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Business & Tech

'Doctor Downtown' Comes To Douglaston

Norman Mintz, nationally recognized revitalization consultant, leads workshop aimed at shaping the future of Douglaston Village.

It takes a village to revitalize a downtown or, at least, it does in the case of Douglaston's main swath of commercial real estate surrounding the Long Island Rail Road Station.

On Thursday night, the Douglaston Local Development Corporation hosted the first gathering in a series of workshops designed to flush out a vision of the future for the neighborhood.

Helping lead the discussion Thursday night was nationally renowned revitalization expert , who is also a visiting professor at the Pratt Institute's graduate Urban Planning program.

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Mintz, whose nickname is "Doctor Downtown," has been commissioned to help develop a strategic plan for revitalizing the Douglaston Village shopping strip along 235th Street.

He said the possibilities for the village were endless.

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"Just walking around the village this afternoon, I could feel the spirit of the people here and could tell that the community is engaged with making positive changes to the area," Mintz said.

Some of these changes could include benches lining the sidewalks, a community meeting space for local residents and scores of beautification initiatives.

“We’d welcome everyone’s input as to what could be improved here and want to hear ideas about how to do it,” said Victor Dadras, of Dadras Architects, the architectural firm helping to develop a master plan for the revitalization of downtown Douglaston.

While much was discussed on Thursday night, community leaders said that even more still needs to be done.

"Most important right now is that people get inspired about pitching in - we need everyone to realize that it's not my plan or the plan of any one particular group. We need everyone's help and input," Dadras said.

Over the course of the next three months, the local development corporation plans to host similar workshops during which residents can voice their concerns and swap ideas about what they'd like to see in downtown Douglaston.

David Pentlow, the group's president, said he would like to see more members of the community lending a hand.

"There are dozens, if not hundreds, of possibilities. But we're an all volunteer organization, so we need everyone to make it happen," he said.

Those interested in getting involved should contact the Douglaston Village Chamber of Commerce.

“We want everyone to know that thier suggestions are welcome.” Dadras said.

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