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VISION LONG ISLAND SMARTTALK AUGUST 2007 EDITION |
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Welcome to the newly revised SmartTalk Newsletter. We will be making this publication a monthly feature, looking at Smart Growth projects, policies, and challenging land-use issues facing Long Island. There has been a myriad of activities over the past few months, both in the areas of land preservation and community-scale developments. In this issue, please check out the recent poll numbers showing support for mixed-use development in both Nassau and Suffolk Counties. This is important data to track, as it points to an underserved constituency seeking housing and community choices. In order to meet the needs of our young people, seniors, and families seeking Smart Growth housing and community solutions, we need to get diverse models in the ground. Towards that end, we have made progress in the Town of Islip and the Town of Brookhaven, with the Second Avenue Condos and the Tallgrass Village Center, respectively. Future editions of this newsletter will focus on the full implementation of the Middle Country Road Land Use Plan and work that creative villages like Mineola, Freeport, Patchogue, and Farmingdale have underway. Moving forward, VISION will be focusing on implementation of our existing community visions and the development of regional public policies that will support and help catalyze Smart Growth. We are making an effort to improve communication via an updated website and other information technologies such as blogs and more frequent updates. Lastly, we need to call on you to join us at our 6th Annual Smart Growth Summit, this year at the Melville Marriott. While you may have attended a Summit in the past, we need you to fully participate to show the strength and breadth of the constituencies calling for fundamental land-use and planning reform. We will be changing the format to allow for further interaction as well as refining our "Blueprint for Smart Growth" that you have already helped shape. We cannot do this work without you. As an advocate for Smart Growth, please forward information, news, and recommendations to help make our work more effective. Questions and comments can be sent to info@visionlongisland.org.
Eric Alexander Executive Director Vision Long Island |
SUNY Stony Brook Poll Reveals Huge Market For Smart Growth on Long Island
VISION, working with SUNY Stony Brook, has conducted an island-wide poll about the desire for smart development here. Basing the questions off of national models, residents were asked if they would prefer to live in residential-only communities, even if it meant having to drive longer distances, or if they would prefer to live in a mixed-use development where they could walk to many of their destinations. A surprising proportion of Long Islanders, 41% in Suffolk and 48% in Nassau, expressed a desire to live in Smart Growth. This proves that there is a huge and growing market for Smart Growth on Long Island, and is indicative of a nationwide trend. For more details on the poll, click here. Long Island Regional Planning Board Revitalized
Legislation to revitalize the Long Island Regional Planning Board just passed Nassau County's legislature. Co-sponsors of the legislation, Leg. David Denenberg and Leg. Lisanne Altmann, created provisions to ensure that local town supervisors and village mayors were part of the Council. In addition, a stronger accountability function was put in place to ensure that the Board will coordinate with other entities. Regional planning is essential to the economic and sustainable well-being of Long Island for current and future generations. Many officials feel that the best strategy for the future of the Island is in coordinated, regional planning. Recently, the Long Island Regional Planning Board reconvened under the leadership of Michael White. They are currently planning a summit to discuss planning issues and the 2030 Sustainability Plan. For an archive of meeting minutes, click here.
Transit-Friendly Development Organization Recognizes VISION New Jersey non-profit organization Transit-Friendly Development recognized VISION in its recent newsletter, citing the Smart Growth Agenda. "Vision Long Island, a Smart Growth planning organization based in Northport, NY, celebrated its 10th anniversary in April by unveiling a 10-point "Smart Growth Agenda" that, among its recommendations, calls upon the New York State DOT and the MTA to become more involved in TOD strategies. Issues highlighted in the agenda include housing affordability, sustainable development, and codes and regulations that encourage mixed-use development. During a day-long work session in Farmingdale, elected officials, civic leaders and developers were presented with goals and benchmarks for public sector, private sector and community action. At the work session, John Thomas of the U.S. EPA’s Smart Growth Network, presented the principal concepts and benefits of transit-oriented development…The full implementation of this initiative is expected to revitalize over 50 Long Island downtowns, save thousands of acres of open space, and produce thousands of units of affordable housing." To view the entire newsletter, click here.
