A message from Kevin McCormack, Executive Director

The Middle Country Coalition for Smart Growth was formed as a compilation

of community organizations that represent the overwhelming majority of

residents and businesses in the Middle Country hamlets of Centereach and

Selden. They include representatives from the Civic Associations, the School

Board and Administration, the Library Board and Administration, Youth Sports

Organization, Senior Citizen Groups, Religious Groups, the Chamber of Commerce,

Volunteer Fire Districts and more.

The two Middle Country communities of Centereach and Selden have

long suffered from dangerous roadways, indiscriminate spot building of

countless strip malls due to the lack of a comprehensive planning document, lack of affordable work force housing, a glut of haphazard signage, and no sense of community.  The Coalition’s purpose is the revitalization of the two communities through the comprehensive planning process of Smart Growth. With the help of the Town of Brookhaven and Sustainable Long Island, we have begun that process.

As the newly appointed Executive Director of the Coalition, I have taken on the task of bringing the Visioning Plan, which you created last fall, to realization. I will do this with the help of the Coalition members, who represent all of the residents and businesses of the Middle Country area. Feel free to contact them and make your voice heard as we go forward through this dynamic process.

Our goals are both short and long term, as well as varied in nature. However, they all share a common theme – Make the Middle Country Communities of Selden and Centereach an even better place to live, work and raise our children.

The following goals are taken from our Mission Statement and reflect what the Coalition has set out to accomplish:

• Building a unique sense of community and place within each hamlet and the area as a whole, to include identifiable downtown centers
• Seeking improvements to road safety, to protect both motorists and pedestrians alike
• Directing the beautification of the area through targeted streetscaping, landscaping, facade improvement and architectural design.
• Overseeing and facilitating the expansion and/or improvement of transportation employment and waste water management, all in a fiscally responsible manner
• Seeking to develop a range of housing options, to include viable work force and senior housing
• Fostering economic development and the future potential of the area as a business friendly community
• Building a process for the development of the youth of our community
• Promoting preservation and enhancement of valuable natural and cultural resources
• Overseeing and facilitating the equitable distribution of costs and benefits of development
• Seeking and valuing long range considerations of sustainability over short term actions
• Promoting public health and a healthy community
• Fostering PRIDE in the Middle Country Community

This will be an exciting time for Centereach and Selden. There is a lot in store in the coming months. Here are just a few items that we’re working on or you can expect to see:

The Middle Country Road Improvement Project – Route 25, as the NYS Department of Transportation (DOT) likes to call it, is scheduled to undergo a major facelift from Route 347 to the west straight through to Nicolls Road to the east, affecting a major part of Centereach’s main east – west corridor. The DOT, with input from the Town of Brookhaven and the Coalition, will begin the project later this year; resurfacing the road, adding much needed sidewalks throughout the length of the project, and introducing turning lanes to reduce traffic congestion. This will just be a first step on which the Coalition hopes to build.

An Electronic Community Bulletin Board Network – Our plan is to introduce an electronic version of a Community Bulletin Board, and then expand that concept by making the content available at many locations, including the internet. Two full matrix, full color bulletin boards – one located in each hamlet’s town center – will be mirrored on monitors located throughout both communities and a website. The purpose of this network is threefold: 1) Community Outreach – keeping the community informed of the Visioning Plan’s progress; 2) Beautification – removing many of the signs lining the roadway that advertise non-profit organization events, youth sports registration, etc, which will then be displayed on the bulletin boards; 3) Information Source – all non-profits, schools, community groups etc will be able to display their messages in locations accessible by the entire population.

Interconnected Shopping Centers – Have you ever parked in one strip mall or shopping center along Middle Country Road and then realized you also needed to shop in an adjacent shopping center – only to find out you must venture back onto Middle Country Road because there is a fence between the two parking lots? The Coalition is working with the Town in an attempt to require adjacent commercial properties be connected. This will allow traffic on Middle Country Road to move more safely, as shoppers need not jump onto the road, just to drive 50 feet to enter another parking lot. This hopefully, will ease some of the congestion on the road and encourage shopping in adjacent shopping centers. A good example of this can be found at the new Centereach CVS and the adjacent Exxon station. Not only are the lots connected, but the exit from CVS lines up with the traffic light on Rustic Road, which makes a left turn from the stores easy and safer.

Standardized Street Numbers – Ever slow down to look for a street address along Middle Country Road? First, you probably can’t find it and second, you most likely, came close to causing an accident as you were forced to takes your eyes off the road – even for a split second. The Coalition would like to see standardized street address numbers displayed on each property. If each property had a similar looking street number – color, size and location – it would make spotting that address much easier as you navigated down the roadway. A different background color could be used for Centereach and for Selden, adding to each hamlet’s identity.

These ideas are just the tip of the iceberg. The comprehensive planning document, which will serve as the blueprint for Middle Country going forward, is being finalized with the Town. Defined in this document will be the locations and motif of downtown centers, design and architectural guidelines, and much, much more. You can expect to see it in the next couple of months at a presentation to the community.

Our Coalition:

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Kevin McCormack

Co-Chairs

Michael J. Anderson,

Greater Middle Country Chamber of Commerce

John Hoctor,

Middle Country Public Library Board

Organizations

Centereach Civic Association

Community Foundation of Centereach

Greater Middle Country Chamber of Commerce

Middle Country Central School District

Middle Country Children's Soccer

Middle Country Public Library

Middle Country Retiree's Association

Selden Civic Association