THE SCOOP Known for its sprawling waterfront and bustling Main Street, Bay Shore is a lively and popular locale.
“We have a theater; we have proximity to the hospital; we have Fire Island,” said Town of Islip Councilman Michael McElwee. “It’s a very unique hamlet that there’s a lot going on in.”
But in the early 2000s, much of Bay Shore’s Main Street was vacant.
“There were three restaurants when I opened one,” said McElwee, who owns The Penny Pub and Goody Two Shoes. “There’s 31 now on Main Street.”
In the past few years, blighted buildings were replaced by apartment complexes around the downtown area, most within walking distance of Main Street. Shoregate, a 418-unit development, opened in May 2024. A mixed-use, 156-apartment development, with 132 units designated for people age 55 and over, is slated to open in 2026.
“The town has really come around in the 20 years that I’ve been there,” said McElwee, noting Main Street is the site of “Alive By The Bay” Tuesday nights in summer, with live music, dining and kids’ activities and the Boulton Center for the Performing Arts, which recently reopened after a more than three-year closure due to COVID-19.
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