November 30th, 2023 – Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter, members of the Town of Islip Community Development Agency (CDA) and officials on the state and local levels cut the ribbon on the first renovation on Carleton Avenue completed as part of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) in Central Islip.
Local property owner Regina Giglio received a $100k grant from the Downtown Revitalization Initiative Improvement Fund to renovate the property at 118 Carleton Ave. The mixed-use space is home to three affordable apartments and two store fronts. Ms. Giglio is the first grant recipient to complete a renovation project in the DRI Target area.
Ms. Giglio was raised in Central Islip and graduated from Central Islip High School. She maintains an office in East Islip, and has owned and managed over 15 rental units within the Town of Islip. She accepts tenants who are subsidized by the Town of Islip Housing Authority, making her units affordable.
The $600,000 Small Grant Improvement Fund was one of the seven projects funded as part of the $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) Grant the Town of Islip received from New York State in 2018. Other DRI Projects include funding towards the much-needed sewer work, currently underway; Pedestrian Enhancements and Streetscape Improvements, now being designed; and several mixed-use developments. With all projects advancing, the Town is finally poised to see real positive impacts from the State’s DRI investment in Central Islip. Suffolk County began laying the sewer connection along Carleton Ave. in August 2023. Work is expected to be completed on the sewer line in November 2024.
“This is just the beginning of the revitalization of the Carleton Ave. corridor in Central Islip. We are one step closer to making this incredible downtown a reality,” said Islip Town Supervisor, Angie Carpenter.
“This first completed DRI project is one of many more to come as the revitalization process in downtown Central Islip unfolds and leverages additional public and private investments,” said New York Secretary of State Robert J. Rodriguez. “We look forward to the transformation of Carleton Avenue and Central Islip’s downtown as a result of our $10 million DRI award and the energy and excitement that the DRI creates.”
The NYS Department of State oversees the DRI program and works closely with both Empire State Development and NYS Homes & Community Renewal to implement the funded projects that emerge from the planning process. NYS Homes and Community is working with the Town of Islip CDA to administer the Small Grants DRI project. The CDA is still accepting applications through December 31, 2023. There are approximately $250,000 left in grant funds.