How Redevelopment Will Reshape the Mastic Beach Rental Market
There's a common goal among municipal and community leaders across Long Island of transforming their towns into attractive rental markets. After many decades of socioeconomic trends that favored homeownership, more people across various demographics are choosing to rent instead of taking out mortgages. As a real estate region, Long Island is a very attractive rental market; however, this is not the case for all villages, hamlets, towns, or cities.
Mastic Beach is a Suffolk County hamlet that could certainly benefit from expanding its rental market. Based on its privileged coastal location on the South Shore, Mastic Beach is the type of community that should have a thriving rental market. Whereas nearby jurisdictions such as Patchogue and Westhampton Beach enjoy the many economic benefits of strong and diverse rental markets, Mastic Beach has not been able to attract renters, but things are set to improve through a redevelopment initiative.
Rendering courtesy of The Beechwood Organization
The towns, villages, and hamlets of Long Island, particularly those along the South Shore, fall under two main categories in terms of their overall vibe. The Main Street category is for hamlets such as Bayport, which attract a nice diversity of renters. The suburban category is for quiet and leafy communities without a downtown district; an example would be Commack, which has become a solid market for luxury rentals and upscale 55+ communities.
Mastic Beach was supposed to be a village in the Main Street category, but its downtown commercial district started falling into blight and disrepair two decades ago. At the time, the Town of Brookhaven was going through financial difficulties that precluded the upkeep of Mastic Beach. Residents voted to separate from Brookhaven as part of a plan to revitalize the downtown area, which went from a charming Main Street lined with shops to a blighted strip of boarded-up stores and abandoned homes.
The village charter of Mastic Beach lasted for seven years, and nothing got done in terms of redevelopment, so residents voted to become a hamlet of Brookhaven again. That happened a few years ago, and the current conditions are favorable for a major revitalization project that intends to transform Mastic Beach into an attractive rental market. Along with municipal officials from Brookhaven, community leaders from Mastic Beach are evaluating a revitalization proposal that includes building 600 new residential units around a new downtown district.
Beechwood Homes, a renowned development firm from Jericho, is the project manager for the revitalization initiative. The proposal envisions a 37-acre town center with 140 main structures. Instead of a long and sprawling Main Street, the layout of the new Mastic Beach downtown district will be triangular. Prime opportunities for urban living will consist of apartments located above stores, cafes, and restaurants. The district will be parceled into a mixed-use zoning layout for condominiums, townhomes, parking garages, pocket parks, and pedestrian trails. As much as 130,000 square feet would be retail space.
Thus far, Mastic Beach residents have shown substantial interest in the redevelopment proposal; many of them are excited at the prospect of their hamlet competing with others for prospective renters. Most of all, they relish the idea of staying in the Main Street category instead of eventually becoming a bedroom community by the sea. With a population of 15,000, Mastic Beach can surely benefit from a project that would add 600 new households.
The potential of becoming a smaller and more charming version of Bayport is there for Mastic Beach. A few local entrepreneurs are working on sustainable tourism projects in the gorgeous Violet Cove, which provides excellent opportunities for hiking, kayaking, and outdoor activities. Another sustainable initiative being negotiated by the Town of Brookhaven is to augment the Mastic Beach Conservancy with a 147-acre nature preserve certified by the Audubon Society for birdwatching. The tidal wetlands of Violet Cove were severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2012; thankfully, their natural restoration process is complete, and their conservation is a major aspect of the revitalization project.
Part of the Beechwood proposal includes building a community center and a park adjacent to the library. The few businesses left along the old Main Street will not have to relocate, but they will face competition from many new commercial establishments expected to begin opening by late 2026. These development details and the enthusiasm of residents suggest that Mastic Beach is on track to become the next star of the Long Island rental market.