In the center of Levittown, a gas station could become an urban mobility hub for the community. Levittown has a population of 51,000 in central Long Island. Levittown was created in the 1940s and 1950s as a planned community and is an archetype for suburban development in the US. The town was first characterized by its homogeneous architecture, mass produced houses and racial exclusivity. It has grown in ways that make it difficult to recognize its original form. The town isn’t served by a station on the Long Island Railroad and lacks the connections to mass transit that benefit other towns on Long Island. 

The site is at the main intersection of Jerusalem Avenue and Gardiners Avenue with the Hempstead-Bethpage Turnpike. Retail and office buildings are along the turnpike. The existing gas station is on the southwest corner of the intersection with local and regional bus lines stopping at this intersection. The existing gas station is in use and has 8 gas pumps and a convenience store. 

Design goals:

• Adapt the existing station as a mobility hub.

• Provide a cafe and outdoor lounge areas for people waiting to transfer or to charge their EVs.

• Add bike share station.

• Design for solar power with panels added to the roof and the canopy.

• Landscape features to soften hard surfaces and permeable paving to absorb rain.

• Rainwater detention tanks in place of existing underground fuel tanks.

The design is an adaptive reuse of the existing station into a mobility hub that serves Levittown. A mobility hub is a community facility to support residents by bringing together public transit, bike share, ride sharing and other means of transportation. EV charging is also located for those without convenient charging at home. A cafe with indoor and outdoor seating provides a place to wait while changing modes of transit or charging an EV. The transformation would demonstrate the commitment to transit and electric vehicles.