comprehensive master plan for the village of mineola

Prepared for The Village of Mineola by the Mineola Community Planning Committee

with Phillips Preiss Shapiro Associates, Inc., Planning and Real Estate Consultants

November 2005

Comprehensive Master Plan for the Village of Mineola

Comprehensive Master Plan

Village of MineolaNassau County, New York

Prepared forThe Village of Mineola

Prepared byMineola Community Planning Committee

with

Phillips Preiss Shapiro Associates, Inc.Planning and Real Estate Consultants434 Sixth AvenueNew York, New York 10011

November 2005

i

Acknowledgments

Village of Mineola Board of TrusteesMayor Jack M. MartinsDeputy Mayor Lawrence A. WertherTrustee Paul S. CusatoTrustee Linda FairgrieveTrustee John S. DaVanzo

John M. Spellman, Esq., Village AttorneyJoseph R. Scalero, Village ClerkThomas J. Rini, Superintendent of Public Works

Mineola Community Planning CommitteeRobert W. Hinck, Sr., Chair/Traffic Circulation,Parking Subcommittee Chair, HeritageSubcommittee ChairGeorge Durham, Downtown RevitalizationSubcommittee ChairJacqueline Carway, Corridors andNeighborhoods Subcommittee Chair

Other Participating Elected OfficialsState Senator Michael A.L. BalboniState Assemblywoman Maureen O’ConnellUS Representative Carolyn McCarthyCounty Legislator Richard J. Nicolello

ConsultantsPhillips Preiss Shapiro Associates, Inc.Kenneth Bowers, Paul Grygiel, Elizabeth Jordan,Namiko Kimura, Nicole Ogg, John Richkus, TracySayegh, John ShapiroEDAWNorman Mintz AssociatesSpellman Rice Schure Gibbons McDonough &Polizzi, LLP

iii

The Mayor and Trustees of the Village acknowledge with gratitude the more than seventy five residents, business

owners, organizations, public officials and Village staff who gave of their time and talents on the Community

Planning Committee in order to help develop a vision for the future of Mineola.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary 1Process 1Goals and Objectives 3

Chapter 1 - Introduction 5Village Overview 5Process 6Initial Focus on Downtown 9

Chapter 2 - Neighborhoods and Community Design 11Existing Conditions 12Recommendations 25

Chapter 3 - Corridors and Transportation 35Existing Conditions 37Recommendations 41

Chapter 4 - Downtown 51Existing Conditions 52Recommendations 57

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Executive Summary

ProcessThe Mineola ComprehensiveMaster Plan was born out ofcommunity spirit. It was madepossible by the multi-yearefforts of the Village’s residents,

elected officials, business community and institu-tional leaders. The process was guided by theMineola Community Planning Committee,chaired by former mayor Robert W. Hinck, whichalso included four topical subcommittees: traffic

circulation and parking, neighborhoods and corri-dors, heritage, and downtown revitalization. Inplanning for the future of the entire community,the Committee coordinated its activities with anumber of downtown revitalization efforts spear-headed by the Village government and StateSenator Michael Balboni.

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Goals for Neighborhoods and Community Design:

Protect and enhance the basic building blocks of

Mineola’s stability and value as a mature suburb: resi-

dence, block, neighborhood and community.

Objectives• Continue to provide a variety of recreational

amenities and community services• Improve the pedestrian experience• Preserve the handsome design quality of

Mineola• Protect against intrusions (such as traffic over-

flow and commercial creep)• Address on-street parking problems• Provide a variety of housing types in appro-

priate locations

Goal for Heritage

Acknowledge and build upon the rich history of the

Village.

Objectives• Encourage historic preservation• Incorporate the heritage theme into future

development when appropriate• Foster heritage awareness

Goal for Corridors and Transportation:

Create a safe and efficient transportation network that

also reinforces the value and attractiveness of the corri-

dors, as well as downtown and community.

Objectives• Maintain vehicular efficiency by reducing

“friction” along the commercial corridors• Promote the “greening” of the corridors (and

parking areas)• Promote the visual upgrade of the corridors• Promote pedestrian safety and enjoyment

along the corridors• Create new zoning districts and design district

overlays for each of the corridors• Enhance the gateways to and key arrival

places within the village• Partner with adjacent communities on shared

corridors• Enhance the appeal of Downtown

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The best of both worlds: Mineola is a mature suburb and hasexcellent public transportation.

Goal For Downtown

Create a vibrant, walkable, and accessible downtown

that is a community and visitor focal point.

Objectives• Improve the appearance and form of develop-

ment• Improve the pedestrian experience• Improve circulation, parking, and connections• Support the business community

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Overall Theme

This plan builds upon the strong sense of community among Mineola’s residents,

and envisions the Village as an even more desirable, safe and attractive place in

which to live, work and raise a family. The strategy is to protect what’s best

about Mineola while tapping the Village’s potential.

Introduction

Mineola’s residents and business community havemany reasons to feel positive about their Village.It is home to stable residential neighborhoods,with attractive homes on tree-lined streets. TheVillage’s community facilities and programs aretop-notch, such as its well-maintained parks andextensive senior citizen programs. Mineola hascommercial areas that serve the Village and sur-rounding areas. It is well served by public trans-portation and convenient to major roads.

But most of all, Mineola’s strength is in its people:its residents, merchants, business owners, employ-ees and institutional leaders. Mineola has a widearray of civic and cultural associations, volunteerorganizations, religious institutions and commu-nity events, all of which are made possible by theefforts of many members of the community. Thisplan builds upon Mineola’s community spirit as itlooks to the future.

Village OverviewThe Village ofMineola is locatedon New York’sLong Island in theheart of NassauCounty. Since its

incorporation in 1906, it has grown to become amature suburban community that is almost fullydeveloped, with a wide mix of land uses relative toits small size. Mineola has a compact downtown,a major commercial corridor, industrial uses andvarious institutional uses, such as Winthrop-University Hospital and Chaminade High School.It is the address for the seat of Nassau County,though County facilities are located in adjoining

Garden City. Due in large part to its status as atransit hub, Mineola has been designated by theRegional Plan Association as one of eleven region-al downtowns in the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut metropolitan area.

Mineola is located just over fifteen miles east ofmidtown Manhattan. The total area of the Villageis 2.2 square miles. The majority of the Village islocated in the Town of North Hempstead, with aslim portion of the Village’s southern edge locatedin the Town of Hempstead. The population ofMineola in 2000 was 19,234, according to theUnited States Census. This figure is a slightincrease over the Village’s 1990 population,although somewhat less than its largest decennialcensus count of 21,845 in 1970.

The Village’s Long Island Railroad station predat-ed the incorporation of Mineola, and the railroadstill is central to the Village and its transportation

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1 Village ofMineola

Suffolk

County

Nassau

County

ME

AD

OW

BR

OO

KS

T. PK

WY.

LONG ISLAND EXPRESSWAY

NORTHERN STATE PKWY.

SOUTHERN STATE PARKWAY

JERICHO TNPK.

Nassau

County

Queens

County

Queens

Brooklyn

Manhattan

Bronx

Westchester

Regional Context Village of Mineola, Nassau County, NY Phillips Preiss Shapiro Associates, Inc. 2003

system. The Mineola railroad station serves com-muters from the Village and surrounding commu-nities, and is also well used by employees of andvisitors to County offices, Winthrop-UniversityHospital and other employers in the area. It willonly grow in significance if current transit plansare carried out. Long Island Bus serves Mineolawith a number of bus routes as well. In terms ofvehicular transportation, the Village is located ashort distance from the Long Island Expressway,Northern State Parkway and Meadowbrook StateParkway. Jericho Turnpike and Hillside Avenueare major east-west roads that run through the

northern portion of Mineola, Old Country Roadruns along its southern edge, and Herricks Road,Mineola Boulevard, Willis Avenue and RoslynRoad are major north-south roads in the Village.

Mineola is characterized by well-maintainedhomes on compact lots, an active civic community,good schools, and high-quality parks and recre-ation amenities. But as is the case in many oldersuburban communities, Mineola is facing issuessuch as a traffic congestion, unattractive corridors,a changing retail base and a traditional downtownin need of further definition. The Village is look-ing to ensure that it can maintain the stability of itsneighborhoods, while promoting improvements

in its downtown, business districts and corridors.It is in this context that the MineolaComprehensive Plan is written.

ProcessA few years ago, the Village of Mineola formed theMineola Community Planning Committee toundertake the preparation of a comprehensiveplan. The Committee is chaired by former mayorRobert W. Hinck, and is comprised of a spectrumof residents and business leaders. An executivecommittee was created from this larger group toguide the process. Four topical subcommitteeswere created as well: traffic circulation and park-

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Mineola’s parks and monuments on tree-lined residentialstreets make it an attractive place to live.

Downtown’s anchors and historic character give it the poten-tial to be a destination.

ing, neighborhoods and corridors, heritage, anddowntown revitalization. Each of these subcom-mittees conducted detailed analyses of their spe-cialty areas, leading to the recommendationsincluded in this plan.

Phillips Preiss Shapiro Associates, Inc. (PPSA) wasselected by the Village Board of Trustees in 2000 toserve as its planning consultant. A Village basemap was prepared using data from the NassauCounty Department of Planning’s geographicinformation system. A survey of existing land uses

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Approx. Feet0 250

Third Street

Old Country Road

Third Street

Front Street

Station Plaza

Second Street

First Street

Harrison Avenue

Cleveland Avenue

Third

Avenue

Fourth

Avenue

Min

eola

Blv

d.

Main

St.

Willis

Avenue

Station Road

Downtown Opportunities Village of Mineola, Nassau County, NY Phillips Preiss Shapiro Associates, Inc. 2003

Base Map Copyright 2000, County of Nassau, NY

Parking Improvement Opportunity

PriorityStreet Parking

Potential Linkageto Garden City

Development/InfillOpportunity

Open Space

Linkages

StreetscapeImprovements Priorities

PotentialNew Street

IntersectionImprovement Priorities

Esplanade/Mews/Pedestrian Opportunity

Entrance Corridors

Gateway Treatments,Urban Design Opportunitiesand Historic Preservation

WinthropUniversityHospital

CitibankBuilding

New Entry

Long Island Railroad

LittleLeagueField

Post Office

Long

Islan

dRa

ilroa

d

Station PlazaLIRR Station

TransportationCenter

NewBridge

VillageGreen

Mineola’s distinct character is defined by many features.

in Mineola was completed and mapped.Demographic and economic information wasobtained for the Village. PPSA also met with theVillage Clerk and Building Department as well asmembers of the Mineola Historical Society.Several site visits were conducted with Villagestaff and committee members. Interviews wereconducted as well. A “SWOT” (Strengths,Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) work-shop was held with all of the Master Plan commit-tees at the culmination of this research.

Mineola has a special sense of community whichthis plan recognizes and builds on. It is truly a co-venture between the consultants (as out-of-town-ers) and the residents (as the true experts). Thegoal has been to draft a plan that captures the com-munity spirit of Mineola, and which can enrich thefuture of the Village.

Initial Focus on DowntownEarly on in this process, it was realized that down-town Mineola was an area of importance both tothe Village as well as the larger region. There wasalso recognition that Mineola had an emergingopportunity to harness outside funding andexpertise to improve this area. Thus, it was decid-ed that the comprehensive plan process for theVillage should initially address downtown.

Therefore, when these enhancement efforts beganfor downtown Mineola, with significant support

provided through grants obtained by New YorkState Senator Michael A.L. Balboni, the Village wasable to coordinate them to achieve its objectives.These have included the following, to date:

• A major redevelopment and redesign studyfor the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) stationarea

• Grants for downtown streetscape improve-ments

• Downtown improvements through NassauCounty’s Operation Downtown and commu-nity development programs

• New construction and design improvementsby Winthrop-University Hospital

• Redesign and replacement by the NYSDepartment of Transportation of the MineolaBoulevard Bridge

• Plans for an underpass to replace the RoslynRoad grade crossing of the LIRR tracks

• Plans for the Mineola Intermodal Center, adowntown parking garage and bus terminalat the train station.

The Long Island Railroad study in particular dove-tailed with this plan. The lead consultant for thatproject was Vollmer Associates, who providedtransportation planning and engineering expert-ise. Their subconsultants included specialists inurban design (Cooper, Robertson & Partners), eco-nomic development (Hamilton, Rabinovitz &Alschuler), and community outreach (ZetlinStrategic Communications).

The Community Planning Committee providedinput on these improvements and facilitated con-nectivity between these various entities, with theassistance of PPSA, EDAW (landscape andstreetscape designers), Norman Mintz Associates(storefront designer and retail advisor), and John

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Mineola has a special sense of community which this plan recognizes

and builds on.

Downtown streetscape improvements are well underway.

Opposite: Like all Master Plans, this plan emphasizes land uses and the built environment, but it alsoaddresses quality of life, community resources, and theVillage’s sense of pride.

M. Spellman, Esq. (legal advisor). Now that sig-nificant progress has been made with regard toplanning and project implementation for down-town Mineola, the focus has been turned to thepreparation of a comprehensive plan for the entireVillage.

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Displays make down-town an interesting place.

Downtown is defined by interesting buildings new and old in great proximity to public transportation.

Neighborhoods andCommunity Design

The Village of Mineola is distinguished by itssense of community. While comprised of variousdistinct neighborhoods, Mineola is home to volun-teer organizations, special events, and publicamenities that unite the Village’s residents. It is inthis spirit that the Mineola Comprehensive Plan iswritten.

This chapter provides a detailed portrait ofMineola as it is today. It also includes a series ofrecommendations for the overall Village and itsresidential neighborhoods to preserve what is bestabout Mineola, and to make it an even better com-munity in the future.

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2

A variety of activities and amenities make Mineola a desirableplace to live and work.

Existing Conditions

Land UseMineola is an attractive and mature suburbancommunity. The natural setting of the Village waslong ago altered by development. The Village’smost striking natural features are its canopies ofmature trees, manicured lawns and landscapedparks.

The Village is generally arranged in a grid pattern,which is broken up in places by large propertiesfeaturing schools and parks, as well as by largerscale developments such as Winthrop-UniversityHospital and multifamily residential complexes.Major roads and the LIRR tracks also segmentareas of the community. These divisions havehelped to create comfortable neighborhoods com-prised of generally similar lot sizes and housingstyles.

Residential properties are generally well main-tained in the Village, and neighborhood streets arepedestrian friendly overall. Most of the Village’shomes are small in scale, and are located on rela-tively small lots. This compact development pat-tern adds to the walkable character of Mineola. Inrecent years, there have been a number of homeexpansions throughout the community. Theseadditions and improvements speak to the desir-able character of Mineola’s neighborhoods. Butthere is concern that some home expansions andthe tearing down of existing houses threaten thecharacter of the neighborhoods. There are alsosome concerns about illegal housing (describedlater).

The land use mix in Mineola also includes somecommercial and industrial areas. Some of theseareas are almost uniform in land use character,such as the cluster of industrial uses at the east endof Second Street or the cluster of office buildingson Old Country Road. But in many areas, com-mercial uses are located proximate to residentialneighborhoods, resulting in varying degrees of useconflict. These land use conflicts are particularlyacute along commercial strips, especially adjacentto auto-oriented uses and restaurants (discussed indetail in the next chapter).

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Table 1: Population Change, 1980-2000

Village of Mineola County of NassauYear Number Change Number Change1980 20,705 -- 1,321,582 --1990 18,994 -8.3% 1,287,348 -2.6%2000 19,234 1.3% 1,334,544 3.7%

Source: US Census Bureau

Table 2: Village of Mineola Population, 1960 to 2000

ChangeYear Population Number Percent1960 20,5191970 21,845 1,326 6.1%1980 20,705 -1,140 -5.5%1990 18,994 -1,711 -9.0%2000 19,234 240 1.2%

Sources: Nassau County Databook, US Census Bureau

Top: Mineola’s population count is basically stable, with somechanges in age distribution due to both turnover of housing andaging in place.

Right: Residents are proud of their Village and their homes arewell-maintained.

PopulationMineola is home to a wide cross-section of resi-dents: laborers and lawyers, small business own-ers and corporate executives. Many who grow upin Mineola decide to stay, or often decide to moveback to the Village after living elsewhere. TheVillage’s population is relatively diverse in termsof religion, ethnicity, race, and income.

Mineola’s population was 19,200 in 2000 accordingto the United States Census, representing a 1.3 per-cent increase from the 1990 population of 19,000.This modest growth contrasts with the drop expe-rienced in the 1980s. Major fluctuations are limit-ed at this point by the fact that, like the rest ofNassau County, Mineola is largely built-out. Asshown in Table 1, the populations of both Mineolaand the county decreased in the 1980s, andincreased in the 1990s.

As shown in Table 2, Mineola’s population hadessentially stabilized by 1960. Mineola only had2,000 residents in 1910, increasing to 8,200 by 1930and 10,100 residents in 1940. Most of the Village’spopulation growth occurred between 1940 and1960.

The large majority of Mineola’s residents arewhite. The Hispanic population in Mineolaincreased in the 1990s, during which time thenumber of Asian residents also grew.Comparative figures are shown in Table 3.

