Hundreds of people packed a William Floyd High School auditorium Thursday night to learn about future revitalization plans for downtown Mastic Beach.

The proposal includes transforming the mostly blighted and empty half-mile stretch of Mastic Beach by making it more pedestrian-friendly, opening more business opportunities, building more housing, and improving public safety.

Renderings of the project show a full overhaul of roughly 37 acres and 140 properties between Commack Road and the intersection of Mastic Road and Doris Drive to the north; Doris Drive to the east; and Victoria Place, Linden Place and Commack Road to the south.

Mastic Beach native and Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico said the redevelopment plans will help address issues in the area.

"No more crime. No more dilapidated, vacant buildings,” he said. “We're going to turn vacancy and vagrancy into vibrancy."

Melissa Nohilly, of Mastic Beach, says she welcomes the chance to have restaurants and much needed services in the area.

"I'm excited for the community to get the help that it needs,” she said. "I drive 30 minutes to take my kids to daycare every morning. So I'm excited that maybe we would get one over here."

Onofrio's Restaurant owner Stephen Galioto says he welcomes the change.

"People down here, they want to feel happy about saying, 'I live in Mastic Beach,’” he said.

The redevelopment plan will force some local businesses and homeowners to leave.

Caroline Dean helps run Anchor Auto & Truck Repair with her dad. She says the plan will force them to relocate.

“My son goes to school here. I graduated in the community, we live here,” she said. “We want to see it thrive. We also want to do good for our family. We don't want to be out of work."

The developers, Beechwood Homes, say they'll provide a “financially advantageous” offer to homeowners and businesses.

Tya Emanuel, of Mastic Beach, says she, her husband, and her four children worry about being homeless if that money doesn’t get to them.

"There was no talk about this. They keep talking about how beautiful it is, and I get that. It's beautiful! But how is that benefiting me and my family,” she said. "What's beautiful about being forced out of your home?"

Earlier this year the town of Brookhaven entered an intermunicipal agreement with Suffolk County to fix its aging pipelines and sewer system. That deal, which is expected to take years to fully implement, helped pave the way to move the downtown revitalization forward.

Agreeing on a land use plan will allow the town to move forward with other critical steps before shovels can hit the ground.

The developers and the town are collecting community input on the project.

Find out how you can participate here.

The initial goal is to break ground on the project in early 2026.