The Town of North Hempstead has completed its Cultural Master Plan, Supervisor Judi Bosworth announced on Tuesday.
Efforts to create such a plan began in 2018, with the goal of making North Hempstead a place that people sought out to host and attend cultural events, festivals and concerts, among other things.
The town touted the plan as one of the first of its kind adopted in New York and as “a roadmap to foster diversity, equity, and inclusivity, while supporting strong and vibrant local economies.”
“The arts play a vital role in not just enhancing the quality of life for our residents but as a significant component of an economic development strategy,” Bosworth said in a statement. “We have so many wonderful destinations in North Hempstead, and it is extremely important that the Town plays a proactive role in promoting our businesses and cultural institutions so that they are highlighted and continue to thrive.”
In a statement, the town said the final plan was the “culmination of twenty months of focus groups, surveys, public meetings, and discussions with civic associations, chambers of commerce, Business Improvement Districts, arts & culture organizations, and historical societies.”
The document includes a detailed implementation strategy containing studies, examples, and instructions relevant to North Hempstead.
Recommendations include the creation of an initial Office of Commerce & Culture that brings together the town, interested villages, local business improvement districts, Chambers of Commerce, and arts and cultural nonprofits within North Hempstead; the development of a marketing strategy that may include a more dynamic online tool for branding, promoting and incentivizing the arts, culture, tourism, dining and retail experience to help thread together and cross-pollinate activities/events townwide; and cultivating a program that decreases retail vacancies and increases business retention. This will be addressed with artist pop-up shops, improvements to the shopping, dining and festival experiences, and involvement from the art, cultural and historical sectors.
The town said that though the plan was initially crafted prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is “being adapted to address both local business and arts & culture organizational challenges in the contexts of economic rebuilding, operational challenges, and public health recovery/safety.”
It had been announced last year that urban design group CivicMoxie would assist in the plan’s creation and had been hired in 2018, with founder and principal Susan Silberberg appearing at a town forum in June 2019 to field questions on the plan. Efforts to reach CivicMoxie for comment were unavailing.
The town is beginning a search for a commerce and culture coordinator who will assist with the implementation of the plan in the coming months.