In terms of age, Mineola’s population is concen-trated in the 35 to 44 years age group, which com-prised 18 percent of the Village’s 2000 population.This age bracket comprised around 16 percent ofNassau County and New York State’s 2000 popu-

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Table 3: Population by Race and Origin, 1990 and 2000

1990 2000 ChangeNumber Percent Number Percent Number Percent

Total Mineola population 18,994 100.0% 19,234 100.0% 240 1.3%White 18,058 95.1% 16,617 86.4% -1,441 -8.0%Black/African-American 190 1.0% 199 1.0% 9 4.7%Asian/Pacific Islander 476 2.5% 878 4.5% 402 84.5%Other races 270 1.4% 811 4.2% 541 ____%Two or more races NA NA 729 3.8% -- --

Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 1,547 8.1% 2,507 13.0% 960 62.1%

NOTE: The category "two or more races" was not available prior to the 2000 Census. As a result, thosewho were listed in one racial category in 1990 may have selected this new category in 2000. Source: US Census Bureau

Table 4: Population by Age Group, 1990 and 2000

1990 2000 ChangeNumber Percent Number Percent Number Percent

Total population 18,994 100.0% 19,234 100.0% 240 1.3%SEXMale 9,152 48.2% 9,244 48.1% 92 1.0%Female 9,842 51.8% 9,990 51.9% 148 1.5%AGEUnder 5 years 1,044 5.5% 1,162 6.0% 118 11.3%5 to 17 years 2,489 13.1% 2,722 14.2% 233 9.4%18 to 24 years 1,741 9.2% 1,431 7.4% -310 -17.8%25 to 34 years 3,832 20.2% 3,168 16.5% -664 -17.3%35 to 44 years 2,852 15.0% 3,383 17.6% 531 18.6%45 to 54 years 1,873 9.9% 2,620 13.6% 747 39.9%55 to 64 years 2,010 10.6% 1,726 9.0% -284 -14.1%65 to 74 years 2,024 10.7% 1,499 7.8% -525 -25.9%75 to 84 years 887 4.7% 1,256 6.5% 369 41.6%85 years and over 242 1.3% 267 1.4% 25 10.3%


Table 5: Occupied Housing Units by Tenancy, 2000

Mineola Nassau CountyNumber Percent Number Percent

Owner-Occupied 4,689 62.7% 359,264 80.3%Renter-Occupied 2,784 37.3% 88,123 19.7%

Vacant Units 177 2.3% 10,764 2.3%


Jericho Turnpike

Old Country Road

Ros

lyn

Roa

d

Mineola

Blvd

Willis

Ave

Sheridan

Blvd

2nd Street

Westbury Ave

1st Street

Garfield Ave

Jackson Ave

Park Ave

Herricks

Road

Single Family Residential Properties Village of Mineola, Nassau County, NY Phillips Preiss Shapiro Associates, Inc. 2003


Approx. Feet0 500 1000

14

Other Residential Properties Village of Mineola, Nassau County, NY Phillips Preiss Shapiro Associates, Inc. 2003



Attached Single-Family Parcels

Two-Family Parcels

Multi-Family Parcels

Jericho Turnpike

Old Country Road

Ros

lyn

Roa

d

Mineola

Blvd

Willis

Ave

Sheridan

Blvd

2nd Street

Westbury Ave

1st Street

Garfield Ave

Jackson Ave

Park Ave

Herricks

Road

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lations. Mineola’s median age in 2000 was 38years, which is about the same as the county figurebut above the 2000 state median age of 36 years.The age group with the largest percentage increasefrom 1990 to 2000 was residents aged 75 to 84,while the group with the largest decline was resi-dents aged 65 to 74 years, followed by 18 to 24 yearolds. Comparative figures are listed in Table 4. Thegrowth of young families and senior citizens willhave an impact on the community, with challengessuch as changing park needs, emphasis on pedes-trian-friendly design, and increasing numbers ofschoolchildren.

Mineola’s average household size was 2.6 in 2000,which was lower than Nassau County (2.9) but thesame as the state average (2.61).

Over two-thirds (69 percent) of Village residentslived in the same dwelling five years earlier. Thisfigure is about the same as the Nassau Countyaverage, and exceeds the New York State figure of62 percent.

In 2000, 30 percent of Mineola’s population had abachelor’s degree or higher and 82 percent of resi-dents were high school graduates or higher. Thestate averages were 27 percent with a bachelor’sdegree or higher and 79 percent for high schoolgraduate or higher.

HousingThere were 7,650 housing units in Mineola in 2000,an increase of 1.8 percent from the 1990 Census fig-ure of 7,510 (as shown in Table 5). Of occupiedhousing units in the Village, 63 percent wereowner-occupied in 2000, while the other 37 percentof the units were renter-occupied. This is surpris-

ing given Mineola’s single-family landscape, andcan be attributed to a handful of apartment build-ings concentrated near downtown and along theWillis Avenue corridor and on Old Country Road.

The median value of specified owner-occupiedhomes increased from $212,000 in 1990 to $247,000in 2000. The median rent increased by 54 percentfrom $630 in 1990 to $970 in 2000, while the num-ber of dwelling units with contract rents of $1,000or more increased by over 500 percent. Whenadjusted for inflation, the increase in median rentwas 17 percent, while housing values droppedslightly. However, housing prices have increaseddramatically in recent years.

While these figures demonstrate the continueddesirability of the Village as a residential location,there have been some concerns about illegal hous-

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Table 6: 1999 Household Income Distribution

Category Mineola Nassau New YorkNumber Percent County York State

Less than $10,000 356 4.8% 4.5% 11.5%$10,000 to $14,999 279 3.7% 3.3% 6.4%$15,000 to $24,999 577 7.7% 6.6% 11.7%$25,000 to $34,999 607 8.1% 7.0% 11.4%$35,000 to $49,999 1,009 13.5% 11.3% 14.8%$50,000 to $74,999 1,772 23.6% 19.3% 18.4%$75,000 to $99,999 1,272 17.0% 15.7% 10.6%$100,000 to $149,999 1,108 14.8% 17.9% 9.1%$150,000 to $199,999 318 4.2% 6.8% 2.9%$200,000 or more 196 2.6% 7.6% 3.3%TOTAL 7,494 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%


Above: Mineola is a solid middle class community.

Below: Great open space and facilities accommodate theVillage’s active population.

Community Resources Village of Mineola, Nassau County, NY Phillips Preiss Shapiro Associates, Inc. 2003


Private School

Government

Libraries, Hospital

Houses of Worship

Public School


Other

Jericho Turnpike

Old Country Road

Ro

slyn

Ro

ad

Mineola

Blvd

Willis

Ave

Sheridan

Blvd

2nd Street

Westbury Ave

1st Street

Garfield Ave

Jackson Ave

Park Ave

Herricks

Road

MemorialPark

MineolaHistoricalSociety

T.H. WilsonPark

ChaminadeHighSchool

JacksonAvenueSchool

Fire Dept.

Village Hall/Community Center

MineolaMemorialLibrary

Mineola AuxiliaryPoliceHeadquarters

Winthrop-UniversityHospital

MineolaStation

MineolaPost Office

Nassau CountyGovernmentBuildings

MineolaMiddleSchool

HamptonStreetSchool

CorpusChristiSchool

Downtown Cluster

MemorialParkCluster

VillageCenterCluster Wilson

ParkCluster

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ing in Mineola in recent years. Particular com-plaints include (1) conversions of one-familydwellings to two-family or multifamily dwellings,and (2) occupancy of apartments in excess of thepermitted number of tenants. Although there arelarger concentrations of illegal housing in someareas, the problem affects all parts of the commu-nity.

Income and EmploymentPer capita income in Mineola in 1999 was $28,900,compared to $19,900 in 1989, an increase of 10 per-cent when adjusted for inflation. Inflation-adjust-ed median household income increased 3 percentin the past decade to $60,700 in 1999. The 1999income figures for Mineola exceeded the stateaverages, but were slightly lower than those ofNassau County.

In 2000, 38 percent of Mineola’s employed civilianpopulation worked in management, professional,and related occupations. The industry sector withthe highest concentration among Mineola resi-dents is educational, health, and social services,accounting for over 20 percent of the Village’semployed civilian population. Remember,Winthrop University Hospital is the single majoremployer in the Village.

Community FacilitiesThe Village has a well-developed park and recre-ation system. It includes two large parks(Memorial and Wilson Parks) as well as a numberof smaller facilities scattered throughout theVillage.

Memorial Park, located on Marcellus Roadbetween Jackson and Garfield Avenues, has tennis

courts, play equipment, a gazebo, monuments,and open areas. This park is defined by its numer-ous large old-growth trees as well as two historicstructures, the gazebo and the Auxiliary PoliceHeadquarters. The library is located on its easternedge and three schools are located adjacent toMemorial Park. The park is home to the new 9/11monument and the handsome Veteran’sMonument. Memorial Park is also a defining char-acteristic of nearby neighborhoods.

Wilson Park is located on Westbury Avenue nearthe eastern border of the Village, and includes ten-nis and basketball courts, athletic fields, and aroller hockey rink. The Mineola CommunitySwimming Pool complex is located within the rearof Wilson Park. Recent improvements to the parkhave made it an even more popular destination forVillage residents from all parts of the community.

Other recreational facilities in the Village include(1) the new Little League baseball field just northof Second Street east of Willis Avenue, as well as(2) Mineola School District and Chaminade HighSchool fields and other facilities.

The Mineola Library is located on Marcellus Roadon the east side of Memorial Park. It was estab-lished in 1957 and was renovated in 2000. Thisrenovation included the expansion of the building,upgrade of the library facilities, and installation ofadditional computer terminals with Internetaccess. The library’s holdings include approxi-mately 80,000 volumes, with total circulation ofover 120,000 volumes.

The Village of Mineola is part of a regional schooldistrict known as the Mineola Union Free School

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Schools and other community facilities are located in beauti-ful surroundings.

Mineola spirit!

Mineola residents andworkers have access to avariety of housing optionsand other importantresources.

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Existing Zoning Village of Mineola, Nassau County, NY Phillips Preiss Shapiro Associates, Inc. 2003



BusinessSpecial BusinessSpecial Office Business

Light Manufacturing and Industrial

Hospital

One-Family ResidentialOne-Family ResidentialTwo-Family ResidentialGarden-Type ApartmentsApartments

R-1R-2R-3R-4R-5

B-1B-2B-3

M

H

Jericho Turnpike

Old Country Road

Ros

lyn

Roa

d

Mineola

Blvd

Willis

Ave

Sheridan

Blvd

2nd Street

Westbury Ave

1st Street

Garfield Ave

Jackson Ave

Park Ave

Herricks

Road

20

District, which encompasses the following com-munities: Mineola, Garden City Park, WillistonPark, Albertson, and Roslyn Heights. The districtcurrently has four elementary schools (CrossStreet, Hampton Street, Jackson Avenue, and

Meadow Drive) serving students in kindergartenthrough fifth grade, Mineola Middle School forstudents in sixth through eighth grades, andMineola High School for students in ninth throughtwelfth grades.

Two private schools are located in Mineola.Chaminade High School, located on JacksonAvenue, is a distinguished Catholic boys’ highschool, enrolling 1,600 students from Mineola andmany other communities all over Long Island and

Queens. Corpus Christi School, located on SearingAvenue, is a Catholic elementary school servingstudents in Mineola and neighboring communi-ties.

Winthrop-University Hospital is located on thewestern edge of downtown south of First Street.Founded in 1896, Winthrop currently has nearly600 beds and a staff of approximately 3,500 doc-tors, nurses, and other employees. It is a Level 1Regional Trauma Center and a regional referral

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Opposite: Zoning today reflects the predominant residentialcharacter of the Village, with non-residential corridors.

This page: Stable retail corridors and residential neighbor-hoods make Mineola a dynamic community.

center offering acute, specialized services. TheHospital has been undergoing expansion anddesign improvements, including the recent con-struction of a 500-space parking garage on thesouth side of the Long Island Railroad.

Among the numerous active civic groups in theVillage are the Mineola Chamber of Commerce,the Mineola Historical Society, the GardenCity/Mineola Rotary Club, the Mineola LionsClub, the Kiwanis Club, the Long IslandPortuguese Lions Club, the Golden Age Club,AARP, Leisure Club, Mineola Civic Association,two Portuguese-American clubs, the ItalianAmerican Civic Association, the Irish AmericanSociety of Nassau, Suffolk and Queens, theMineola Athletic Association, and the PoliceActivities Association. There are also varioushouses of worship located in the Village represent-ing a diversity of faiths. A number of popularcommunity events are held in the Village, includ-ing the Mineola Fair, the Mustang Run, and thePortuguese/American Fair. Mineola has a ChoralSociety and is the home base of the Nassau PopsOrchestra.

The Mineola Fire Department provides fire protec-tion for the Village. Its recently renovated head-quarters are located on Washington Avenue.Another fire station is located on Elm Place. TheMineola Volunteer Ambulance Corps providesemergency medical services for the Village from itsheadquarters on Elm Place.

Police services for Mineola are provided by theThird Precinct of the Nassau County PoliceDepartment, which also covers a large portion ofthe County. The nearest police station is located in

Williston Park, although there is a small policebooth on Jericho Turnpike between Willis Avenueand Mineola Boulevard that is used by three patrolcars. The Mineola Auxiliary Police Department, avolunteer organization, provides additional secu-rity within the Village.

The Mineola Water Department provides waterservice to the Village. Sewer service is provided bythe Nassau County Sewer District, while theVillage is responsible for maintaining the sewersystems. Stormwater runoff in Mineola is collect-ed through a separate system.

Historic and Cultural ResourcesThe 100-year anniversary of the Village ofMineola’s incorporation will be in 2006. TheVillage has a rich history, which includes connec-tions to the early days of aviation, the growth ofLong Island, Nassau County’s government, aswell as buildings constructed in the early twenti-eth century.

In recent years, increased attention has been paidto the Village’s heritage. A Village historic preser-vation law was enacted, leading to the designationof several historic sites. An additional historicpreservation resource in the Village is the MineolaHistorical Society.

ZoningMineola has had a zoning code since at least themid-Twentieth Century. It is a well-written zoninglaw, and a relatively simple one at that: five resi-dential districts, three business districts, one man-ufacturing district, and one hospital district. Theexisting zone districts are detailed below.

Residential Zones:There are two one-family residential zones in theVillage: the R-1 and R-2 Zones. The vast majorityof the Village’s residential areas are located in theR-2 Zone. The only permitted uses in these zonesare single-family detached dwellings and accesso-ry structures and uses.

The R-3 Two-family Residential Zone permits bothone- and two-family detached dwellings, as wellas accessory structures and uses.

22

Above and opposite: The strategy emphasizes linkages andinvestments to enhance existing parks and community facilities.

Parks and Open Space Village of Mineola, Nassau County, NY Phillips Preiss Shapiro Associates, Inc. 2003


Proposed andPotential Park Expansions

Public Schools and Parks

Existing and Potential Pocket Parks and Village Greens


Private Schools andOpen Space

Jericho Turnpike

Old Country Road

Ros

lyn

Roa

d

Mineola

Blvd

Willis

Ave

Sheridan

Blvd

2nd Street

Westbury Ave

1st Street

Garfield Ave

Jackson Ave

Park Ave

Herricks

Road

T.H. WilsonPark

JacksonAvenueSchool

CorpusChristiSchool

LittleLeagueFieldMineola

MiddleSchool

MemorialPark

HamptonStreetSchoolChaminade

HighSchool

ChaminadeHighSchool Field

23

The Village’s multifamily residential zones are theR-4 and R-5 Zones. These zones allow all the usespermitted in the R-1, R-2, and R-3 Zones. In addi-tion, the R-4 Zone permits a group of multifamilydwellings on a single lot, subject to certain designregulations. The R-5 Zone also permits a group ofattached one-family or two-family dwellings up tosix dwelling units as well as multifamily dwellingswith a maximum density of fifteen units per acre.

Commercial Zones:The B-1 Business Zone encompasses numerousproperties located along Jericho Turnpike, WillisAvenue, Herricks Road, and a small portion ofRoslyn Road. The B-2 Special Business Zoneincludes most of downtown Mineola north of theLong Island Railroad, as well as properties onMineola Boulevard south of Washington Avenue.The B-1 zone permits certain retail, office, and serv-ice commercial uses. The B-2 Zone’s permitteduses also include office buildings and multipledwellings facing on certain streets. Multifamilyresidential uses may have office uses located on theground floor as long as specified conditions aremet.

The B-3 Special Office Use Zone includes the entirearea south of the Long Island Railroad from EighthAvenue to Roslyn Road. It encompasses most ofthe large-scale office buildings in downtownMineola. Permitted uses in the B-3 Zone includeoffice buildings, banks, and brokerage houses, aswell as a number of other commercial uses permit-ted by special use permit.

Other Zones:There are two areas in the Village located in the MLight Manufacturing and Industrial District. The

first is generally centered on East Second Streetbetween the Long Island Railroad Oyster BayBranch and the eastern Village boundary. The sec-ond area is located in the north central section ofthe Village east of the Oyster Bay Branch and northof Jericho Turnpike. Permitted uses in this zoneinclude those allowed in the B-1 and B-2 Districtsas well as those devoted to the manufacture ofclothing, electrical appliances, machinery parts andaccessories, and cold storage warehouses.

The H Hospital Zone is located along the westernedge of downtown. This district is comprisedentirely of the main campus of Winthrop-University Hospital. Permitted uses in the H Zoneare public or private hospitals and accessory usescustomarily incidental to the operation of a hospi-tal.

24

Recommendations

Goal: Protect and enhance the basic building blocks of

Mineola’s stability and value as an older suburb:

home, block, neighborhood and community.

