible to get, he said. Each business will also be measured and reviewed to determine what work needs to be done.
The aim is to create a “harmonious appearance” in the downtown business corridor so passersby can focus on what each store offers rather than how different they all look, Savino said.
“Draw us the forest, and then draw us each tree individually so I can go to each tree owner and say, ‘This is what we’re going to do to your tree,’” Savino said. “… At the end of the day, the whole forest will look good together as a whole.”
An attractive business district can also attract more businesses, Savino said.
The village consulted Savino because he and Vision Accomplished have had success with similar initiatives in Westbury and Farmingdale, Strauss said.
That success is measurable — the vacancy rate for Westbury’s downtown storefronts went from 55 percent to nearly zero after Savino harmonized the facades, he said. Farmingdale saw vacancy drop from 45 percent to nearly nothing, he said.
“We’re literally going change the face of the village in a very, very positive way,” Strauss said.
Several business owners have expressed support for the projects, Savino said, and the Mineola Chamber of Commerce has also helped with outreach.
The $265,000 in initial federal grant money funneled through Nassau County will help many Mineola businesses save money on facade makeovers without the use of any village funds, Strauss said.
Businesses can get up to $15,000 for the package of sign, light and awning upgrades, and up to $30,000 for projects requiring more extensive construction. The village will also waive permit fees for the covered upgrades.
“We’re helping the business owners who are usually just scraping buy and might not have the money to do a really enhanced facade upgrade — we’re going to assist them with grant money,” Strauss said. “I think it’s a win-win all around.”
The village will apply for grant money on an annual basis and will continue the program for several years, Strauss said.
Downtown is its first focus, but the program will expand to include the entire village, he said, including the Jericho Turnpike business district.
While Mineola’s 2004 Master Plan doesn’t mention a specific program for facade improvements, it does say downtown facade fixes should be considered and made.
Strauss said the current program aids the Master Plan’s goal of revitalizing the downtown area by making businesses more inviting.
The facade program is “the perfect marriage at the right time” with four residential apartment buildings completed in or approved for the area, Savino said.
It will create a more appealing, “walkable” environment for new and current residents, visitors and people who don’t live in Mineola but regularly spend time shopping or eating there, such as employees at county buildings and Winthrop-University Hospital, Savino said.
“I think it’s a desirable kind of area, and I think the area’s going change quite a bit and grow and continue to be a desirable area growing forward,” Sankovich said.