SMART GROWTH PROJECTS & COMMUNITIES Tallgrass Visioning Process Moves Forward as DEIS is Approved
By a vote of 5-2, the Brookhaven Town Board approved the Draft Environmental Impact Study for the Tallgrass project, paving the way for the development to move forward. Newsday recently commented on the project, stating, "in consulting with the community, with the help of a smart-growth group, Vision Long Island, the developers want Brookhaven to rezone the land for greater density by creating a planned develpment district. It would include a walkable village center, with retail and office space, plus 378 homes. The design and expected buyers of the homes would limit the number of school children to 127 and produce a net positive tax flow of more than $400,000 for the district. The plan would keep the golf course. And, instead of cesspools, it would use a new sewage treatment plant - better for groundwater." Check our website for the Tallgrass video.
24 Units of Affordable Housing Approved for Bay Shore
In a strong victory for affordable housing on Long Island, VISION took part in a process that gained approval for 28 units of workforce housing on 2nd Avenue in Bay Shore, following a charrette process last year. This is the first housing project that VISION will be able to see fully realized.
JPMorganChase Grants $10,000 to VISION for Work on Affordable Housing
On May 22nd, 2007, Vision Long Island recieved a $10,000 grant from the JP Morgan Chase Foundation in order to advance its work on affordable housing on Long Island. This grant will help to provide designs for multiple projects such as affordable and next generation condominiums, townhouses, granny flats, apartments over stores, and housing in village centers, including the affordable housing already approved on 2nd Avenue in Bay Shore. Eric Alexander, Executive Director of Vision Long Island, said, “It is crucial to have innovative housing design that respects community character, while housing the next generation of young people and providing multiple housing choices. JPMorgan Chase has stepped forward in a very big way to provide solutions to Long Island’s number one problem.” “JPMorgan Chase takes great pride in its long history of supporting organizations and programs that strengthen our communities. We commend the important work you are doing,” says Foundation President Kimberly B. Davis. To read the full press release, click here.
Rocky Point Visioning Process Set for Fall 2007
A public visioning process will take place in Rocky Point from October 10th-17th in order to bring more mixed-use development into the downtown area around Broadway. Details about the location and meeting times will be made available as they are confirmed.
EVENTS 2007 Smart Growth Awards Honors Achievements Islandwide
VISION held the 6th Annual Smart Growth Awards on June 15th at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury. 500 guests attended a streamlined program hosted by Trish Bergin of News12 Long Island. The event featured multimedia presentations about many of the honorees and their projects. Special thanks should be given to Rob Comforto of VideoMasters. Full details, including a list of winners, images of the honored projects, and photos from the event can be found on our journal, press release, and on the website .
Save The Date! 2007 Smart Growth Summit to be held on November 16th
The 6th Annual Smart Growth Summit will be held on November 16th, 2007 at the Melville Marriott from 8am-3pm. Details to be announced soon. Information can be found here and a registration form is downloadable from here |
Gordon Heights Marks 80th Anniversary With Weekend-Long Celebration
As VISION gears up for another program update meeting in Gordon Heights, the community marked its 80th anniversary with a weekend-long celebration, from August 3rd-5th. Hundreds of community residents joined civic leaders, fire officials, police officers, and local, county, state, and federal elected officials for 3 days of festivities that included a parade, an movie under the stars, dunk tank, talent show, sports tournaments, local crafts, food, and a special joint Sunday morning Church-Under-the-Tent event, where all of the local Churches came together for one mass service for the first time in Gordon Heights’ history. The Greater Gordon Heights Civic Association’s President, Tawaun Whitty, Vice President Gerry Lake, and past President Maxine Wilson did an exceptional job coordinating the event. Elected Officials in attendance included: Councilwoman Connie Kepert, Brookhaven Town Supervisor Brian Foley, and Suffolk Legislators Kate Browning and Jack Eddington, along with representatives from US Congressman Tim Bishop’s office and a special appearance by Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy. Details can be found at www.gordonheightsfuture.org.