The following more specific objectives and relatedstrategies are intended to help achieve this goal.They deal with the following challenges (in theorder discussed):

A. Continue to provide a variety of recreationalamenities and community services: Mineola fea-tures a terrific range and quality of communi-ty facilities, no less than neighboring commu-nities, and more than the typical village of itssize and wealth. These facilities are also clus-tered in a way that helps to bolster communi-ty identity, sharing and unity.

25

Chaminade High School and Winthrop-University Hospitaland open spaces are important community anchors and resources.

B. Improve the pedestrian experience: Mineola’ssmall size, grid, relatively high density, socialcohesiveness, clear boundaries and flat terrainall promote walking and bicycling. Theseactivities are hampered by barriers created byroads (especially Jericho Turnpike) and theLong Island Railroad (LIRR) tracks; limitedsidewalks in some areas; and transportationand development planning that are only nowputting pedestrians ahead of vehicles.Creative solutions are needed. Mineola canespecially learn from innovations in trafficcalming.

C. Preserve the heritage and handsome design qual-ity of Mineola: Unlike the majority of LongIsland’s suburbs, Mineola features the designqualities of a traditional neighborhood design:a fairly uniform scale of small houses on smalllots, often sharing common design features,oriented to streets that are laid out on a grid,and dating to the middle of the last century.It’s time now to protect these features, whichare central to Mineola’s pride in place.

D. Protect against intrusions: Certain blocks areconfronting commercial encroachments: bet-ter transitions and buffers are needed. Manyblocks are confronting high volumes of speed-ing traffic: traffic calming is needed. (Both areelaborated upon in the corridors chapter.)

E. Address on-street parking problems. Confusionreigns when it comes to the Village’s on-streetparking regulations. Some areas further con-tend with parking demand created by neigh-boring commercial, institutional and transituses. The Village’s on-street parking regula-

tions should be revisited on a Village-widebasis (rather than the presently confusingblock-by-block basis).

F. Provide a variety of housing types in appropriatelocations: Mineola’s (like America’s) demo-graphics no longer feature the prototypicalyoung married couple with two children.Like other older suburbs, Mineola faces thechallenge of how to provide housing varietywithout creating intrusions on neighborhoodcohesion. Appropriate application of this pol-icy includes upstairs living in downtown andselective higher-density housing along OldCountry Road. (Two-family homes shouldnot be expanded, as they erode the single-fam-ily landscape.)

The quality of life in Mineola matches great ameni-ties with a safe and attractive community and rea-sonable housing prices. The intent of thisComprehensive Plan is to keep these basic assetsintact. This includes protecting and enhancing theVillage’s tax base.

A. Community: Continue to provide a variety of services

1. Enhance and expand upon the Village’s existingparks and recreation. One of Mineola’s primaryamenities is its well-developed parks andrecreation system. Attention should be paid toenhancing existing offerings and creating newrecreation opportunities for Village residents.Each park design and program change needsto be crafted with the involvement of parkusers and advocates. Some ideas to be tested

26

There is an opportunity to link Village Hall to JerichoTurnpike (one plan is illustrated above).

Opposite: it is essential that the Village safeguards its historicand design assets.

27

Heritage Buildings and Design Districts Village of Mineola, Nassau County, NY Phillips Preiss Shapiro Associates, Inc. 2003



Areas 1. Mineola Historical Society2. Davenport Press Restaurant3. Citibank Building4. Mineola Station Building5. Nassau Tower & LIRR Power Plant6. Winthrop-University Hospital Nurses Residence7. Fox's Dress Shop8. Knott's Pharmacy9. Dayana's Women's Fashion Store10. Shoe Biz Women's Shoe Store

11. Arnold-Ramagli Building12. Nassau County Boys Club13. Church of the Nativity*14. Denton Building15. S.P.E. Building16. Meyer Building17. Mineola Post Office18. Long Island Lighting Co.19. Memorial Park Gazebo*20. Mineola Auxilary Police Headquarters*

21. Mineola Middle School22. Chaminade High School23. Jackson Avenue School24. Fire Department Headquarters25. Mineola Diner

* Designated

Buildings

Jericho Turnpike

Old Country Road

Ro

slyn

Ro

ad

Mineola

Blvd

Willis

Ave

Sheridan

Blvd

2nd Street

Westbury Ave

1st Street

Garfield Ave

Jackson Ave

Park Ave

Herricks

Road

1

1

19

6

2

1011

12

1415

16

18

17

13

9

5

87

4

3

2021

2223

2425

include the following recommendations.

2. Enhance the T.H. Wilson Park campus: Thanksto recent improvements, this park is now theVillage’s primary recreational resource. Onekey idea involves expanding T.H. Wilson Parkto the east. A private/public partnershipcould then be explored to provide an ice skat-ing, indoor soccer or other facility in this vicin-ity, with shared parking for the existingVillage swimming pool. Other ideas to be test-ed include: using traffic-calming and land-scaping on Union Street to create a crosswalkand green linkage to the Hampton StreetSchool; and providing shared parking for parkusers (on weekends) and local businesses (onweekdays). Such parking revenues could alsogenerate some additional revenue for thepark.

3. Enhance the Memorial Park campus: Thishandsome park features old-growth trees,lawns and walkways, anchored by theMineola Memorial Library on the east, theMineola Auxiliary Police Headquarters onthe south, Mineola Middle School on thewest, and the Chaminade High School andJackson Avenue School on the north. Thepark’s old growth trees and surrounding his-toric buildings create a special ambiance thatshould be protected through district desig-nation. The fence between the MiddleSchool and the park should be removed. Theperimeter of the recharge basin in the Park isbeing developed into an aviary by the stu-dents of Chaminade. The various usersshould cooperate on future planning andprogramming for the park. Competitive

efforts (such as the aviary/Chaminade proj-ect) should be continued.

4. Create a larger and more attractive Little Leaguepark: The new Little League Field is by allaccounts a major success. The Village shouldjoin with the Corpus Christi School and othersto explore possible expansion of the park andcivic uses surrounding the park. Ideally, thepark would encompass the entire block, withshared school/public recreation playgrounds

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The scenic resources to be protected include tree-lined streets,historic buildings, and the consistent scale of development.

and fields. As a fallback, civic uses (such asday care, senior citizen center, etc.) can beencouraged to locate in the buildings remain-ing on this block.

5. Protect private open spaces: Several parks andopen spaces are associated with private andpublic schools. Though unlikely, it is possiblethat these schools will go through changes inthe uncertain future whereby they might seekto build on or sell these open space resources.The Village should aggressively promote thepreservation of these park amenities – ideallyby making them Village parks, as a fallback byprotecting their open space features, or bypursuing some compromise, such as establish-ing scenic easements and/or transfer of devel-opment rights. As warranted, the Villageshould inventory these spaces, identify thosemost at risk, evaluate the costs of acquisitionand maintenance, and identify alternativestrategies if this is not the practical or pre-ferred strategy.

6. Create mini-parks geared to the particular needsof their immediate environs: Village-orientedopen spaces on Emory Road and at the fareastern end of Jericho Turnpike are existingopportunities. Another opportunity lies in theredevelopment of an industrial site near theVillage’s southeast corner (formerly JacksonStreet) into commercial or housing uses. Apark in the rear could be shared with existingrental housing to the east, and would serve asa buffer along the Long Island Railroad. Asthese improvements directly affect neighbor-hood residents, they should be designed withtheir input.

7. Increase coordination with schools: The Villageshould work with the Mineola School Districtto ensure that adequate facilities are providedfor its students in general, and in particular to

ensure that the impacts of school facilities con-struction and improvements in the Village arecomplementary to the community’s characterand desires. Given the recent growth in youngcouples moving into Mineola, the Villageshould discourage any further division ofschool property, lest tempting a shortage ofspace. The Village is largely built-out, andfinding new school sites would be problemat-ic.

8. Encourage a partnership between ChaminadeHigh School and the Village: Chaminade HighSchool is a resource for the Village that pro-vides benefits to the community. However,the school also has impacts on the area inwhich it is located, particularly with regard totraffic at the beginning and end of the schoolday. Chaminade has attempted to mitigatetraffic and parking impacts – the Villageshould encourage this positive trend.

9. Continue cooperation with Winthrop-UniversityHospital: Winthrop-University Hospital is animportant resource in the Village and all-important to the vitality of downtown (refer toChapter 4). There are, however, intermittentissues associated with the Hospital’s ongoingneed to align its facilities with changing med-ical and economic conditions. The Villageshould continue to work with the Hospital toensure that its plans are harmonious withthose of the Village. The current policy is wellreasoned: (1) support the Hospital’s efforts toupgrade its downtown campus, includingcohesive on- and off-site pedestrian enhance-ments (discussed later); (2) preserve the dou-ble row of houses flanking Fleet Place as the

29

Traffic calming tools should be used to moderate through-traffic on local streets.

Humps atcrosswalk

Humps on straights

Footwayextension atintersection

Lateralshiftwith island

Lateral shift at intersection

Humps at crosswalks Plateau at intersection

Cushionsatintersection

Plateauatintersection

Plateauatpedestrianfacility

Cushionsonstraights

Cushionsat intersection

Footway extensionbetween junctions

Vertical Shifts:

Street Constrictions:

Chicane

Roundabout

Source: White Mountain Survey Co., 1995

transition from the Hospital to the adjoiningresidential area; (3) promote new hospital con-struction on the north side of Second Streetbetween Third Avenue and MineolaBoulevard, consistent with downtown designguidelines (also discussed later); (4) supportplacement of parking and other Hospital useson the south side of the Long Island Railroadwith safe pedestrian crossings; (5) monitor theHospital’s parking situation to ensure that itdoes not negatively impact adjacent neighbor-hoods; and (6) develop a long-term plan forthe parking garage at the northeast corner ofFirst Street and Third Avenue.

10. Encourage the provision of the best possible emer-gency services: Mineola has fine volunteer fire,ambulance, and auxiliary police forces, pro-viding services to residents, workers, and vis-itors. However, the Nassau County PoliceDepartment provides services to many othercommunities in addition to Mineola, and oftenhas limited resources deployed in the Village.The Village should work with the County toensure that adequate protection is provided or

should evaluate other options for upgradingpolice service. The Village should continue toencourage the role that its volunteer agenciesplay in supporting protection of Mineola. Oneidea to test is location of an auxiliary policestation at a site along Willis Avenue, and com-munity reuse of the existing station inMemorial Park. The Village boasts a lowcrime rate and a safe image, which are essen-tial to its continued stability as well as qualityof life.

11. Support community events: Mineola is home toa number of community events and organiza-tions, which should be supported as a way ofincreasing community spirit. Events rangefrom the Mineola Fair to thePortuguese/American Fair; organizationsrange from the Choral Society to Nassau Popsto the Chamber of Commerce. These eventscan also bring additional visitors to Mineola,and help improve the image of and businessin downtown and along Jericho Turnpike. Anannual calendar should be produced twice ayear. The calendar can also feature photos ofhistoric places, past events and other sourcesof pride. Kiosks could be created at WilsonPark, the library, and LIRR station (on its northside, where more people wait for trains), sothat publicity for events can be highlighted.

12. Promote concentrations of community facilities:There are four logical places in which to focusattention: Village Hall, Memorial Park, WilsonPark, and downtown. Each could have itsown particular identity. The Village Hall com-plex adjoining Jericho Turnpike is the logicalplace to concentrate municipal and govern-

ment services, including volunteer services.Memorial Park is the logical place for expan-sion of library-related activities (e.g., an out-door reading garden); and/or shared use orreuse of any school space (e.g., for nightschool). Wilson Park is the logical place toconcentrate active recreation and recreationprograms, and other large space uses.Downtown is the logical place to concentratemore transit-dependent and storefront typesof uses (e.g., police auxiliary, historical muse-um, post office, etc.). Each should feature itsown coordinated landscape/building plan, asillustrated for Village Hall (in this chapter) andfor downtown (in Chapter 4).

B. Neighborhood: Improve the pedestrian experience

1. Provide safe and attractive sidewalks whereverpossible, with standards for adequate width anddesign: Most areas of Mineola have adequatesidewalks, which enhances the Village bymaking it more walkable. Any existing sub-standard sidewalks should be improvedthroughout the Village as funding is available,particularly in areas with high pedestrian vol-umes and parks, schools and other facilitiesused by children. Standards for sidewalkshould have criteria for width, materials, loca-tion etc.

2. Provide adequate street and sidewalk lightingwith minimal impacts on adjoining residences:The perception of an area being unsafe isincreased by the provision of inadequate light-ing for the street, and particularly for pedestri-

30

Houses

Avenue

Sid

eS

tree

t

Design guide-lines canimprove thetransitionbetween residen-tial and commer-cial develop-ment.

ans. Any new street lighting should provideadequate light for the sidewalk but have limit-ed impact on neighboring homes. Lowermounted light fixtures and different types oflight standards can improve this situation.

3. Provide additional street trees: The beauty ofmany of Mineola’s neighborhoods is due inpart to its tree-lined streets. Canopies of treesover residential streets can greatly improvethe appearance of an area, provide increasedshade in warmer months and increase safetyand reduce traffic speeds by narrowing theperception of a road’s width.

4. Promote bicycle transportation: Bicycling ishaving a comeback with people of all ages,both for the freedom it confers on youth, andthe good health it confers on adults. Mineola’sflat topography, safe neighborhoods and gridof relatively traffic-free side streets already cre-ate a favorable biking environment. Theseassets can be enhanced through dedicatedbikeways on wide streets, as well as the provi-sion of bike racks in school and public parkinglots and parks.

5. Forestall use of neighborhood roads for through-traffic: Mineola benefits from what is called an“offset grid.” While laid out in a rectilineargrid, small jogs and many stop signs discour-age through-traffic. Local drivers and pedes-trians benefit from the direct and simple streetpattern; non-local residents are easily con-fused and put off. This pattern should contin-ue to be employed, even when filling in gapsin the present street network.

6. Use traffic calming to protect adjoining residen-tial areas from the negative impacts of traffic con-gestion: Traffic calming should be used toreduce traffic speeds on local streets used ascut-throughs from major roads, and toimprove pedestrian safety around schools,parks and Winthrop-University Hospital.Traffic calming includes additional signage,on-street parking, continued two-way streets,and sidewalks and bike lanes to narrow thevehicular lanes. It also includes additionalstop signs, road etching, and lateral shifts tofrustrate drivers so that they take other routes.The best combination of traffic calming toolsvaries widely from street to street, and should

be designed with the full involvement of localresidents. Ideas presented later are only byway of initiating this conversation.

7. Prohibit bus routes and truck routes throughneighborhoods. Other than for jitneys and localdeliveries, buses and trucks should be allowedonly on (north/south) Harrison Street,Herricks Road, Mineola Boulevard, WillisAvenue and Roslyn Road, and on (east/west)Jericho Turnpike, Second Street and OldCountry Road.

C. Neighborhood: Preserve the handsome design quality of the Village

1. Provide incentives for preservation of heritage:The Village has recognized the importance ofhighlighting its heritage as a matter of civicpride. This effort was bolstered by the effortsof concerned citizens, and has resulted in thedesignation of five historic properties to date:the MAA building on Willis Avenue, the gaze-bo and the Auxiliary Police Headquarters inMemorial Park, the refreshment stand inWilson Park and the Church of the Nativity onWillis Avenue. The Village should promotethe listing of Village landmarks on theNational Register of Historic Places. Listingconfers significant tax benefits on any com-mercial or rental use, with the only restraintbeing that State and Federally funded expen-ditures on these buildings must go through

31

Left: LIRR’s plans for a third track need to be sensitive to theconcerns of its neighbors.

Right: Part of Mineola’s strength is its variety of housing.

32

extra review at the State level; private andVillage investment is not so encumbered.Also, the historic features of these landmarksshould be exempt from the height, setbackand similar Village controls. The list and mapon the next page indicate some of the build-ings that could be considered for designation.As this list indicates, the building types areeclectic, ranging from an art deco diner togrand school structure.

2. Promote compatibility in scale, density, buildingline and orientation between new and existingdevelopment: Village-wide, zoning regulationsshould require new buildings to face thestreet, which would promote the front yardorientation of Mineola’s neighborhoods.Similarly, residential garages should be pro-hibited from projecting in front of dwellings.This requirement would prevent the develop-ment of “snout houses” in the Village. Zoning

regulations also should be carefully reviewedto ensure that the existing scale of neighbor-hoods is not overwhelmed by the replacementof smaller homes with much larger, out-of-scale homes, or “McMansions.”

3. Create overlay “Design Districts”: In specificneighborhoods and areas, there are similarhousing styles, with appropriate modifica-tions added over time. The establishment ofdesign districts in such areas would helpmaintain the distinctive character of neighbor-hoods. Standards for these districts couldinclude regulations permitting alterationswithin certain limits. Examples of the types ofareas and design features to be targetedinclude protection of: (1) historic character andsetbacks along Mineola Boulevard north ofJericho Turnpike; (2) the cohesive character ofthe Tudor architecture along Croyden Road,Weybridge Road, Kennelworth Road, BerkleyRoad and Wisteria Avenue; (3) the concentra-tion of Cape-style houses in the northeast cor-ner of the Village; and (4) setbacks, rooflines,and porch features in the northwest corner ofthe Village. These four provide examples ofhow small and large subdivisions have creat-ed consistent design features. While propertyowners should continue to be allowed to indi-vidualize their properties, the Village can stillpromulgate design guidelines that protecttheir neighbors from a loss of overall designcharacter. To assure public education as wellas respect homeowner/property owner con-cerns, the Design Districts might emulate theNational Register policy of requiring somesort of vote before an area is designated.

