Two high-profile projects are now underway in Mastic Beach, bringing long-awaited improvements to a busy community crossroad.
The 7-Eleven store at the corner of Mastic and Mastic Beach roads near the William Floyd High School is receiving a new façade, repaved parking lot, curbing, drainage, landscaping, and other improvements.
Across the street, another long-standing property is also getting new life. The former Smitty’s Hardware is being redeveloped into a day care center, a project that developers say will address a growing community need.
“We’re excited to bring this service to Mastic Beach,” developer Ghulam Sawar told the South Shore Press. “Local families deserve more child care options, and we’re proud to be part of that solution,” he said, promising the center will be ready next year.
Local leaders say getting the projects underway is a relief. Together, they represent reinvestment at one of Mastic Beach’s most visible intersections, sending a message that the area is moving forward.
“These are the kinds of changes that give people confidence in their community,” Brookhaven Town Councilwoman Karen Dunne-Kesnig said. “When residents see new development and upgrades, they see a brighter future.”
The area will also benefit from repaving of the southbound William Floyd Parkway, the gateway to the community, now underway.
Mastic Beach’s most significant renaissance is yet to come, as the approval process for the redevelopment of the Neighborhood Road Business District moves forward. Resident reaction is mostly positive for the Beechwood Organization’s plan to build a modern downtown with hundreds of apartments and townhouses, new retail and restaurant space, community facilities, parking, utilities, and a long-awaited sewer system to serve the heart of Mastic Beach.
With the nearby Forge River Watershed Sewer Project complete, expanding sewer service further into the Mastic Peninsula is vital to the area’s economic and environmental future.