Downtown Kings Park and Smithtown have a rich history of being centers of civic, economic, and cultural activity in the Town of Smithtown. Despite the development of shopping centers and malls that have redirected most shoppers away from downtown, these two downtown districts have survived and continue to adapt with the support of their community and the assets that distinguish them.
Kings Park and Smithtown are both located on the Port Jefferson branch of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), which provides service to job centers such as Stony Brook University (21 minutes away), the Route 110 corridor (17 minutes away) and points west to Manhattan (1 hour 7 minutes to Penn Station). Planned north-south transit improvements along the Sagtikos/Sunken Meadow Parkway envisioned in Suffolk County’s Connect Long Island initiative could make downtown Kings Park a more strategic place as both a gateway to Suffolk County’s north shore recreation opportunities, and as a point of improved mobility to jobs and destinations throughout Suffolk County. What these communities lack in close proximity to major regional job centers is somewhat offset by proximity to large expanses of high quality public open space and natural features. Both downtowns have immediate access to some of Long Island’s most unique trails, parks, ocean and bay beaches and other waterfront landscapes.
The Town of Smithtown planning department requested and was selected for assistance from the Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) to strengthen the county’s economy through mixed-use, transit-oriented development. Under a contract to the IDA, Regional Plan Association (RPA) has worked with the Smithtown planning department and the Suffolk IDA to analyze existing conditions and identify opportunities for revitalization in the downtown. The Town of Smithtown planning department recently completed an update to its comprehensive plan. The Town’s comprehensive work and RPA’s focus on Kings Park and Smithtown was commenced separately, but many elements of the Town’s draft plan are captured in our work, and vice versa. In addition, Vision Long Island (VLI), in conjunction with the Kings Park Chamber of Commerce and the Kings Park Civic Association, recently completed an action plan for revitalizing downtown Kings Park. Again, many elements and analysis from RPA are captured in the VLI action plan, and elements of VLI’s plan are incorporated into this report as well. RPA believes this work identifies opportunities to enhance both downtowns and is consistent with local community character in terms of building typologies, quality placemaking, and densities. This work reinforces the notion that downtowns will become healthier when more people live nearby in transit-oriented residential and other mixed-use infill development. Over the last two years, RPA has worked closely with the Town of Smithtown planning department to identify opportunities for economic development in downtown Kings Park and Smithtown. The key recommendations of this report are that Kings Park and Smithtown:
Promote infill development on underutilized parcels around their train stations and the larger downtown area, particularly by revising provisions of the Town’s zoning code.
Improve the public realm throughout downtown Kings Park and Smithtown by improving pedestrian conditions, by creating new connections within the downtown and to and from surrounding parks and shorelines.
Take advantage of the market – with mixed-use development that meets the projected sustained market demand for quality rental apartments in close proximity to transportation – and grow additional market demand through proximity to unique recreational opportunities.
Specific actions were identified to address these priorities, both to prime Kings Park and Smithtown to take advantage of appropriate development opportunities, and to ensure that development that does take place is in keeping with what makes the two different downtown environments unique. The recommendations summarized below and detailed in the report are made solely by RPA to the Town of Smithtown and Suffolk IDA for consideration in the appropriate programs, public meetings and processes.
Revise the Town zoning code to remove incompatible uses, such as motor vehicle sales or rental showroom, boat sales or rental showroom, lumberyard, mini warehouses, and filling station from the permitted uses in the downtown. Define and permit mixed-use and multifamily development. Include language which explicitly permits only pedestrian-friendly ground floor uses on Main Street.
Create a pedestrian-friendly downtown with safe crossings on Main Street by reducing crossing distances through the implementation of bulb-outs. Expand upon connections to trails and recreation that are present in both downtowns.
Engage developers with a good track record of building mixed-use developments in downtowns across Long Island. Brand and market downtown Kings Park and Smithtown to attract business types that serve the community and promote new opportunities for economic development.