Conflicts between commercial activity and residential areas need to be reduced.

33

4. Create design guidelines for specific areas: Asthe key features will vary from area to area, sotoo must the regulations. That is why a kit oftools has been recommended, rather thaneither only discretionary reviews or one-size-fits-all guidelines. Possible techniques thatcould be used include varied floor area ratioor setback requirements for particular areas,types of preferred home design elements, or acombination of these and other regulations.The idea is to provide flexibility and pre-dictability.

5. Better define the role and procedures of the“Architectural Review Board”: ArchitecturalReview Boards (ARBs) are more and morecommonplace throughout the region. TheVillage’s Planning Board currently serves asthe ARB for Mineola. Its role should be reex-amined to ensure that its efforts are having abeneficial impact on the appearance of thecommunity. If necessary, the procedures of theARB should be modified. While charged withcommenting on various matters of design, theARB’s emphasis should be directed to thedesign guidelines embodied in the zoning,Master Plan, supplemental plans, and formaldesign guidelines. This way, there will be pre-dictability to the design review process; andproperty owners can be assured that theyneed not go through unnecessary hurdles solong as they work within the design policiesalready put down on paper. Note that designreview should remain advisory.

D. Block: Protect against intrusions

1. Continue to limit intrusive uses into single-fam-ily residential neighborhoods: There are a vari-ety of housing types located in Mineola.However one of the Village’s greateststrengths is its many neighborhoods that areuniformly comprised of single-family homes.Non-compatible commercial and higher den-sity residential uses should be excluded fromthese areas. New two-family homes should belimited to those areas so designated, and exist-ing non-conforming non-single-family homesshould be brought into conformance overtime.

2. Require buffer areas between commercial and res-idential development, as well as between otherpossibly non-compatible land uses: Mineola isdensely—and almost fully—developed.Many of its single-family residential neighbor-hoods are located proximate to more intenseland uses, such as commercial corridors andindustrial areas. Buffer regulations should beenhanced to minimize the impacts of non-compatible land uses adjacent to residentialareas through separation requirements, wherepossible, as well as screening by plantings andfences. (This is discussed in the next chapteras well.)

3. Also protect adjoining residential areas from thenegative impacts of noise, light pollution, andcommercial creep: These problems are acutealong commercial strips, especially adjacent toauto-oriented uses and restaurants. Part of theproblem is the limited depth of some proper-ties that front on commercial corridors. The

requirements for buffers, parking location andlighting should be strengthened. Buffersshould include opaque plantings and fencing.Noise and vehicle exhaust are more difficult tocontrol, as they vary based on proximity ofadjacent uses. Parking lots and loading areasshould be designed to have the least possibleimpact on adjacent residential uses and sidestreets.

4. Modify zoning in most areas to control out-of-scale development and character: Most ofMineola’s homes are located on relativelycompact lots. As discussed earlier, contextualguidelines should be created to ensure thatsetbacks, rooflines, and building height aresomewhat similar on blocks with commondesign features. Variances for building heightshould be linked to increases in setbacks andopen space. These standards should includecriteria for the Architectural Review Board touse in conducting design review.

5. Ensure that adequate mitigation measures areprovided for any adverse impacts resulting fromLong Island Railroad improvements: There isthe potential that the LIRR will be expanded toinclude a third track on the Main Line throughMineola at some point in the coming years.The Village should be prepared for this expan-sion to occur at some point, and should con-tinue to work with the LIRR to minimize andmitigate impacts on Mineola from any expan-sion. Particular measures could range fromwider buffer areas next to the railroad andadditional sound barriers to other, more indi-rect mitigation measures such as improvedintra-village transit service and parking.

6. Proactively deal with cell tower intrusions:There have been growing concerns in Mineolain recent years about the proliferation of wire-less telecommunications facilities, due in partto health concerns as well as aesthetic consid-e r a t i o n s . U n f o r t u n a t e l y , t h eTelecommunications Act of 1996 preemptslocal governments from considering thehealth effects of radio frequency (RF) emis-sions in regulating the location of antennas.Therefore federal law limits the ability of localgovernments to completely “zone out” thesetypes of facilities. However, it does permitmunicipalities to guide telecommunicationsantennas to appropriate locations and providereasonable design guidelines. The Villageshould do all possible to limit new facilitiesand to obtain benefits in return for accommo-dating them. Such facilities should be limitedto non-residential areas if possible, andVillage-owned properties so that direct com-pensation is provided to offset any negativeimpacts.

E. Block: Address on-street parking problems

1. Adopt a simple Village-wide policy. A generalrule should be adopted, along the lines ofalternate-side parking. At present, parkingrules are decided upon block-by-block, withall sorts of confusion and imbalances. Thesimplest approach would be weekday (exceptfor snowstorms and holidays) alternate-sideparking, with parking allowed on the “even”street address side of the street on “even” cal-endar days, and on the “odd” street addressside of the street on “odd” calendar dates.

2. Make area-specific adjustments. Once a simplerule is established, modifications should beentertained, based on resident surveys orappeals. For example, employee (permit)parking could be allowed on side streets with-in 200 feet of business zones to free up parkingin front of stores. The more vexing and com-plicated parking problems posed atChaminade High School and Winthrop-University Hospital should be studied incooperation with local residents as well asthose institutions.

F. Home: Provide a range of housing types in appropriate locations

1. Continue to provide a range of housing types:Mineola is first and foremost comprised of sin-gle-family neighborhoods. There is a need forother types of residential uses, such as seniorhousing and limited multifamily residentialuses. Consideration should be given to theprovision of other types of housing only alongselected corridors and in downtown, whereadequate access, transit and infrastructureexist. Consistent with regional and nationaltrends, consideration should also be given toproviding new housing options, such asassisted living, nursing homes, and independ-ent living, to provide opportunities for olderresidents to stay in Mineola as they age. Allsuch increases in density should be by specialpermit, also contingent on demonstration ofadditional public benefits. These couldinclude public parks, significant environmen-tal remediation, mixed-income housing, sen-ior citizen housing, on- and off-site pedestrian

enhancements, and community facilities.Construction of other types of housing mayalso contribute to the stability of the Village’sreal estate base.

2. Target the Jackson Steel site at Herricks Road andFirst Street for senior citizen apartments. Thisformer industrial site is Village-owned. Thefederal Environmental Protection Agency hasapproved its cleanup. It is located on a majorcorridor within walking distance of down-town’s medical, shopping and transit services,as well as Memorial Park and the library. It isideal for senior housing.

3. Provide minimum average unit size, to preventSRO (single-room occupancy) development:Although smaller housing units can be usefulfor providing affordable housing, there aresignificant negative impacts associated withbuildings containing clusters of SRO housing.Zoning regulations should provide for mini-mum average unit sizes in new multi-familyresidential development, which can allow amix of unit types and sizes.

4. Improve regulatory capacity of the Village to dealwith illegal accessory units and other housinginfractions: The illegal conversion of existingresidences into multiple dwelling units is acontinuing concern. A program requiring theregistration and inspection of rental units willassist in controlling this problem.

34

Residents of Mineola have access to a wide varietyof transportation options. Vehicular circulation isprovided through a semi-regular grid of localneighborhood streets, which is traversed by sever-al north-south and east-west arterial roadways.Although no expressways are located within themunicipal limits of the Village, the Northern Stateand Meadowbrook Parkways have an interchangewith Jericho Turnpike just east of the Village limits,and the Long Island Expressway is located a shortdistance to the north. In addition to its roadways,

Mineola also enjoys superb commuter rail serviceto New York City via the Long Island Railroad(LIRR), and is well-served by several Long IslandBus routes.

These transportation routes and modes providefor more than the movement of people andgoods—they also function as organizing struc-tures for land use and development. Many ofMineola’s arterial roadways are heavily developedwith commercial uses, since the high vehicular

35

Corridors and Transportation

3

Daily Traffic Counts Village of Mineola, Nassau County, NY Phillips Preiss Shapiro Associates, Inc. 2003


5,000 - 15,000 (vehicles per day)15,000 - 25,00025,000 - 35,00035,000 - 40,000100, 000+Unknown


Jericho

Old Country Road

Ro

slynR

oadM

ineolaB

lvdMarcellus

Rd

Willis

Ave

Nassau

Blvd

Sheridan

Blvd

2nd Street

Westbury Ave

1st Street

Garfield Ave

Jackson Ave

Wilson Blvd

Hillside Ave

Park Ave

Herricks

Road

Northern

StatePkwy

Roselle St

36

volumes on corridors such as Jericho Turnpike cre-ate visibility and value for retail and service uses.The LIRR station and adjoining bus terminal are abusy transit hub providing connections with NewYork City and other parts of Long Island; it servesas a focus for some of Mineola’s more intensiveoffice developments. By contrast, Mineola’s gridof narrow residential streets both disperses andcalms traffic, providing a quiet and safe environ-ment that fosters and preserves stable neighbor-hoods.

From a strictly transportation point of view, Mineolais very well served. But roads and transit also shapeland use and quality of life; land use shapes theexperience of the roads and use of transit; and inthese respects, there is room for improvement.To highlight: The major corridors are difficult to

cross by pedestrians, isolating neighborhoods.Gateways and key arrival points are often unattrac-tive. Strip development creates safety problemsalong thoroughfares, and diminishes the image ofthe community. Neighborhood entries gounmarked. Congestion along the corridors leads toinappropriate use of local streets for through-traffic.Downtown (and transit) is not centrally located.While the train station is being strengthened as atransit hub, nearby land uses remain at lower den-sities (along Old Country Road) or at lower values(along Willis Avenue) than might otherwise beexpected.

The Master Plan should address these land use andquality of life issues, even as it assures that Mineolaremains a convenient place for all of its residents.

Existing Conditions

Public TransportationMineola is well served by public transportation,both commuter rail and bus. The Village original-ly served as a railroad station, one of the “new”settlements in the interior of Long Island. Today itis still a key station on the Long Island Railroad’sMain Line: the Oyster Bay Branch veers off justeast of the station, with other branches splitting offfurther to the east. Because of its position on theMain Line, Mineola enjoys a greater frequency ofservice than many stations in neighboring com-munities, and the time to Penn Station inManhattan is a swift 35 to 40 minutes. Residents ofmany nearby communities use the Mineola stationinstead of their own stations that, while closer, pro-vide slower and less frequent service.

A total of seven Long Island Bus lines also serveMineola: N22/22A, N23, N24, N40, N41, N78, andN79. The bus system converges at the Long IslandBus terminal at Third Avenue and Third Street, justsouth and west of the LIRR station. The location ofthis bus terminal provides a convenient transferpoint between the LIRR and the bus system.Unfortunately, the uninitiated may not be aware ofthese extra transportation options, as there are nosigns directing LIRR riders to the transfer point,and no bus schedules or maps posted at the LIRR

37

Opposite: Traffic is concentrated on a few arterials, especially Jericho Turnpike.

Major corridors are difficult to

cross by pedestrians, isolating

neighborhoods.

station. Providing this information would helpencourage LIRR riders to use the bus network.Moreover, the bus terminal itself consists of a cou-ple of standard bus shelters. Larger and better-equipped waiting and seating areas would beappropriate for this heavily used facility. The pro-posed Mineola Intermodal Center should alleviatethis condition.

Vehicular CorridorsFor most trips other than commuting to New YorkCity or other points on the railroad, the automobileis the transportation mode of choice. The impor-tance of automobiles increased dramatically withthe construction of the Northern State Parkway,followed by the Long Island Expressway, whichsignificantly altered development and travel pat-terns on Long Island.

Vehicular circulation in Mineola is provided byseveral north-south corridors and a lesser numberof east-west corridors. The north-south corridorsprovide access to the two major highways locatednorth of Mineola—the Northern State Parkwayand the Long Island Expressway (I-495). Thenorth-south corridors include (from west to east)Herricks Road, Mineola Boulevard, Willis Avenueand Roslyn Road. The east-west corridors include(from north to south) Hillside Avenue, JerichoTurnpike, and Old Country Road. All of the non-highway corridors mentioned are classified as“minor arterials.”

These corridors are more than just major trafficarteries: a significant portion of the frontage ofthese roads is developed with commercial uses.Therefore these corridors serve dual purposes oftransportation links and business centers. The

impacts of these roads can be great on nearbyneighborhoods.

Each of these primary roads is described in moredetail below, roughly in order of the volume oftraffic they carry.

Jericho TurnpikeJericho Turnpike is a State highway (Route 25) thatserves as a regional transportation and commercialcorridor. It cuts across the northern portion ofMineola, with four travel lanes, two lanes of on-street parallel parking, and a center median thatprovides turning lanes at most intersections.

Jericho Turnpike has a diverse development char-acter, and contains significant amounts of com-mercial space. Most of the original commercialbuildings were built in the pre-war style withground level storefronts placed at the front of thelot, and one or two additional stories providedabove with either office space or residential apart-ments. This configuration provides the storefrontswith the best visibility from pedestrians and low-speed traffic, yet it tends to provide poorer visibil-ity from high-speed traffic, and it also provideslimited opportunities for off-street parking areas.Moreover, the upper floor space has tended to losevalue both for offices and apartments, also due toparking issues and the development of more mod-ern office space elsewhere. Because this style ofdevelopment became increasingly incompatiblewith auto-oriented shopping patterns, many areasof Jericho Turnpike have been redeveloped at adifferent scale. Examples of newer developmentinclude several one-story retail buildings with off-street parking located at the western end of JerichoTurnpike, and the grocery store-anchored shop-

ping center at the intersection of Roslyn Road.

While Jericho Turnpike once offered a retail envi-ronment that was scaled to the pedestrian andserved adjacent neighborhoods, it now functionsprimarily as an auto-oriented shopping corridorwith a heavy concentration of gas stations, free-standing retail, wholesalers, and shopping centers.For these areas to thrive, it is essential that goodvehicular access and parking be maintained. Themajor issue with these areas today is their appear-ance.

38

A variety of roadways offer opportunities for both local andnational retail.

However, there are two areas of Jericho Turnpikethat still have the potential to offer a pleasant,pedestrian oriented experience. These two pedes-trian nodes are located between MineolaBoulevard and Willis Avenue; and betweenMarcellus Road and Horton Highway. In contrastto other parts of Jericho Turnpike, where shopperstend to pull up in front of the one store they wishto visit, conduct their business, and leave, theseareas offer the opportunity to stroll and windowshop. Their concentrations of small storefronts,appealing architecture and retail continuityencourage window-shopping and provide anenvironment conducive to specialty shops andrestaurant rows. These nodes are also logicallyplaced—the node at Mineola Boulevard is near themunicipal offices, and the node at HortonHighway is within an easy walk of several schools.

Old Country RoadOld Country Road runs along the southern borderof Mineola. The road starts at the southwest cor-ner of Mineola, connecting to Herricks Road goingnorthbound and Rockaway Avenue going south-bound. The road has four travels lanes with two-hour meter parking on the north side, or theMineola side, between Herricks Road and HollyAvenue. The Nassau County government centeris located along or close to this road near down-town Mineola, as are various other office buildingsand commercial uses. Residential uses are locatedalong Old Country Road in Mineola to the eastand west of the County Seat. To the east of theVillage, Old Country Road is a major commercialcorridor that includes various regional commercialuses.

Mineola BoulevardMineola Boulevard is a major north-south road inthe Village, with two travel lanes and two lanes ofon-street parallel parking, connecting downtownto Jericho Turnpike and Hillside Avenue. Itbecomes Franklin Avenue to the south of Mineola,connecting the Village to downtown Garden City.Mineola Boulevard is the most heavily used of thenorth-south corridors, likely because it connectswith both the LIRR station and downtown GardenCity, as well as the offices in southern Mineola,Winthrop-University Hospital, and JerichoTurnpike. Mineola Boulevard is projected to hostabout 45 percent of the north-south traffic in thevicinity of the LIRR tracks by 2005, making it themost used of any north-south corridor.

Mineola Boulevard has two distinct land use char-acters. South of Jericho Turnpike, where traffic vol-umes are highest, Mineola Boulevard is a mixed-use commercial corridor with a combination ofretail, office and residential uses. This commercialdevelopment reaches its highest intensity in thevicinity of the LIRR station. North of JerichoTurnpike, the corridor functions as a broad resi-dential boulevard.

Willis AvenueWillis Avenue is a major north-south road, runningparallel to Mineola Boulevard one long block tothe east. From Jericho Turnpike, it offers the mostdirect connection with the Long IslandExpressway and Northern State Parkway. To thenorth of Jericho Turnpike, there are four lanes withon-street parking on both sides of the street. To thesouth of Jericho Turnpike, the road narrows downto two travel lanes and two-hour meter parking onboth sides of the street. Willis Avenue traffic vol-

39

Mineola’s roads offer a variety of experiences.

umes fall away proximate to downtown, as driv-ers must contend with two at-grade railroad cross-ings just before the avenue terminates at OldCountry Road. Once the at-grade crossing atRoslyn Road is replaced by a free-flowing under-pass, traffic volumes on lower Willis Avenueshould fall further.