On July 16, 2007, the latest update on the Nassau HUB project was presented by Patricia Bourne and Robert Brickman of the Planning Department to the Nassau County Legislature. The briefing on the MIS report included results from the study, its growing regional significance, and the current position of the Lighthouse Group in the process. Marilyn Gottlieb, Director of Legislative Affairs, has met with the Lighthouse Group and they have not submitted a formal proposal to the Town of Hempstead yet. Several development targets are going to be reached soon including financial goals, and the developers are putting together a steering committee and development team in conjunction with the Town of Hempstead. A more detailed report is expected to be presented on this in September by the Planning Department and the development team. Since the MIS ended, the past 18 months have been spent researching the federal process behind grants, compiling an FTA review, and raising funds for the project. In addition, the MIS report won the 2007 Silver Award for Engineering Excellence from the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of New York. Traditionally, planning studies do not win awards. The report also won an American Institute of Architects (AIA) award while their New York State and New England chapters both included the HUB plan as a major component of their presentations. The next steps in the project are the initiation of the Alternatives Analysis/ Draft Environmental Impact Statement (AA/DEIS) and completing the federal grant application. Bourne and Brickman concluded by reiterating the importance of maintaining open dialogues at this stage, with key opportunities for discussions with stakeholders, consulting/development team, and the community. VISION gave testimony at the hearing for detail of this testimony, check our website.
Hempstead Village Prepares for Major Downtown Renewal Project On July 23 over 400 people attended the public hearing for the approval of the Assignment and Modifications Agreement for the proposed revitalization plan for the Village of Hempstead. The $2 billion plan offered by the minority-controlled investment firm, UrbanAmerica, employs the Smart Growth principles of mixed-use and compact density with 2,500 housing units, 600,000 square feet of retail space, and a performing arts center, on three blocks along North Franklin Street. The public hearing began at 6 p.m. and extended well beyond 10 p.m. as numerous members of the community, both residents and officials, had their say on the project. The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) was very vocal in the key issue of affordable housing. Currently the project only offers 10% moderate to low-income housing and ACORN demanded. Other issues include the displacement of people and businesses currently in the designated area, next generation housing, job opportunities, the impact on taxes, and a desire for more transparency and opportunities for community participation.
Commerical Real Estate Support Growing for Mixed-Use Development
It Takes a Village: Intergenerational Strategies That Work
Whether in the workplace or the communty in general, relationships among different generations are more important today than ever before. As life expenctancies continue to rise dramatically, generations depend on one another for much longer periods of time. Not only are middle-aged individuals providing shelter, food, clothing and education for those under 25, many of these same families are also caring for and providing support for relatives over age 75. While many young people are leaving Long Island in pursuit of affordable housing elsewhere, many older people are leaving for southern retirement communities or choosing to remain on the island, but moving into age-restricted communities. The unfortunate result is a separation of the generations. These circumstances pose real challenges to the normal balance, and urgently call for new and creative ways to encourage generational groups to communicate with one another, care for one another, and support public policies that don't divide them by age. It Takes a Village: Intergenerational Strategies That Work is designed to bring together Long Island's community organizations and its business community to create effective intergenerational programs and promote public policy that meets the needs of all generations. The conference takes place on Monday, November 12, 2007 from 9:00am to 4:00pm at the Charles B. Wang Center at Stony Brook University. Click here for a registration form, or visit Intergenerational Strategies' website here. |
Congestion Charging Update: Benefits for Long Island
In a somewhat surprising turn of events, both the State Senate and Assembly overwhelmingly supported legislation last week that gives congestion charging another chance to be passed. Most of the ‘no’ votes came from local politicians who felt that their constituents would be opposed to paying an average of $8 a day to enter New York City’s busiest areas between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. without seeing significant other benefits in exchange. Many of those who voted against the measure said they were willing to reconsider if there was a significant benefit for Long Islanders. Last week’s decision established a Traffic Congestion Commission to study the plan along with other traffic calming measures with a March 2008 deadline. Though this is not a green light for immediate implementation for congestion charging, it is a positive step in its approval. Congestion charging, which has been successful in places like London, has benefits that extend from increased revenue for the city to improve mass transit, to environmental benefits and beyond. To read more, click here. |
Detroit "People Mover" Turns 20: The Detroit Free Press looks back on the city's much-maligned public transportation system after 20 years of service. Detroit's People Mover public transit system, first launched in 1987, celebrates its 20-year anniversary this year. And although the system spans just 2.9 miles and describes a glorified circle downtown, ridership has increased 72 percent since 2005 (when Detroit played host to the Super Bowl and ridership soared). Cost of Replacing U.S. Cities' Aging Infrastrucure 'Staggering' The explosion of an 83-year old steam pipe in Manhattan shouldn't be viewed as an isolated incident, but a warning sign. With a blast that made skyscrapers tremble, an 83-year-old steam pipe sent a powerful message that the miles of tubes, wires and iron beneath New York and other U.S. cities are getting older and could become dangerously unstable.
