Deer Park leaders want to mimic some of the revitalization efforts underway in Copiague

As the Town of Babylon embarks on a pedestrian safety and beautification project along Deer Park Avenue, Deer Park’s civic leaders are hopeful it’s the first of many projects to revitalize the busy corridor.

Along a one-mile strip of Deer Park Avenue from Winnecomac Avenue to Nicolls Road, town crews are replacing brick pavers and sidewalks, first cutting down some small trees that have pushed up the walkways a few inches, creating a hazard, town Department of Public Works Commissioner Tom Stay said.

The town will plant new trees and place new flower planters and trash receptacles, Stay said.

The project is a good start for the four-lane divided highway, said Jason Koch D’Ambrosio, president of the Deer Park Chamber of Commerce.

“If we can beautify the area . . . we can get more businesses that people want to see” such as restaurants and retail, he said.

More than 500 people responded to a recent survey circulated by the chamber of commerce and other community groups, saying they were concerned with potholes and traffic on Deer Park Avenue. Many also said they would like to have a designated and beautified downtown that would attract new businesses, according to results that the chamber posted on its website.

Koch D’Ambrosio credited town officials for meeting with him and others about their desires for the neighborhood and said he sent the survey to officials to help guide future conversations.

“This has very much been a collaborative effort from the start” with the town, he said. “We have to create the environment that’s going to drive the foot traffic, that’s going to drive the pride in our streets.”

The state Department of Transportation recently completed a two-year project on Deer Park Avenue in North Babylon and Deer Park, a state road.

“The project smoothed the concrete pavement and filled in cracks to enhance safety, improve driving conditions and extend the life of the road surface,” said DOT spokesman Stephen Canzoneri.

One project that Koch D’Ambrosio and Gina Lieneck, president of the Deer Park Community Association civic group, said they hope the town will consider is helping them create a “downtown” on a portion of Deer Park Avenue or intersecting Long Island Avenue.

Both have looked to Copiague for inspiration. That hamlet is undergoing a town-led revitalization that includes street and pedestrian improvements, new transit-oriented developments and a town grant program for business owners to update their facades.

Lieneck and Koch D’Ambrosio both said it’s imperative that they get businesses on board for major improvements, both to rent vacant storefronts and to invest in upgrading rundown buildings.

“We’re going to see what we can do to make Deer Park Avenue presentable and hopefully in the future make a nice little downtown area,” Lieneck said.