Roslyn RoadRoslyn Road is another major north-south road. Itbegins at Old Country Road east of downtown

Mineola, and continues north to the Long IslandExpressway and Northern State Parkway as wellas communities to the north of the Village. Thereare two travel lanes and no parking on the portionof Roslyn Road north of Jericho Turnpike. Southof Jericho Turnpike there are two northbound trav-el lanes and one southbound travel lane. There ison-street parking on the west side of the streetsouth of Jericho Turnpike. Once the underpass isbuilt, it is likely that traffic volumes on lowerRoslyn Road will surpass those on Willis Avenue.

Herricks RoadHerricks Road is located along the western borderof Mineola. It has four travel lanes and two lanesof on-street parallel parking. Herricks Roads turnsinto Old Country Road at the southwest corner ofMineola. Portions of Herricks Road in the Villageare commercial, while there are residential useslocated along it in other areas.

Hillside AvenueLike Jericho Turnpike, Hillside Avenue is a Statehighway (Route 25B) that serves as a regionaltransportation and commercial corridor. It runsalong Mineola’s northern border for a short dis-

40

Strategies combine roadway enhancements and continued streetscape improvements. Landscaped parking areas are a positivecontribution to the Village.

tance in the northwest corner of the Village. Thisroad has a center median and four travel lanes.

Other RoadsMost of the other roads in the Village are second-ary in nature, providing access only to residentialneighborhoods and enclaves. Some roads provideaccess to localized employment clusters. Forexample, Second Street serves the industrial areato the east of downtown; and Sagamore Avenue

serves the industrial area to the north of MineolaBoulevard. Other roads experience more signifi-cant traffic volumes because of their uninterruptedlength or extra width. These roads include JacksonAvenue, First Street, Sheridan Boulevard, andWestbury Avenue.

Recommendations

Goal: Create a safe and efficient transportation net-

work that also reinforces the value and attractiveness

of the corridors, as well as downtown and community.

The strategies presented later are organized bycorridor. Emphasis is placed on Jericho Turnpike,Willis Avenue and Old Country Road — whichpose the greatest need and opportunity forupgrades. The other corridors are then grouped.The strategies build upon the following village-wide objectives and tools.

• Maintain vehicular efficiency by reducing “fric-tion” along the commercial corridors: The majorcorridors are essential for accommodatingthrough-traffic and collecting local traffic.Frequent curb cuts and inadequate parkingexasperate congestion problems, by creating“friction” due to chaotic vehicular move-ments, double-parking and loading. Medianstrips, left turning lanes, and additional trafficsignals are some of the roadway improve-ments that can be used to reduce friction.Complementary regulatory actions includeincentives to consolidate parking, access andegress (e.g., higher building heights and lower

parking requirements), as well as sitingrequirements for curb cuts (e.g., minimum dis-tances from other curb cuts and corners).These “carrots and sticks” should be com-bined as “access management plans” in whichtransportation enhancements are linked toregulatory changes.

• Promote the “greening” of the corridors (andparking areas): Trees alongside roads cangreatly improve the appearance of a corridor,provide shade in warmer months, and reducetraffic speeds by narrowing the perception of aroad’s width. The requirements should vary,with, for example, denser tree plantingrequired in front of blank walls and non-com-mercial uses. But however varied, the canopyshould be continuous. Parking lot landscap-ing requirements should also be significantlystrengthened with regard to the interior por-tion of the lots, the frontage on the corridor,the buffers for adjoining residential property,and very importantly, any portion of the lotfacing residential side streets. There should bea requirement for decorative fencing and/orshrubbery along the sidewalk in front of allparking lots and places where buildings areset back. And most important, the Villageshould continue its award-winning tree plant-ing program.

• Promote the visual upgrade of the corridors: Thisis essential in the commercial corridors, wherethe tools should again combine carrots andsticks. Tax incentives and technical assistanceshould be provided for landscaping, façadeand storefront improvements, subject to theapproval of both the Village Board and

41

Village entries and key gateways should be celebrated.

Next two pages: The transportation plan seeks to reinforce theeconomic value of the corridor, the centrality of downtownand the quiet of the residential neighborhoods.

Roadway Recommendations Village of Mineola, Nassau County, NY Phillips Preiss Shapiro Associates, Inc. 2003



Major CorridorsDowntown/VillageStudy Areas

Industrial Areas

Civic Uses & Key Sites

New Roadway Connections

Roadway Closings

Important Gateways, Arrival Points & Intersections

xxxxx

Jericho Turnpike

Old Country Road

Ros

lyn

Roa

d

Mineola

Blvd

Willis

Ave

Sheridan

Blvd

2nd Street

Westbury Ave

1st StreetGarfield Ave

Jackson Ave

Park Ave

Herricks

Road

xxxxxxx

xxxxx

Downtown

VillageCenter

42

Architectural Review Board. Design guide-lines should be prepared for each of the corri-dors. Contextual rules can be employed in theinterim, calling for buildings to align with theadjoining and prevailing setbacks and build-ing heights, except by a special approvalprocess.

• Promote pedestrian safety and enjoyment alongthe corridors: Both reduced curb cuts andstreet trees are key elements of this strategy.So are continuous sidewalks, pedestrian-scaled lighting, and frequent pedestrian cross-ings. New designs are gaining favor forpedestrian crossings. These include bump-outs (also called neck-downs) in which thesidewalk is extended slightly into the street inorder to shorten the crossing distance; medi-ans to provide respites and a sense of protec-tion on wide streets; and raised, colored, orstriated crossings to alert drivers. Suchimprovements should be ubiquitous but canbe implemented over time. The first order ofpriority is for places where there are manypedestrians, especially children; e.g., in frontof schools.

• Create new zoning districts and design districtoverlays for each of the corridors: At least threecorridor districts are called for. The firstwould deal with auto-oriented strips (themajority of Jericho Turnpike and HerricksRoad south of Jericho Turnpike), where theemphasis should be on pedestrian safety, sig-nage and landscaping. The second woulddeal with more pedestrian-oriented areas (thecenter part of Jericho Turnpike, MineolaBoulevard in downtown, and parts of Hillside

43

AUTOMOTIVE-ORIENTED COMMERCIAL

Purpose: to promote pedestrian safety, improved traffic circulation, and aesthetic improvements on automotive-oriented corridors.

Preferred Land Uses Design concepts• Retail stores • Freestanding businesses or small shopping centers• Personal services • Landscaping requirements for parking lots • Restaurants (including fast food) and buffer areas• Offices and Banks • Minimization of off-site impacts through • Service stations and Automotive site and building design• Health clubs • Shared parking and access encouraged

• Cross-access agreements, wherever possible• Sidewalks, street trees, and pedestrian improvements• Improved signage• Design impact from ACB with focus on aethetics and possible nuisance to nearby residents

PEDESTRIAN-ORIENTED COMMERCIAL

Purpose: to enhance the existing areas with walkable clusters of commercial uses by promoting compact, pedestrian-oriented design.

Preferred Land Uses Design concepts• Retail stores • Small stores grouped in a small area• Personal services • Sidewalk-oriented entrances, • Restaurants and cafes window displays, and signs

(excluding fast food) • On-street parking in front of buildings• Office and banks • Off-street parking behind buildings, not in front• Mixed uses • No drive-throughs or new driveways for • Apartments above street level individual commercial properties

• Historic preservation• Tree-lined sidewalks with pedestrian-scaled lighting

CORRIDOR TRANSITION AREAS

Purpose: to provide for appropriate land uses and design in areas between commercial and residential areas along corridors.

Preferred Land Uses Design concepts• Offices • Landscaping requirements for • Multi-family housing parking lots and buffer areas• Public facilities • Minimization of off-site impacts through • Institutional uses site and building design

• Shared parking and access encouraged• Sidewalks, street trees, and pedestrian improvements• Limited signage• No drive-throughs• Incentive zoning – wiht flexible, careful and transparent implementation in

return for significant public beneifts

Avenue), where the emphasis should be onpedestrian amenities, facades, and historicpreservation. The third would deal with tran-sition areas where offices and multifamilyhousing—but not retail—would be allowed.

• Enhance the gateways to and key arrival placeswithin the village: Mineola should not be shyto announce itself at its major entries and cen-tral locations like the train station and inter-section of Mineola Boulevard and JerichoTurnpike. The identifying features can vary.In some cases, land is limited and a sign andsmall design feature would suffice. In othercases, something more substantial could becreated, such as creation of a greenspace.Small-scale features can also be used to markthe entries into distinct areas, like an historicenclave or industrial district.

• Partner with adjacent communities on sharedcorridors: The major corridors are in all casesshared with neighboring municipalities. In allcases, they go from one municipality to anoth-er (Jericho Turnpike is especially significant inthis regard). In other cases they form the vil-lage’s boundary, with each side of the roadshared by a different municipality (especiallyHerricks Road and Old Country Road).Wherever possible, common problems anddesign opportunities should be addressedthrough regional cooperation. Ideally, regula-tions for the corridors would align.

• Enhance the centrality of downtown: A slew ofproposals are discussed in the next chapter ondowntown. These deal with transit, pedestri-an circulation, parking, facade improvements,

retail mix, streetscape, a village green, housingand more. In this chapter, the recommenda-tions deal with making downtown as conven-ient as possible to residents of Mineola and itsneighbors.

A. Create an attractive commercial boulevard along Jericho Turnpike.

1. Create a village center focused on the heart of thevillage: The village center would run eastwardfrom Marcellus Road to the LIRR overpass. Itwould also encompass two blocks of WillisAvenue to the north, and three blocks ofMineola Boulevard to the south.

2. Pursue pedestrian improvements within the vil-lage center: The Mineola Boulevard and WillisAvenue intersections should be prioritized forcrosswalk improvements, followed by theMarcellus Road, Horton Highway and MaplePlace/Pennsylvania Avenue intersections.

3. Give the village center a civic identity: On thecore block between Mineola Boulevard and

Willis Avenue, a mid-block traffic signalshould provide entry into the adjoining publicparking lot, with also a crosswalk aligned withthe landmark Firehouse. That lot should beredesigned and landscaped to take on thecharacter of a village mews, replete withkiosk, sign and north/south sidewalks direct-ing people and passersby to Village Hall, sit-ting area(s), dedicated parking for firefighters,and appropriate icons (e.g., monument, sculp-ture, kiosk, flagpole). The intent is to giveVillage Hall a Jericho Turnpike address, and togive Jericho Turnpike a civic identity. (Refer tothe illustration in the prior chapter.)

4. Also in the village center, carry out zoning incen-tives for pedestrian-friendly development:Zoning should call for front-facing buildings,flush with the sidewalk, with plate glassrequirements, prohibition of roll-down gates,and allowance for outdoor dining and displayof goods. Parking requirements should bewaived in this area provided there is sufficient

44

Along Jericho Turnpike: A village center can be created fea-turing a link to Village Hall.

on-street, shared and public parking within400 walking feet. Signage should be respectfulof pedestrians, consistent with the downtownregulations. Automotive uses and drive-throughs should be prohibited in this area;while ground floor retail and services shouldbe required. Though existing automotive usesand drive-throughs would be grandfathered,their landscape, façade and signage featuresshould be subject to an amortization clause(discussed later).

5. Further west of Marcellus Road and east of theLIRR overpass, create zoning incentives forassemblages and property upgrades: Greater lat-itude should be provided for bulk and heightfor larger sites, which would promote assem-blages and redevelopment. Automotive usesand drive-throughs could be allowed by spe-cial permit, contingent on traffic and pedestri-an safety mitigation that might be off-site aswell as on-site. Ground floor offices wouldalso be allowed.

6. Explore a unified design treatment for the areasto the west of Marcellus Road and east of theLIRR overpass: The design treatment couldinvolve a distinct theme with regard toawnings, signage, etc. Its intent is not to put astraitjacket on design, but to provide a sem-blance of unity. The present visual cacophonysaturates the average driver, such that he orshe can’t wait to move on. Thus more uniformdesign treatments would provide benefits to

local business as a whole. The design guide-lines should still be flexible, and drafted withthe cooperation of local property owners andbusinesses.

7. Target other important intersections for cross-walk improvements: In addition to the intersec-tions noted above, targeted intersectionsinclude Herricks Road, Simonson Road,Sayville Road (to provide safer access betweenChaminade High School and its practice fieldsfurther to the north), Roslyn Road, SheridanBoulevard, and at the Carle Place border (toprovide safer access for people traversing theproposed Vanderbilt Greenway).

8. Employ design guidelines to provide predictabili-ty as well as more attractive signage: The designguidelines should provide a palette of what isacceptable, as of right; with the option of anappeal to the Architectural Review Board. Aclear amortization clause will assure that theinvestment made by new applicants and usesare not put at risk by the intransigence of exist-ing uses. A generous amortization clause (e.g.,ten to twenty years) will assure that theseexisting uses are not asked to make untimelycapital investments.

9. Explore with the State and County a medianalong the length of Jericho Turnpike: JerichoTurnpike has a center median on portions ofits length, and such improvements are nowdesigned and underway in New Hyde Park tothe west. These improvements should beextended to Mineola, where the median couldinclude colored pavement in areas where leftturns are to be allowed. One of the benefits of

45

The Old Country Road corridor presents an economic development opportunity for the Village.

Mineola’s Jericho Turnpike (top) can be upgraded with amedian, as has been done in nearby communities (bottom).

a center median is that it creates more incen-tive for shared parking, access and egress. Themedian should not be pursued where it wouldlead to a significant reduction in necessary on-street parking, especially within the villagecenter area. Jericho Turnpike is a State high-way; Village leaders must therefore work withthe State and County to undertake theseimprovements.

B. Enhance Willis Avenue’s value, especially for residential south of Jericho Turnpike.

1. Include Willis Avenue to the immediate north ofJericho Turnpike within the village center dis-cussed above: Linden Road is the logical cut-offpoint, since traditional storefronts already gothis far.

2. Further to the north, employ the same designguidelines and requirements suggested for down-town and the Jericho Turnpike village center:

However, the uses need not be as restrictedwith regard to the mandate for ground floorretail.

3. Further to the south, reinforce the residentialcharacter of the corridor: Notwithstanding thecommercial uses in this area, the emphasisshould be on amenities that will bolsteradjoining residential blocks and uses. A goodamount of housing violations and policeactions are reportedly in this area, which doesnot have a clear direction in terms of its com-mercial versus its residential character.Capital budget expenditures and zoningshould come down in favor of the corridor’sresidential character. To do otherwise is to cre-ate a commercial corridor infringing on oneblock of housing to the west (since MineolaBoulevard is clearly commercial in character)and one block of housing to the east (since theLIRR tracks comprise a clear boundary, too).The intent is to create one residential neigh-borhood out of many freestanding residentialblocks.

4. As part of the residential strategy, reinforce andpartner with the institutional uses and stakehold-ers in the corridor: These include three church-es, one synagogue, the Little League, a privateschool, several cooperative housing associa-tions, and a future senior citizen housing cor-poration. Areas of cooperation includechurch-sponsored tree gardens, start-of-the-season Little League parades, availability ofschool space for events, block watches spon-sored by the coop associations, and sharedparking between the school, Little League andhousing.

46

Institutional uses can be partners in the strategy to furtherupgrade the Willis Avenue corridor.

5. As another part of the residential strategy, sup-port roadway improvements that reduce throughtraffic on Willis Avenue: To the north is a majorexit on the Long Island Expressway andNorthern State Parkway. Traffic streamsdown Willis Avenue into this area. Usingpavers at pedestrian crossings, a stop sign ortwo, and a thick canopy of trees wouldenhance the pedestrian experience and reducetraffic.

6. Support roadway and streetscape improvementsthat strengthen Willis Avenue’s connections todowntown: Downtown is undergoing a signif-icant improvement program funded by theVillage, County, Long Island Railroad, and theState. Physical linkages to Willis Avenueinclude a possible new roadway connectingWillis Avenue to the train station; and extend-ing downtown’s program of pedestrian-scaledlighting and other streetscape improvements.The streetscape program should achieve thesame high standards but not use the samelighting standards and street furniture, so as tokeep downtown’s streetscape unique.Programmatic linkages include: assuring thatshuttle buses to the train station make stopsalong Willis Avenue; and including the WillisAvenue area in any effort to promote more up-scale housing oriented to the train station.Note that the Village’s highest concentrationof two-family and multifamily housing abutsthe Willis Avenue corridor.

7. Support housing redevelopment, more homeown-ership, and better property maintenance: Condoand coop conversions are one example. Smallmulti-story buildings now marginally used

for commercial uses are a potential source ofconversions. The Village may want to supportgraduated tax abatement or increases in prop-erty values as an incentive for such conver-sions. On the side streets, accessory and two-family housing should be allowed, providedthat one of the two units is owner-occupied,and consistent with design standards thatmaintain the attractive single-family image ofthese blocks. The code compliance (discussedin the prior chapter) should be emphasized inthe Willis Avenue corridor, or until problemsare fully under control.

8. Make Village agreement with regard to light-railor other transit service on the parallel LongIsland Railroad (LIRR) elevated tracks contin-gent on a transit stop: This stop would logical-ly occur at Lincoln Road, where the existingunderpass could be reopened, and near thelandmark Mineola water tower. The transitstop and reopened underpass would providea big boost in value for the adjoining apart-ment buildings and nearby corner shops.

