The Lindenhurst Village Board would like to take a moment to recognize the enormous revitalization of our Downtown Business District – before, during, and in the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic. When our Downtown Master Plan was developed, there was no section that covered “Global Pandemic Contingency Plan”. However, thanks to the efforts of many – residents, business owners, and our team at Village Hall – Lindenhurst stayed strong, continued to grow and flourish, and our Downtown is now more vibrant than ever!
When the Pandemic hit our Lindenhurst community, our lives forever changed. We lost loved ones; we had health scares; we had to “zoom” into new ways of doing business and existing socially; and local restaurants and businesses had to think outside the box so their businesses would not fail. As usual in our greatest times of need, Lindenhurst rallied, and offered help and support to these restaurants and businesses.
Early on, the community bought gift cards and placed on-line and take-out orders, while the Village worked within County, State and Federal guidelines to help in new and innovative ways. This included the creation of the Community Dining Area at Village Square Park, and more significantly, issuing temporary permits allowing outdoor seating on Village property, or in the Village right-of-way, and allowing outdoor structures and tents. These temporary allowances, along with the Governor loosening up the rules and regulations on take-out alcohol, gave our local restaurants and businesses a life-line while their indoor capacity was limited, and we are so proud of the partnerships that were created between our Village government and our Lindenhurst business community.
However, now that life is coming back around, we also need to start getting back around to the proper business environment. Restaurants and local businesses, and even we here at Village Hall, can now welcome patrons inside. While some changes that were made can safely be maintained throughout the rest of these summer months, such as some outdoor seating areas, most of the tents and structures cannot. Most were put up only with the allowance of a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy by the Village Building Department, and have an expiration date (approximately the middle of August for most). We recognize that we have all benefited from the addition of these structures – our businesses financially, and our residents socially – but these temporary areas and structures just don’t meet State and Village building requirements to become permanent. We hope that is understood as the time now approaches for these temporary tents and structures to come down.
This Lindenhurst Village Board remains committed to the growth of our existing Downtown businesses, future businesses, and will continue to look for ways to mutually support them, and the direction we have planned for the Downtown. We need to get back on track with our focus on the Downtown Master Plan, continue to work with the Chamber of Commerce and other community/business groups to bring new events to our Downtown, and continue the growth!