Big Homes Causing Big Problems The debate over McMansionization has pitted neighbor against neighbor across the United States. "Fed up with seeing outsize houses popping up in open spaces or overwhelming the scale of established neighborhoods, cities and counties across the United States are declaring war on McMansions." Portland Wants to be Even More Bike-Friendly Already one of the nation's most bike-friendly cities, Portland, Oregon, is looking to update its bicycle master plan to make cycling even more attractive in the city. "'We want to make Portland a world-class cycling city,' says the city’s bicycle coordinator, Roger Geller, who’s leading the effort to update Portland’s 11-year-old Bicycle Master Plan." NRDC: Gas prices can cripple residents in sprawling communities As gas costs go up and geopolitical concern over oil supplies rises, many Americans are feeling increasingly vulnerable. But residents in some metro areas are more exposed than others. Places where "affordable" housing lies at the distant fringe no longer look so affordable. Spread-out metros like Atlanta, where Gov. Sonny Perdue cancelled school during the post-Katrina fuel shortage, are especially susceptible to fluctuations in gas prices. New research from the Natural Resources Defense Council backs up this link, and ranks states based on their "vulnerability to high gas prices and on policies that protect consumers and the environment and reduce vulnerability to oil price increases." The report, Addicted to Oil: Ranking States’ Oil Vulnerability and Solutions for Change, ranks all 50 states based on the hit drivers take to their wallets, showing that while oil dependence affects all states, some are hit harder economically than others. When oil prices go up, families in vulnerable states are hit the hardest. Read the report here. San Mateo County, California: Building Green? Move To The Front Of The Permit Line A San Mateo County supervisor is proposing that the county reward developers of environmentally-friendly projects with faster permit approvals. "A new program proposed by a San Mateo County supervisor could speed up permitting processes in unincorporated areas for builders who go "green." Under the proposal, a builder who chooses to employ environmentally friendly construction in San Mateo County's unincorporated areas would have his application for a new building or major addition processed by the county's planning department twice as fast."
Washington DC – TOD On Track In The Nation's Captial Transit-oriented development projects -- many a result of successful public/private partnerships -- are flourishing along the Washington D.C. Metro line. "Living, working, and shopping within a few hundred feet of a Metro commuter rail station is becoming increasingly common in Washington and its suburbs. Thanks to clogged highways, all-adult households, urban liveliness, and other factors, developers are rushing to construct housing, offices, and retail near stops on the region’s 106-mile commuter rail system, which carries 725,000 riders a day. "
The Connection Between Sprawl and Global Warming California has been a leader in state action to curb greenhouse gas emissions, and now the Golden State is going after one of the most important and least recognized causes of global warming: suburban development patterns. Click here to read the entire article. |
Special thanks to Smart Growth Online, Smart Growth America, Planetizen, KnowledgePlex, and the Urban Land Institute's (ULI's) Smart Growth News for their extraordinary news sweeps, which provide substantial content to our state and National News. Check them out!! For more information about Vision Long Island, please visit http://www.visionlongisland.org or contact us at: 24 Woodbine Ave. Suite One Northport, NY 11768. Phone: (631) 261-0242. Fax: (631) 754-4452. Email: info@visionlongisland.org |
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