C. Protect residential uses and upgrade commercial uses in the Old Country Road corridor.

1. Cooperate with Garden City and the County onmaking Old Country Road a high-value commer-cial and residential corridor: Nassau County isnow planning significant changes to its cam-pus in Garden City, as well as new transitideas connecting the Mineola train station tothe Nassau County Hub through Garden City.The Village of Mineola should stay alert to

these efforts, especially with thought to mak-ing any new development extend Mineola’splans for a pedestrian-friendly district. As oneprime example, a new traffic light and pedes-trian crossing could be provided at the foot ofMain Street; a pedestrian path or full roadcould then extend south into Garden City’soffice district; this would bolster downtownMineola business.

2. Carry out an overlay Planned DevelopmentDistrict in the area between Eighth Avenue andRoslyn Road: This area has a mix of mostlylow-value uses, despite the fact that it is ahigh value corridor within walking distanceof the train station, along a major corridor,within sight of the County complex, andadjoining high-image Garden City.Expensive commuter-oriented housing, con-gregate care housing, a hotel, and offices areall conceivable – especially given the oppor-tunity for shared parking. All of these useswould augment the Village’s tax base andprovide additional support for downtown.The prerequisite is the right zoning, rational-ization of the internal road system, andassemblage of property into developablesites. The Village should enact “PlannedDevelopment District” zoning, in whichdensity bonuses, height restriction waiversand greater flexibility as to use would becontingent on private investment in theneeded roads and pedestrian amenities.Note that the plan map shows realignmentof Front Street, Station Road and Third Streetto rationalize the roadway system, reducetraffic on Old Country Road, and createmeaningful development sites.

47

3. Protect the residential area to the east of RoslynRoad and west of Eighth Avenue: Ideas includedesign district designation of the Tudor subdi-vision between Croyden Road and BerkleyRoad; stone or other markers at each of theresidential roads going north from OldCountry Road; community gardens along thesurplus land acquired by the Long IslandRailroad in connection with its third trackproject; and pedestrian improvements (trees,sidewalks, and marked crosswalks) all alongOld Country Road. The last recommendationis the easiest and the most important: with it,little cul-de-sacs and loop roads can becomemore stable mini-neighborhoods.

4. Stay alert to changing conditions: All the same,the narrow band of housing west of EighthAvenue is wedged between the railroad andOld Country Road, and is under long-termpressure. The Village should stay alert as toany signs of code violations and illegal con-versions, etc., in which case upzoning tooffices or apartments may prove both viableand desirable as a way to forestall disinvest-ment.

D. Strengthen Mineola Boulevard, Herricks Road,Roslyn Road and Hillside Avenue as attractive corridors.

1. Enhance Mineola Boulevard as the scenic spine ofthe community: The six blocks at the top ofMineola Boulevard feature stately homes setbehind handsome lawns; Design District des-ignation is in order. The three blocks fromJericho Turnpike to Jackson Avenue are

included in the Jericho Turnpike center. FromJackson Avenue south to Harrison Avenue, theVillage should employ contextual zoningrules and continue to encourage offices andmultifamily housing. Mineola Boulevard, as itpasses through downtown, should featureviews across a proposed village green to his-toric Main Street, and a handsome bridge overthe LIRR tracks – the village’s equivalent of ariver. Traffic calming north of JerichoTurnpike is also called for.

2. Cooperate with the Town of North Hempstead onmaking Herricks Road an efficient and attractivenorth/south corridor: The top half of HerricksRoad should be protected as a residentialroad, with a heavy canopy of street trees madeall the more attractive by the curves of theroad. The bottom half of Herricks Roadshould be enhanced as a commercial corridor,with the same incentives for redevelopmentdiscussed above for Jericho Turnpike west andeast of the village center. The Town of NorthHempstead should be encouraged to adoptthe same or similar zoning as Mineola.

3. Revisit plans for upgrading the intersection ofHerricks Road and Jericho Turnpike: This is oneof the two most important gateways into thevillage. (The other is the Mineola Boulevardbridge over the LIRR tracks.) A problem-solv-ing approach is suggested on all four cornersinvolving cooperation with the residentialneighbors, private property owners anddevelopers.

4. Cooperate with neighboring Herricks andWilliston Park on the greening of Hillside

Avenue: Williston Park’s portion of HillsideAvenue should be emulated. Commercialdesign standards would promote small-scaleshops in historic-appearing buildings frontingon a sidewalk with pedestrian-scaled lighting.Sidewalks, street trees and green center medi-an should be employed to maintain residentialvalues.

5. Make Roslyn Road a more attractive and efficientcorridor: The underpass beneath the LIRRtracks is the prime project, here. Modeled onthe Herricks Road underpass, and with thedesign features of the Mineola BoulevardBridge, it promises to be safe and attractive.Additional parking will be provided for localbusinesses, and additional open space ameni-ties will be created using surplus right-of-way.The main part of Roslyn Road is residential,and should be reinforced by rigorous treeplanting. As an exception, the corner ofRoslyn Road and Second Street should remainretail. At the top of Roslyn Road is a smallCounty-owned park, which should beupgraded as a gateway into the village. At thebottom of Roslyn Road, the triangular parkshould be enlarged as part of a roadway sim-plification.

6. Create an “in-place” industrial park to the north-west of Roslyn Road’s intersection with JerichoTurnpike: This industrial area consists of ahodgepodge of industrial and commercialuses. It is separated from residential neigh-borhoods by Jericho Turnpike on the south,the LIRR tracks on the west, and parkland onthe north; it, nonetheless, adjoins several resi-dential properties to the east along Roslyn

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Road. The industrial district would lend itselfto “in-place” industrial park improvements.These would involve buffering from its resi-dential neighbors and a formal entry fromRoslyn Road (at Windsor Avenue) and JerichoTurnpike (at Sagamore Avenue). It couldinvolve building a connector road betweenRoselle Street and Windsor Avenue, and turn-ing the eastern end of Roselle into a residentialcul-de-sac.

E. Upgrade the Second Street corridor east of downtown.

1. Upgrade Second Street, with new paving andcurb cuts: Wherever practical, this shouldinclude tree planting.

2. Modify the zoning along Second Street to pro-mote the upgrade of industrial uses to flex space:Flex space involves the mixing of office andindustry. Parking requirements should bemore flexible, with an option to use offsiteparking (e.g., to use Village lots in the parkduring weekdays, at a fee). Retail develop-ment should be prohibited. (The same zoningchanges would apply to all of the Village’sindustrially-zoned land.)

3. Explore a connector between Second Street andWestbury Avenue: This connector would runnorth/south, just to the west of the historicVanderbilt Parkway right-of-way, throughVillage-owned land.

4. Conduct the due diligence with neighborhoodquality of life held paramount: Note that this

would entail a traffic study not just as to theviability, cost and impacts of the roadway con-nection, but alsohow to assure that this road-way connection does not diminish the qualityof life for neighboring residents. The idea is totake traffic off of Westbury Avenue, forinstance, not to create through-traffic.

5. Explore private recreational uses along the newconnector: These might include indoor socceror tennis, privately run, but with cost dis-counts for Village residents.

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There are many opportunities to improve Second Street.

Downtown Mineola is animportant place, both in theVillage and the surroundingregion. It is the originalhome to the Nassau Countyseat, and it is a major transithub. Its existing commer-cial base includes smallbusinesses and large-scaleoffices, as well as institu-tional uses such asWi n t h r o p - U n i v e r s i t yHospital. The downtown iscompact, walkable, attrac-tive, and important to theVillage’s sense of history.

Yet, to some who live orwork in Mineola, down-town is a place they rarelyvisit, and if they do, it is notsomewhere where theylinger. It is hampered by anon-central location alongthe Village’s southern bor-der. It is also divided byLIRR tracks and majorroads. A significant portionof its office space is locatedsouth of the LIRR and isconsidered more part ofGarden City than downtown Mineola. Many of itsstores struggle to compete with the ample auto-oriented centers and malls located only a fewmiles away. Convenient parking for potentialshoppers and other visitors is often taken by com-muters.

Fortunately, a great deal of attention has been paidto downtown Mineola in recent years. The Village,County, and State have been actively working toimprove portions of downtown. In particular,Winthrop-University Hospital is now undertakinga capital program for its campus; and the LongIsland Railroad, with State funding secured

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Downtown

4

Downtown offers great opportunities for pedestrians.

through the efforts of State Senator MichaelBalboni, recently sponsored an improvementstudy for the LIRR station area, prepared byVollmer Associates. In some cases, these efforts areresulting in substantial changes to downtown,such as the new Mineola Boulevard bridge, park-ing decks, and an improved railroad station con-nected to a new transportation center. Smallerscale—but still significant—improvements arealso being made, such as the provision of newsidewalks, trees, and streetlights in the downtowncore.

These converging efforts in downtown Mineolacome at a time when there is renewed emphasis on

older, established centers throughout the NewYork region and indeed nationwide. Places suchas downtown Mineola that are served by adequateinfrastructure, most notably public transportation,have been the focus of reinvestment by both thepublic and private sectors in recent years. With itsexisting commercial base of businesses, stableinstitutional anchors, and convenient location,downtown Mineola should have bright prospectsfor continued investment in coming years. Thechallenge is to build upon the existing strengths ofdowntown Mineola, while addressing its per-ceived and actual problems, to make it a fullsource of civic pride for residents of the Village.

Existing Conditions

Location and AccessThe Mineola downtown is generally comprised ofthe area in the Village bounded by Old CountryRoad on the south, Eighth Avenue on the west,Harrison Avenue on the north, and Roslyn Roadon the east. However, there are no hard bound-aries to this area, as areas just beyond these streetsare affected by and influence the core downtownarea.

Three main north-south roads provide access to52

Access to public transportation is excellent in downtown.

downtown Mineola: Roslyn Road, Willis Avenue,and Mineola Boulevard. Both Roslyn Road andWillis Avenue pass through a number of othercommunities to the north before entering Mineola.Mineola Boulevard begins at Hillside Avenue inneighboring Williston Park. To the south, RoslynRoad and Mineola Boulevard continue beyondOld Country Road as other streets, with the latterbecoming Franklin Avenue, downtown GardenVillage’s main shopping street. Willis Avenueends at Old Country Road.

Old Country Road runs along downtown’s south-ern end. It is a major east-west route on LongIsland and the primary non-freeway means ofaccess to the nearby Roosevelt Field shoppingarea. Jericho Turnpike (New York State Route 25),another major east/west route on Long Island,passes through Mineola roughly a half-mile to the

north of the downtown.There are no major east-west arterials into the centerof downtown—a liabilitythat this plan seeks toaddress.

Downtown Mineola isextraordinarily well servedby public transportation.The Mineola train station islocated on Station Plaza justwest of Mineola Boulevard.On weekdays, approxi-mately 135 trains per daystop at Mineola station,while approximately 90trains per day stop on week-ends. According to the New

York State Department of Transportation (NYS-DOT), approximately 2,700 riders use Mineola sta-tion during the morning peak hours.Improvements are being planned by the LongIsland Railroad for the Mineola station and sur-rounding area.

The Long Island Bus Mineola terminal is locatedon Third Avenue near the train station. SevenLong Island Bus routes run through downtownMineola (N22/22A, N23, N24, N40, N41, N78, andN79), of which five terminate at the bus terminal.According to NYSDOT, the combined seven LongIsland Bus routes make 515 daily trips into down-town on weekdays and 465 daily trips on week-ends. Downtown is also served by several privatebus companies.

Land UseDowntown Mineola is characterized by a mix ofretail, office, residential, and institutional land uses.The most common building type is the classicmixed-use building consisting of ground-floorretail, with offices or apartments on the upperfloors. These account for most of the housing unitsin the downtown, and the majority of the retailspace. However, they account for relatively little ofdowntown’s supply of office space, which is insteadlocated in dedicated office buildings generallyalong Mineola Boulevard and Old Country Road.

The area south of the LIRR tracks is dominated byseveral large modern office buildings, including aCitibank regional headquarters. Winthrop-University Hospital, downtown’s largest employer,is located to the northwest of the train station. Non-retail anchors also include the Post Office on MainStreet and the LIRR train station. Other land uses indowntown include both surface and structuredparking and limited light industrial uses.

Most of downtown Mineola has been built to ahuman scale, with streets characterized by narrowrights-of-way, on-street parking, small storefrontsbuilt to the sidewalk, a continuous street wall, andbuilding heights of no more than three stories.Mineola Boulevard, however, does contain stretch-es where office buildings and parking lots break upthe continuous store frontage on the ground leveland create “dead space” that is unwelcoming to thepedestrian. Certain intersections, such as the “V”intersection at Mineola Boulevard and SecondStreet, are very intimidating to pedestrians. TheLIRR tracks also isolate the robust Old CountryRoad corridor and County Seat from most of down-town.

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ZoningThe majority of the central business district islocated in the B-2 Special Business Zone. Thiszone includes the blocks east and west of MineolaBoulevard from Cleveland Avenue to Front Street,as well as the two blocks bounded by First Street tothe north, Willis Avenue to the east, Front Street tothe south and Main Street to the west. The B-2District allows those uses permitted in the B-1Zone (described below) as well as office buildingsand multi-family dwellings. Additionally, a limit-ed form of mixed-use development is permitted inthis zone. Maximum building height is two storiesor 35 feet. One parking space is required for every250 square feet of business space and two spacesare required for every residential unit. Therequired front yard setback is five feet.

The B-1 Business Zone runs along the western sideof Willis Avenue from Cleveland Avenue to FirstStreet and along the eastern side from SearingAvenue to Front Street with a small portionfronting on Second Street. This zone permits anumber of neighborhood commercial uses such asretail stores, barbershops and beauty parlors, drycleaners and nurseries. Maximum building heightis two stories or 25 feet, and one parking space isrequired for every 250 square feet of businessspace. Front yard setback is five feet.

The B-3 Special Office Use Zone includes the entirearea south of the LIRR tracks from Eighth Avenueto Roslyn Road. It encompasses most of the large-scale office buildings in downtown Mineola.Permitted uses in the B-3 Zone include officebuildings, banks, and brokerage houses.Maximum building height is three stories or 35feet and parking is required at a ratio of one space

per 200 square feet of business space. Front yardsetback is fifteen feet.

The R-5 Apartment Residential District is locatedin the northeast part of downtown, as well as addi-tional areas on the downtown fringe. This districtpermits multi-family residential uses. Maximumbuilding height is three stories with a minimumgross floor area of 1,000 square feet per unit. Theminimum number of parking spaces is 2.0 perunit. The R-3 Two-Family Residential District alsois located on the downtown fringe. Maximum

building height in this zone is two stories or 32feet, with minimum gross floor areas of 850 squarefeet for one-story single-family dwellings, 1,200square feet for two-story single-family dwellingsand 1,700 square feet for two-story two-familydwellings. The minimum number of parkingspaces is 2.0 per unit.

The H Hospital Zone is located along the westernedge of downtown. This district is comprisedentirely of the main campus of Winthrop-University Hospital. Permitted uses in the H Zoneare public or private hospitals and accessory usescustomarily incidental to the operation of a hospi-tal. Maximum building height is four stories or 50feet. Required front, side, and rear yard setbacksare 20 feet, except that a 50-foot side yard setbackis required along a residential border.

One final zone is the M Light Manufacturing andIndustrial District, which is located along the east-ern edge of downtown. Permitted uses in thiszone include those allowed in the B-1 and B-2Districts as well as those devoted to the manufac-ture of clothing, electrical appliances, machineryparts and accessories, and cold storage warehous-es. Maximum building height is two stories or 25feet. Parking is required at a ratio of one space per500 square feet of building space, subject to addi-tional requirements.

Market ConsiderationsDowntown Mineola has a relatively small, but sta-ble, retail and service commercial community whichnonetheless faces competition from a number ofsources. The first of these is the Roosevelt Field area,which is located just over one mile east of down-town Mineola. One of the largest retail concentra-

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The zoning in the downtown area allows for a variety ofresources, including parking facilities.

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tions in the northeast United States, some four mil-lion square feet of retail space exists in this arearoughly centered on Old Country Road and GlenCove Road. This space is found in retail formatsranging from the traditional enclosed super-region-al mall to the more modern specialty retail/enter-tainment complex and the power center, with retail-ers of various types ranging from outlets to full-pricedepartment stores. The two main commercialattractions in this area are Roosevelt Field Mall andThe Mall at the Source.

Other sources of competition for downtownMineola are Jericho Turnpike and downtownGarden City. A sizable number of convenience

retailers are located on Jericho Turnpike in Mineola,including supermarkets and chain drug stores, aswell as other retail and service commercial uses.This area is popular with retailers due to its locationon a main road and the ability to provide convenienton-site parking in many cases. Franklin Avenue inGarden City had problems in the last decade such asthe loss of some of its anchor stores; but a recentlycompleted streetscape beautification campaign hashelped improve the area. Uses in the FranklinAvenue corridor include major department storeanchors such as Lord & Taylor and Sears as well asconvenience commercial uses.

Notwithstanding the power of its competition,

downtown Mineola does have a number of compet-itive assets that should not be overlooked. In addi-tion to the institutional anchors mentioned previ-ously, its proximity to the nearby Roosevelt Fieldshopping area can be used to its advantage by draw-ing off shoppers headed to the area. It also hasdeveloped two successful niches in fashion goods(Fox’s) and sit-down dining. Most importantly, itoffers a human scale and “Old World” charm thatstarkly contrasts with the automobile-orientedstreetscape so dominant in Long Island.

Some of the existing market groups for goods andservices in downtown Mineola include the follow-ing:

• Office workers, tied to the hospital and govern-ment functions and the private office tenants.This market generates demand for fast food(e.g., hospital visitors and workers), sit-downdining (e.g., politicos and bankers), conven-ience services such as banks, and comparisongoods, such as clothing. Government work-ers, lawyers and bankers are likely to be indowntown during the day on the weekdays,whereas hospital workers and visitors willalso be in downtown on weekday eveningsand weekends.

