Farmingdale Village eyes parking lot for $5 million community theater plan

Farmingdale plans to build a proposed community theater in a section of a downtown parking lot, one of several initiatives to be funded by an infusion of state aid.

Mayor Ralph Ekstrand said the village wants to use a portion of a village parking lot on South Front Street near the Long Island Rail Road to build the roughly 8,000-square-foot theater.

The village would own the theater, but a theater company is expected to manage it. The theater would hold performances by local dance groups and musical acts, as well as movie nights and other community events. The theater is expected to cost $5 million to build.

The project would result in the loss of 30 to 40 parking spaces in the busy downtown, but officials said they have opened up spaces elsewhere. Ekstrand said a business that pays Farmingdale to park 15 trucks in village lots will move its vehicles to an “underutilized” lot at a separate site.

“I have a little over 1,600 parking spaces in the village, so to me that's not a large concern,” Ekstrand said in a phone interview.

Farmingdale officials said the village plans to collaborate with the Farmingdale school dstrict to make the most of the theater. The village plans to explore initiatives that tie local businesses to the site — such as dinner and a movie packages marketed to nearby restaurants. 

The Village of Farmingdale won the state’s competitive $4.5 million NY Forward grant in 2025, an effort designed to give a boost to downtowns across New York. Village officials said they want to allocate that funding to the new theater, a capital expense program for downtown businesses and the restoration of the historic Thomas Powell House, Newsday has reported.

Once the state greenlights the project and commits to the funding for the theater, “we’ll go through the design phase and the bidding process,” Brian Harty, the village administrator, said in a phone interview. 

Farmingdale has submitted an investment plan that is “undergoing a vigorous review process," said Hayley Alaxanian, a spokeswoman for the state Department of State, which oversees the NY Forward program. Two other state agencies — Homes and Community Renewal and Empire State Development — also are involved in the review.

After the proposals are reviewed, Gov. Kathy Hochul is expected to select from Farmingdale’s proposal to award portions of the $4.5 million grant, with an announcement expected this spring, Alaxanian said in an email. Ekstrand said the village requested to use about $3 million of a $4.5 million state grant to help with the cost. The village expects to borrow for the remaining expense.

By Joseph Ostapiuk

joseph.ostapiuk@newsday.com@OstapiukJ