• Commuters using the Mineola train station.This market generates demand for takeout(for those on the run), sit-down restaurants(on the way home from work), and supra-con-venience goods and services (e.g., newspa-pers, dry cleaners, shoe repair). These shop-pers are only in the downtown during themorning and evening rush hours on week-days.

• Local residents, mostly living in apartments onthe upper floors of mixed-use buildings aswell as in nearby apartment buildings andneighborhoods. The population locatedimmediately in downtown is somewhat smalland limited in spending power. However res-idents living within walking distance ofdowntown provide an additional market forconvenience retailers and service providers.

• Regional fashion shoppers drawn to the Fox’son Main Street between the LIRR tracks andSecond Street. This market also generatesdemand for other fashion-oriented merchants(i.e., clothing, shoes, accessories, etc.) as wellas synergistic retail (e.g., gourmet food storesand cafes, hair and nail salons). These shop-pers tend to be extremely affluent middle-

aged and older women. They are in thedowntown during the day on both weekdaysand weekends.

• Other regional visitors living outside the down-town but elsewhere in Mineola and surround-ing communities. Presumably, this market isproviding critical support for the several sit-down restaurants and bars/entertainment inthe downtown, some of which draw a region-al clientele. This population is wealthier thanthe local residents but not as affluent as thecomparison retail shoppers, and generally vis-its downtown in the evening.

Businesses in different sections of downtown cur-56

Mineola atttracts regional and local shoppers.

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rently are generally focused on certain groupsdescribed above. Any downtown improvementsshould include efforts to continue to serve thesegroups, as well as to expand the appeal of the areafor new consumers and residents.

RecommendationsGoal: Create a vibrant, walkable, and accessibledowntown that is a community focal point.

Downtown Mineola cannot and should not com-pete with the malls on its own terms. The empha-sis should instead be on creating niche shopping,taking advantage of the diversity of shoppers (andshopping) times indicated above.

A. Improve the appearance and form of development:Downtown cannot hope to compete with themall or the strip in terms of convenience toautomobile drivers or provision of spaces suit-able for large format stores and offices. But itcan offer an historic character and scaleunique to Long Island. Given the growingdominance of big box retailers, catalogues andInternet sales, downtowns have somethingspecial to offer in terms of ambiance and

socializing. Downtown Mineola’s character asa civic and gathering place can be its ultimatesource of strength, and warrants full protec-tion and amplification.

B. Improve the pedestrian experience: The pedestri-an experience is also central to the downtown“experience.” The LIRR station and the majordowntown employers are significant sourcesof pedestrian traffic, bringing thousands ofpeople to downtown Mineola each weekday.Furthermore, while many visitors drive todowntown, once they have parked they willcirculate on foot. To encourage this circulation,the experience of pedestrians in downtownshould be as comfortable and enjoyable aspossible.

C. Improve circulation, parking, and connections:The bottom line is that a suburban retail dis-trict’s potential is often tied to its relative con-venience to the automobile. People will toler-ate congestion and parking problems in adowntown, up to a point. There is a significantamount of parking, which will soon growgreater in response to particular needs (e.g., atthe LIRR station); the issue is how to best man-

age this parking resource. Improvements tolocal corridors can also enhance downtown’saccessibility. So can transit improvements,many of which are already in the works.

D. Support the business community: The businessof business is business. Merchants and prop-erty owners are ultimately concerned aboutsales volumes and rents. The Village can helpto upgrade the physical qualities of down-town. But in the end, much will depend uponan entrepreneurial approach to downtown.

All of the physical improvements indicated aboveare therefore tied to economic strategies. Given itssmall size, this has to do with what is known asniche marketing. And given the Village’sresources, it also has to do with partnering withother major players.

Left and opposite: Design and streetscapeimprovements, now underway, can makedowntown a far more pleasant place toshop, dine and socialize.

A. Improve the appearance and form of development

1. Promote the consistent design of lighting, land-scaping, and sidewalks throughout downtown’spublic areas: The mix of building types andfacade styles in downtown are somewhat var-ied and should continue to be. Any effort tounite downtown should be done through his-toric streetscape elements, not through rigidapplication of historic building, facade andsignage standards. Efforts are now underwayto create a unified appearance for the installa-tion of sidewalk and streetscape improve-ments. The same streetscape theme should beemployed in all of downtown.

2. Make the axes created by Main Street, MineolaBoulevard and Second Street the focal points:These are the initial priority areas forstreetscape improvements. The image alongMain Street should be urban and urbane –akin to SoHo in Manhattan: the denser the bet-ter, with activity pouring out onto the streetand down to Old Country Road. The imagealong Mineola Boulevard should be arresting,with plenty of signage about parking: MineolaBoulevard is the major north/south roadthrough Mineola and downtown; it is espe-cially important that passing drivers feel likethey are invited to stop in downtown. Theimage along Second Street should be that of agreen corridor, linking the new entry intoWinthrop-University Hospital to the LittleLeague park, and crossing Mineola Boulevardand Main Street in the process. As discussedlater, streetscape improvements on these threeroads are linked to pedestrian circulation

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Top: Possible solutions to Village Green (Courtesy of the EDAW).

Bottom and next page: Plan and rendering by Vollmer Associates and Cooper, Robertson & Partners (Courtesy of Long IslandRailroad).

improvements; and the Village Green propos-al is intended to tie all three together.

3. Provide a Village Green: The ideal way to unitethe many lines of downtown (the LIRR stationas well as Mineola Boulevard, Main Street andSecond Street) is to create a Village Green attheir juncture, on the “Citibank block”between Mineola Boulevard, Second Street,Main Street, and the LIRR tracks. The VillageGreen would preferably front both SecondStreet and Main Street. A primary objective ofa green in this location would be to enable avisual connection between Main Street andMineola Boulevard. This block also has theadvantage of a grade change that could possi-bly enable the construction of a parking deckunderneath that would be at grade facing the

railroad. Acquisition of the site will provedaunting, and may be impossible. As a fall-back, the Village could place a PlannedDevelopment District overlay on the site,allowing adjustments in use, floor area, build-ing height, etc. contingent on the creation of aworkable Village Green. Whatever design isselected, the historic EAB Bank Building (nowCitibank) should be retained. Also, thereshould be no net loss of public parking fromthe provision of a Village Green; nor needthere be, since many successful urban plazasare designed to have spaces that serve dualpurposes, such as commuter parking onweekdays, and a farmers market on week-ends. Downtown Mineola boasts most of thefeatures of the quintessential downtown: his-toric buildings, walkable scale, civic uses, and

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Below: Elevation and plans from “Access Improvements toMineola Station” (Courtesy of Vollmer Associates).

variety of stores and services. One key ele-ment it lacks is a central gathering place. Asmall Central Park could provide a place forspecial events, as well as informal social inter-action.

4. Create Station Plazas: The areas in front of thetwo LIRR train stations provide other oppor-tunities for a central gathering place. TheLong Island Railroad proposes significantimprovements to the rail line and train sta-tions. As part of these plans, on each side ofthe tracks, they suggest restoration of the his-toric train station building, articulated paversin the front drop off area, traffic calming, andcreation of a small urban plaza. The plaza onthe south side would connect to the proposedMineola Intermodal Transportation Center;the plaza on the north side would connect tothe Winthrop-University Hospital, and wouldbe framed by the newly constructed MineolaBoulevard Bridge and art deco commercialstructures. These plans deserve the Village’sgeneral support, though attention will have tobe paid to the details.

5. Be proactive and creative about burying andmasking utility wires and poles: Burying above-ground utility wires would vastly enhancedowntown’s appearance and ease the plant-ing of shade trees. Underground utilities areless prone to disruption than overhead wires.This endeavor is too costly for the Village todo all at once. However it could be tied tomajor redevelopment as well as incrementalpublic infrastructure investments (e.g., anymajor sidewalk or street improvements).Until utility lines are buried—or if they cannot

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Above: Small improvements can make a big difference inimproving downtown’s appearance (Lower rendering cour-tesy of Norman Mintz).

Right and center: Historic preservation is a top priority.

Parking garages can be masked (left), while murals can lessen the impact of blank walls (right). (Photos courtesy of Norman Mintz).

be buried—there are ways to soften theirimpact. One possible solution is to consoli-date transformers on poles, thus reducing thecluttered appearance throughout downtown.Another is to consider the installation of ban-ners and planters on utility poles. Thisapproach requires an ongoing program toensure that banners and plants are maintainedand periodically replaced.

6. Encourage historic preservation: Althoughdowntown has a somewhat varied architec-tural character, it does feature some olderbuildings that are worthy of preservation.Zoning guidelines, landmark designation andtax incentives should be combined to promoteprivate renovation of these historic structures(as described in the Chapter 2).

7. Promote compatibility between new and existingdevelopment: To help enhance the walkable,historic character of downtown, the Villageshould consider modifying the bulk regula-tions in the downtown zones. For example,the current required minimum front setbacksare five feet within the B-2 Zone. Contextualzoning requirements would require newdowntown construction with no setbacks inareas where this condition is prevalent, thusretaining the existing streetwall. Maximumsetback and minimum height requirementsshould be added to existing requirements, andnew buildings should be required to face thestreet.

8. Create a Planned Development overlay district:In some cases, it may be preferable to promotethe assemblage of land to enable redevelop-

ment that provides public benefits.Regulations for this overlay district wouldpermit more flexibility as to use and/or anincreased development yield in terms ofheight, density, or floor area ratio in exchangefor amenities such as shared public parking,connections to transit, new roadways, publicopen space, and/or burying of overheadwires. Design guidelines should also beincluded to ensure that development is notout of character with the surrounding area.This tool should be employed for the OldCountry Road redevelopment area (discussedin the prior chapter). It is especially neededthere to promote assemblages and roadwayadjustments that will create meaningful andcoherent development sites.

9. Promote infill development: Vacant lots andbreaks in retail frontage detract from thedowntown’s pedestrian quality and unity.Incentives should therefore be provided toencourage new development on smallervacant lots. These could include parkingwaivers; zero-lot-line development; waiversof building height requirements; etc. One par-ticular spot that could benefit from infill is atthe Main Street/First Street intersection, oppo-site the Post Office.

10. Help existing anchor and magnet stores to stayand flourish in downtown: Fox’s is a particularpriority. To stay competitive and keep pacewith their other stores, Mineola’s Fox’s mustexpand. The most logical area to do so wouldbe to the rear, involving property eventuallytargeted for Village ownership. This couldinvolve a swap, whereby the Village secures

the Fox’s corner building on the Village Greensite.

11. Promote upper-floor living and live/work space:Adding residents to a downtown adds to thestreet life, which in turn can increase safetyand provide additional customers for busi-nesses. Zoning rules should be adjusted toallow three stories of housing and live/workspace above stores. The provision oflive/work space, primarily geared towardsartists, has become an increasingly popularway to stabilize or revitalize older downtownsand urban areas. Artists generally requirelarge spaces that are affordable, yet have rela-tively convenient access to the arts market,transportation, and residential amenities suchas shopping, schools, and recreation. Theseare features that downtown Mineola offers,lending credibility to an art center. Artist andother live/work space should be promoted indowntown. Adjustments could be made tozoning to permit live/work layouts, and ancil-lary sales. Artist live/work space could alsobe eligible for tax incentives.

12. Obtain funding from outside sources for techni-cal assistance for storefront and building facadeimprovements: There are a number of down-town buildings that could benefit fromimprovements to their facades. Theseimprovements do not need to be expensiveand elaborate—much can be accomplishedwith low-cost elements such as awnings andpaint. However many businesses may requiretechnical assistance to ensure that they imple-ment a design scheme that both helps sales aswell as improves the general appearance of

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the business district. A program should beestablished to provide free technical assistanceto business and property owners who wouldundertake such upgrades at their ownexpense. Fox’s on Main Street has come for-ward to be an early beneficiary of such techni-cal assistance

13. Encourage better but still varied signage: A mixof signs can add to the charm of downtown,but must be kept within bounds.Perpendicular signs should be permitted. Theinternal use of neon signs should be permit-ted, but they should not be permitted on theexterior of buildings. Signs blocking windowdisplays and views into stores should be dis-couraged. The size of building mounted signsshould be limited, with larger awning signspermitted. Freestanding signs should be pro-hibited. Signs should employ light letteringon dark backgrounds. In addition, a signamortization law should be adopted to bringall signs into compliance after ten years. Signsin downtown should be designed primarily toattract pedestrian attention, with visibilityfrom passing cars held secondary.

14. Reduce the impact of blank spaces: The down-town streetscape currently is impacted by thepresence of some vacant stores. The Village orChamber of Commerce should contact thebuilding owners and propose that interim dis-plays be put in these empty store windows tomaintain visual continuity and interest alongthe retail frontage in the downtown. Possibledisplays include historical photos of theVillage and displays by local civic and com-munity groups. In addition, landscaping and

plantings should be used to soften the impactof large structures such as office buildings andparking structures. Examples include plant-ing trees on streets with open areas, hangingplantings on the walls of parking garages, andpainting of murals on large blank walls.Finally, the Village should explore a mural onthe municipal garage wall, perhaps displayingMineola’s heritage, such as its place in avia-tion history.

15. Prohibit solid security gates; promote awnings:Solid roll-down gates detract from the pedes-trian and window-shopping character ofdowntown, and actually increase the percep-tion of danger; they should be prohibited.Other options — such as see-through meshgates or increased internal store security –should be promoted. Awnings on the otherhand add to the character of downtown, andprovide needed shade and shelter in the sum-mer and rain. Discretionary approvals shouldbe linked to awnings, wherever they areappropriate.

B. Improve the pedestrian experience

1. Provide safe, shaded and attractive sidewalksthroughout downtown: As noted previously,the streetscape should be relatively consistentthroughout downtown. Pedestrian-scaledlighting, awnings and street trees are particu-lar priorities. Tree species that bloom high arepreferred, since they are less likely to obscureviews of storefronts. (Likewise, clusters oftrees should be located in front of open lotsand blank walls, with thinner groupings infront of storefronts. In some cases, sidewalksshould be widened.) Keeping downtown side-walks in good repair, well lit, and shaded isnot just a matter of civic pride, but also goodbusiness.

2. Discourage new curb cuts in downtown: Theaddition of new driveways in the areas withthe heaviest pedestrian traffic would have sig-

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The LIRR Station should be improved (left). Congestion onMain Street at the railroad crossing requires creative solu-tions.

nificant detrimental impacts on pedestriansafety and comfort. Curb cuts should bestrongly discouraged throughout downtown,and prohibited on Main Street, MineolaBoulevard and Second Street from ThirdAvenue to Willis Avenue, except in connectionwith public and shared parking.

3. Mandate ground floor retail uses in appropriatelocations: The pedestrian experience isenhanced by the provision of interesting win-dows at street level, and is lessened by deadspaces. Therefore ground level retail, includ-ing restaurants and realtors, should berequired on Main Street along its entire length,Second Street from Third Avenue to WillisAvenue, Mineola Boulevard from OldCountry Road to Harrison Avenue, and facingNorth Station Plaza. Special exceptionsshould be made for existing multifamily, officeand institutional uses.

4. Encourage merchants to stay open during theevening, or to at least illuminate closed store-fronts after dark: Adding lighted and activestorefronts to the evening street scene encour-ages pedestrian activity and adds to the feel-ing of safety and security for downtown visi-tors and residents. Merchants should espe-cially be encouraged to be open during specialevents and, if the restaurant row idea works,on Friday evenings when they can capturecommuters as well as diners. (A related rec-ommendation discussed later involves pro-moting outdoor dining.)

5. Enhance pedestrian access and amenities at theLIRR train station and proposed Long Island Bus

terminal: Multiple footbridges should be built.The North and South Station Plazas shouldprovide public open space to support theheavy pedestrian activity at these locations.The LIRR platforms should be easily accessi-ble to Winthrop University Hospital, the LongIsland Bus terminal, as well as the North andSouth Station Plazas. The platforms shouldalso connect to landscaped pathway on boththe south and north sides of the LIRR tracks,terminating at Main Street. This pathwayshould provide easy access to and along boththe south and west frontages of the EAB block(the proposed Village Green) on the north andparking on the south. The pedestrian-friendlydesign features noted earlier (shade trees,ground level retail, safe crossings, etc.) shouldbe employed throughout.

6. Protect Mineola Boulevard pedestrians in thecrosswalk with pavers, bump-outs and signage:Well-marked crosswalks should be providedat all intersections. In particular, the pedestri-an crossing at Mineola Boulevard and SecondStreet should be redesigned to facilitate andencourage pedestrian circulation at this keyintersection. Bollards or other protectivedevices should be investigated to define andprotect pedestrians, here.

7. Enhance pedestrian access along Main Street:The Long Island Railroad’s third track projectwill invariably lead to the closing of the atgrade crossing at Main Street, which would inany event be closed 45 minutes out of the hourduring peaks. The closing off of Main Street isa great problem — not so much because of thediverted traffic, but because of the image of a

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Above: Conceptual designs by Cooper, Robertson & Partners(Courtesy of Long Island Railroad).

Left: Pedestrian link-ages across the LIRRtracks are essential.

Main Street that goes and ends nowhere.Main Street would be cut off from one of itslifelines: the walk-in lunch trade generated byGarden City offices and the County complex.It is essential that an appealing solution befound akin to that put forward by the LIRRconsultants. This plan features a gradualrecess in Main Street south of the LIRR tracks,leading to the Village Green north of thetracks, with design features inspired by thedowntown streetscape plan, and the siting ofrestaurants and infill retail development tomake the walk even more appealing and safer,including a relocated and reused LIRR tower.The Village should rigorously endorse thisplan, and press the Long Island Railroad andState Department of Transportation to imple-ment all of its elements, including the VillageGreen. In addition, Mineola should jointlyexplore with Garden City and Nassau Countythe possibility of a signalized pedestrian cross-ing at Main and Old Country Road (i.e., noturns allowed). This crossing could then con-nect to a pedestrian route leading through thecenter of Garden City’s office district, employ-ing an abandoned railroad right-of-way.

8. Create a pedestrian greenway along SecondStreet: The greenway would connect the newlandscaped entry court at Winthrop-University Hospital though downtown to thenew Little League park. The narrow blocksbetween the Hospital and Main Street see sig-nificant pedestrian traffic. Development onthe north side of Second Street between ThirdAvenue and Mineola Boulevard should be eli-gible for more floor area, parking waivers,and/or higher building heights (using

Planned Development District zoning) in con-nection with a setback or canopy to accommo-date wider sidewalks and street trees. Thedangerous intersection with MineolaBoulevard is a top priority for pedestrianenhancements. The south side of SecondStreet between Mineola Boulevard and MainStreet is earmarked for the Village Green. Theparking lots on both sides of Second Streetbetween Main Street and Willis Avenue pro-vide plenty of opportunity for landscapeimprovements. If the Hospital is downtown’smajor employer; and Mineola Boulevard isdowntown’s vehicular spine; Main Street is itshistoric spine; and Willis Avenue is to becomeits residential district; then Second Street is itsgreen connector.

9. Experiment with seasonal time-of-day closure ofMain Street: Main Street bears little vehiculartraffic, and is not needed as a through-street.It is lined with a number of popular eateries.The Village should experiment with closing it

to traffic for special events, during weekdaylunch hours, and Saturdays in summer.

C. Improve circulation, parking, and connections

1. Enhance vehicular access to downtown: As dis-cussed in the prior chapter, this could includeimprovements to both Willis Avenue andSecond Street. It would especially include aloop road running from Willis Avenue to theLIRR train station, alongside of the proposedKozy Shack parking facility, Village Green andFox’s.

2. Examine possible modifications to existing trafficpatterns: New roads alignments are recom-mended south of the LIRR tracks to rationalizedevelopment sites and take pressure off of OldCountry Road. North of the tracks, in somecases the provision of additional parking orsidewalk space may justify reducing pavementwidth and converting roads to one-way traffic.One such possible street is Harrison Avenue,which might be converted to one-way east-bound from Horton Highway to MineolaBoulevard and one-way westbound fromWillis Avenue to Mineola Boulevard. However,the key axis roads—Second Street, MineolaBoulevard and Main Street—must continue tohave two-way vehicular traffic. This both“calms” the streets, and improves the visibilityof stores.

3. Provide additional on-street parking: There is lim-ited space for parking on the sides of streets,but heavy demand for these spaces.Opportunities for additional on-street spaces

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On-street parking is important for downtown businesses, but should be regulated to limit the duration avehicle is parked in a space.

should be pursued wherever possible, throughphysical improvements such as diagonal park-ing, re-striping, and removal of curb cuts.Throughout downtown, parking regulationsshould seek to ensure turnover of on-streetspaces by making long-term parking (includ-ing “meter-feeding”) illegal. A prime down-town parking space can translate into between$150 and $300 a day in retail sales for down-town merchants; thus the effective loss of eachon-street space potentially costs the businessdistrict $45,000 to $90,000 a year in forgonesales. Given the limited number of spaces, butthe high proportion of restaurants, on-streetparking regulations should generally allow upto one-and-a-half hours of parking, but prohib-it all-day parking.

4. Provide additional off-street surface parking lotswhere appropriate: After on-street parking, thesecond best type of parking for downtownmerchants is located in at-grade parking lots.(Given opportunities created by a slopingtopography, this includes the grade level ofparking decks.) The construction of additional

surface parking lots is being pursued on somelots in downtown already, most notably at theKozy Shack site. New lots should be clearlymarked, attractively landscaped, adequatelyscreened, and provided with inviting pedestri-an access to and from the shopping area andother attractions. They should ideally be sitedto serve major downtown anchors, such asFox’s. Given the combination of dining andwindow shopping, grade level parking regula-tions should generally allow up to two hoursof parking.

5. Maximize the use of structured parking lots forlong-term parking: Parking structures are bestreserved not for shoppers, but for commuters,business owners and employees who need tostore their cars all day. The daily parkingcharge in the downtown garages should bereasonable so as not to discourage their use.While shoppers are reluctant to use garages,some may turn to the garage if other alterna-tives are full. The Village may therefore wish toreserve all or a portion of the ground level ofthe Main Street garage and other structuredparking facilities for shopper parking, at lowor no cost, with turnover enforced throughtime limits.

6. Provide better connections to existing parkingareas: There is a large supply of existing park-ing in the downtown, although many lots arenot easily accessible from nearby streets andland uses. One example is the parking struc-ture at First Street and Main Street, whichcould be connected to Second Street by a walk-way where an alley already exists adjacent tothe St. James restaurant. This would be an

ideal opportunity to promote outdoor diningat the popular St. James, which would enhancesecurity on this path. Another example is theparking structure at Third Street and MineolaBoulevard, which could be reconfigured toprovide both stairway and elevator circulationconvenient to the South Station Plaza.

7. Augment the amount of parking at the LIRR sta-tion and Long Island Bus terminal: Studies showthat there is a present demand for 1,300 spacesat the transportation center; a supply of 900spaces; and therefore a shortfall of 400 spacesthat is met by cars parking in unsanctionedspaces better used by downtown visitors andworkers. This number will likely go up astransit service improves. Current plans for alarge parking structure in connection with thebus terminal expansion should be supportedin principle by the village, provided that thereis agreement on a design that mitigates itsimpact on its neighbors and complements thehistoric design themes adopted for downtown.Studies also show that most of the commuterscome from the north side of the LIRR tracks,though most of the parking supply will contin-ue to be on the south side. The Long IslandRailroad should therefore be encouraged toeventually pursue ideas like bi-level parking atthe Kozy Shack site and at the EAB site, withthe lower level prioritized for commuters, andthe higher level prioritized for shoppers.

8. Promote public and shared parking: Downtownhas a wide mix of uses, some of which havedifferent times of peak use. Shared parkinginvolving the reduction of the number of totalrequired spaces should be allowed for uses

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Additional convenience retail should be provided near the railroadstation.

that have differing peak times of traffic gener-ation. Shared parking should be allowed with-in 400 feet of the property. Payments in lieu ofparking should be allowed, in connection withcontributions to a Village parking fund, andvalued at the per-space cost of one structuredparking space (in today’s dollars, roughly$12,000). Tax incentives should be employedto promote dedication of private spaces topublic parking. Such public parking could beprovided through a deed restriction, or byturning over the lot(s) to the Village for publicuse, with a zoning waiver. Where possible,public and shared parking should be com-bined to create more efficient shared lots. Oneexample is on the north side of Second Streeteast of Main Street.

9. Prepare a parking management strategy: The LongIsland Railroad, Village and Winthrop-University Hospital, as follow-ups to theirprior studies, should together prepare a jointparking management strategy. This strategywould work out the details of all of the above.It should also consider implementation andfunding strategies.

10. Support a transportation center in downtown: Anumber of transportation modes serve down-town, including commuter rails, local buses,taxis, and possibly jitneys. There have beenextensive discussions about creating a facilitythat centralizes transit stops and improves con-nections between transportation modes indowntown. Locating such a facility on thesouth side of the LIRR station to the west ofMineola Boulevard would allow this facility tohave adequate space for its necessary functions

(which includes bus and vehicular parking), aswell as reduce traffic impacts on other moredensely developed portions of downtown. Itsbenefits to Mineola are manifold, and includehigher visibility for downtown in addition toincreased convenience for residents who usetransit. The Village should be vigilant, howev-er, that the transportation center is designedwith the pedestrian as well as the automobiledriver in mind; that the buildings and thestreetscape are consistent with the architectur-al themes set for downtown in general; andthat the Long Island Bus terminal look less likea way station and more like a train station.Studies show that 33 percent of all Long IslandBus activity in Nassau County occurs at theMineola bus terminal, and this figure is likelyto up given planned improvements. A hand-some transportation center is no less importanta statement for bus riders than it is for theVillage.

11. Support a jitney service to the LIRR station and busterminal: There are a number of indicators thata jitney service would succeed in the areaencompassing Mineola and Garden City. Trainservice is frequent. Bus routes would supple-ment jitney service. There are great manyLIRR users who live nearby but drive all thesame to the station. The villages have both rel-atively high residential and office densities inparticular corridors. Thousands of peoplework in the County complex and in Winthrop-University Hospital, supplementing the poten-tial user population. To date, the LIRR hasfocused on a jitney service centered on theLIRR station. Perhaps this concept should beexpanded to take in additional stops at the

County complex, Hospital and downtown;and to operate during non-peak times. In thisway, the jitney service would enhance transitaccess and reduce parking demand in down-town. Note: as a multi-municipal service, thejitney is best operated by the MetropolitanTransit Authority (MTA), LIRR, County, or as apublic/private partnership.

12. Conditionally support light rail or other service cen-tered—not terminating—in downtown: TheCounty is working on plans for a light rail ordedicated bus service north to Glen Cove (onthe existing LIRR right-of-way) or south to theHub. Both would bolster downtown’s central-ity, and together are desirable. But only onewould increase the demand for commuterparking, and would not be drivable. Suchservice should also be contingent on the exten-sion of Willis Avenue to the train station, andan attractive and popular pedestrian under-pass at Main Street and the mainline of LIRR.

13. Improve the public’s awareness of the downtowndistrict, and downtown attractions and parking:Old Country Road and Jericho Turnpike areheavily traveled roads that are respectivelylocated on the edge of and a short distancefrom downtown. Signage should be installedon these roads to direct visitors to downtown.Attractive, common signage within the down-town can direct people to the LIRR station, theHospital, the Post Office, and Main Street. Byproviding clear to follow signs that direct visi-tors to off-street parking, the impression ofeasy access to parking is created. Interceptingdrivers as they approach downtown and drivealong Mineola Boulevard would also reduce

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congestion. Signs should also adopt a com-mon language in terms of logos, coloring andlettering, to enhance their readability.

D. Support the business community

1. Focus on “restaurant row” as a retail niche for all ofdowntown: Downtown Mineola has what ittakes to be a dining destination. From ademand perspective: County and office work-ers provide a steady weekday lunch and earlydinner crowd; local residents (includingGarden City and other nearby communities)provide clientele during the weekend; and theHospital’s 3,000 workers and many visitorsprovide clientele all through the week. From asupply perspective: the variety of spaces andrents can match up with a variety of establish-ments, ranging from tapas bars to cafes, fromfast food to elegant dining. The St. JamesRestaurant provides one restaurant anchor forthe district, already. What is missing is the crit-ical mass associated with, for instance, arestaurant row. Such synergy can be created ina variety of ways: joint marketing for restau-rants; shared takeout menus and delivery tothe Hospital; food festivals; sample nights atthe train station. Given commuter and hospi-tal clientele, the north Station Plaza is an idealplace to promote a Starbucks (perhaps in theLIRR station building itself, as has been doneat the MetroNorth stop in Hartsdale). Zoningcould also permit a multi-movie complex andcatering facility in connection with the PlannedDevelopment Overlay District along OldCountry Road, taking advantage of the empty-ing out of commuter and office parking lots

and garages at night and on weekends.

2. Provide additional outdoor dining: Adding diningon the sidewalk can add to the activity on astreet, thus increasing the perception of an areaas a thriving and safe place. Specific standardsmust be put in place to direct outdoor dining toappropriate locations and ensure adequatespace on the sidewalk. In some cases, addi-tional space could be gained for dining areasby replacing one or two on-street parkingspaces and extending the sidewalk into thestreet. Outdoor dining should also be allowedon the side or rear of restaurants to increasedining spaces and add activity to underuti-lized areas. Performance standards dealingwith late night dining outdoors and noiseshould be considered, so as not to underminethe housing strategy for downtown.

3. Promote unique retailing concepts on Main Street:There is too much inventory of more accessibleretail space in the surrounding area for down-town Mineola to be able to compete on a vol-ume basis. On the other hand, downtownsoften successfully compete for high-end spe-cialty retailers, as Fox’s has demonstrated.Offering relatively low-rent space in a general-ly affluent region, Mineola can attract morespecialty retailers, such as galleries, antiquestores and framing shops. Such retailers areimmune to the threats posed by the RooseveltField shopping area, which does not focus onsuch service-oriented categories. They couldeven, with proper marketing, benefit from themultitudes of potential shoppers that the near-by mega-draw brings to within close proximi-ty to downtown Mineola.

4. Promote convenience retail in the station area: Thestation area largely caters to the needs of com-muters and hospital workers, which are nar-rowly focused on fast food, such as takeoutcounters and coffee shops, and convenienceretail/service, such as dry cleaning, shoerepair, newsstands, and florists. With this sortof target market, station area merchants see aflurry of customers in a few concentrated timeperiods (morning and evening rush for com-muters and lunchtime for workers), and rela-tively little else during the rest of the day.Success therefore depends on the ability todeliver one’s product very quickly and toachieve maximum “throughput” during thosepeak traffic intervals. To further enhance theirbottom line, merchants could also take advan-tage of a “concierge” service, which hasproved very popular in a number of NewJersey Transit stations, especially Maplewood.With this service, the commuter is able to dropoff his/her dry cleaning in the morning, orplace orders from local merchants for food andother goods; these are then collected by a“concierge” during the day (for a fee), so thatthey are waiting for pickup in the earlyevening when the commuter returns. Theproximity of the Hospital may augment themarketability of this idea, by providing anoth-er source of clientele not limited to the rushhours.

5. Promote convenience retail and food services onMineola Boulevard: Unlike Main Street, MineolaBoulevard is an important through street in theregional road network. With such visibility,and with its proximity to the train station, ithas become Mineola’s main shopping street,

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with a number of convenience retailers andservice providers. This area should capitalizeon the higher volumes of traffic and workers inthe vicinity and provide additional optionsthat cater to the impulse customer. As a primeexample, several sites along MineolaBoulevard might lend themselves to a majordrug store chain, notwithstanding the limita-tions in parking. These include the northwestcorner of Mineola Boulevard and Second Street(which is owned by Winthrop-UniversityHospital) and the northwest and southeast cor-ners of Mineola Boulevard and First Street(which adjoin parking facilities). All of thesesites could involve ground-floor retail withoffices above.

6. Encourage a farmers market and special events indowntown: Events in the downtown canstrengthen its economic base as well as thesocial character of the Village. However it isimportant that the primary focus of theseevents remains authentic and local in nature.There is too much competition from the NewYork region — and too little space and roadcapacity in the Village — for Mineola to com-pete on a regular basis in the larger market-place. A prime example of a local special eventwould be a weekly farmers’ market. Anotherexample would be food and craft festivals. Athird would be something like a “Mineola inStyle” fashion show featuring Fox’s and down-town’s other women’s clothing and accessorystores. A fourth could be simple the relocationof the long-time Mineola Fair from MemorialPark to downtown. These would be ideallystaged in the proposed Village Green or StationPlaza.

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Village activity centers could be an institution, a busi-ness or over a playground.

7. Support key magnets and anchors: Every effortshould be made to retain the U.S. Post Office indowntown. The Village should be generallysupportive of the St. James Restaurant, com-monly acknowledged to be a downtown suc-cess story. This includes help with creatingoutdoor dining space on the site, or a reloca-tion site should they ever need to relocate (theyrent their space). The Village should be gener-ally supportive of Fox’s on Main Street, com-monly acknowledged to be downtown’s retailanchor. This includes help with façadeimprovements, parking, and perhaps the con-solidation and expansion of their store(described earlier). Institutional uses add tothe vibrant character of downtown and bringadditional visitors to the area. The Villageshould continue to be involved in discussionsabout expansion or other improvements of theHospital, LIRR, Nassau County, and otherentities located in or near downtown. In addi-tion to ensuring that impacts on the Village arelimited, being involved in the planning processcan result in partnerships with these institu-tions to further benefit the downtown.

8. Pursue a Business Improvement District(BID) fordowntown: Downtowns throughout the regionare taking advantage of state laws that allowbusiness associations elected by property own-ers to collect revenue from commercial proper-ty which is then applied to the common inter-est. This usually includes funding sanitationand street cleaning; and often includes fundingpromotion, capital improvements, specialevents, etc. In Mineola, a possible BID shouldtake in all of downtown, including commercialproperty on Old Country Road and up

Mineola Boulevard. It might even include theVillage Center area proposed for JerichoTurnpike. If interested, Mineola’s Chamber ofCommerce has the experience and good will topursue this idea, in cooperation with theVillage, which, according to New York Statelaw, must approve the BID formation. Almostall of the downtown retailers are small busi-nesses; absentee landlords own much of theproperty. This will make formation of a BIDdifficult, but no less worthwhile.

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comprehensive master plan for the village of mineola

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