 |
Vision Long Island SmartTalk |
|
Welcome back to SmartTalk. The new year promises to be exciting for everyone; to make sure that we provide you with the most comprehensive Smart Growth news that we can, please remember to submit ideas, stories, and other relevant information to us so that we may include it in future publications. |
|
VISION's 2007 Supporters To kick off the new year, we would like to recognize those people and organizations that helped us throughout 2007. A full list is available on our website here. Be a Smart Growth News or Smart Talk Visionary
For $500, you can sponsor Smart Growth News, our weekly publication. In recognition, your firm’s logo and a short description of your work will be featured in every issue. For $1,000, your organization can sponsor Smart Talk. This monthly news resource will include your firm’s logo and feature revolving articles on the organizations helping inform Long Island. Archives of Smart Talk and Smart Growth News Weekly are available on our website. For more information on this chance to be at the forefront of Long Island’s Smart Growth Movement, call Vision Long Island, 631-261-0242 or email info@visionlongisland.org. |
We invite you to strengthen and sustain VISION's e-news publications by becoming a Smart Talk Visionary.|
US Department of Housing and Urban Development Announces Record Funding for Homeless Placement Programs
Joan Noguera, Executive Director of the Nassau-Suffolk Coalition for the Homeless, explained that three new projects would be funded this year, bringing the total to over 30 organizations. Suffolk County will receive $3.8 million and Nassau $6.5 million. More information is available in a recent Newsday article here. Click here to find out about the programs from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Report on Long Island Municipalities' Clean Energy Efforts Released
To learn more about the program, click here. In addition, the report is available online. Long Island Business News ran an article about the report. Read it here. Newsday Highlights Local Work by Habitat for Humanity
Since its formation in 1987, Habitat for Humanity has built over 100 homes on Long Island. Providing homes to families who are truly needy improves their lives and gives hope to future generations, all while providing a fantastic opportunity for community service. Most families that received homes have helped build them, bonding them with their communities and motivating them to help build Habitat houses for others who are in need of a home. Read the full article from Newsday here. For more information on Habitat for Humanity of Suffolk County, visit their website here. Sculpting a Future for the Arts via Downtown Revitalization
Artspace is a national, not-for-profit organization that builds affordable housing and studio space for artists and musicians. Beginning 28 years ago in Minneapolis, Artspace Projects Inc. has seen many successes across the country. On Long Island, they hope to provide affordable housing stock for many of the young artists that are leaving the region. Mayor Pontieri stated that the benefit will be "drawing artists to the village and creating a mini Greenwich Village in Patchogue" and eventually evolve into "an artist's enclave." Residents who attended the unveiling on Monday stated that "they envisioned the Artspace building becoming the hub of the arts in Patchogue by attracting not only artists that want to live there but artists that want to exhibit their work and collaborate with other artists." A potential catalyst for the arts in Suffolk County, the success of Artspace could also spark more downtown revitalizations with creative affordable housing that generates vibrant and diverse communities. For more information on Artspace and the project, visit their website. Anytime, Everywhere 7-Eleven: Coming Soon to Long Island
Yet the increasing numbers of chains and big box stores are adding to an overall "anywhere in America" feel to Long Island. Just how can we quantify the monotony of the Long Island experience? Start by counting the number of chain stores in your community and how many minutes go by before you see the same ones again. And then ask yourself this: just how many Dunkin Donuts does one community need in a 5-mile radius? Long Island Business News Announces "40 under 40" for 2008
Congratulations to the 40. They will be honored at a breakfast, to be held in late January at the Crest Hollow Country Club. For more information on the honorees, click here. LIBN Also Announces This Year's "Influentials" List
Special congratulations go out to honorees Suzy Sonenberg, Executive Director, Long Island Community Foundation; Nancy Douzinas, President, Rauch Foundation; Amy Hagedorn, Founder of the Horace Hagadorn Foundation; John Durso, President, Long Island Federation of Labor; John Cameron, Chair of the Long Island Regional Planning Board; Paul Tonna, Executive Director, Energia Partnership; Matt Crosson, President, Long Island Association; Dick Amper, Executive Director; Pine Barrens Society; Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director, Citizens Campaign for the Environment; and Ron Parr of the Parr Organization. Vision Long Island's own Executive Director, Eric Alexander, was named on the list, now 3 years running, graduating from the "40 Under 40" List from years past. His description states, "Alexander must know something about sustainability, especially since he attends so many project meetings and still finds time to eat and sleep... After Alexander, Long Island planning will never be the same." Though he has trouble getting his family and staff to follow his lead, he is happy to see that our passion and hard work are making a positive change in the region. Click here to see the full list. |
Recently, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that a record $1.5 billion would be available for homeless assistance funding in the form of Continuum of Care grants. More specifically, over $10 million was made available to Long Island organizations. According to HUD Deputy Secretary Roy Bernardi, the funding will fuel over 6,000 programs nationwide that focus on outreach and the permanent placement of the homeless.
The Neighborhood Network's Clean Energy Task Force held a press conference in Mineola earlier this week, releasing their latest reports on Long Island's fight against global warming, air pollution, and dependence on foreign oil. Neighborhood Network President Neal Lewis noted that Babylon, East Hampton, Riverhead, and Huntington are leading the way, with efforts in Nassau County, Hempstead, and Suffolk County's Police Headquarters in Yaphank not far behind. Programs in these locales include using solar power, providing free parking for vehicles using alternative fuels, and maintaining sustainable land preservation.
As 2007 came to an end, Newsday's Gary Dymski wrote about Habitat for Humanity and their far-reaching impact in the region. Habitat for Humanity of Suffolk County had been working tirelessly to help the region's needy, from families in unsafe neighborhoods, to people with disabilities, and even to survivors of September 11th. 
The plans for Patchogue's Villages much anticipated Artspace were recently unveiled. The $19 million dollar project for Terry Street was presented to the public for the first time on December 17th, 2007. According to December 20th's article in the Long Island Advance by Mark Nolan, the plans call for a building of approximately 70,000 square feet. There will be 40 to 45 units, with 700 to 1,800 square foot studios and two-bedroom units. While the prices have yet to be determined, officials stated that "it would depend on each artist's financial situation," resulting in different rents for the same units. Matthew Meier of Hamilton, Houston and Lownie Architects added that the design of the buildings were influenced by Patchogue's history but retain an "urban feel" in scale, material, and design with larger windows and flexible spaces. The preliminary drawings show living areas at three stories high with a main tower of five stories for gallery space, street level access, a pedestrian walk-thru and approximately 65 parking spaces. Design details include dark brick facades and a wood veneer material.
Adding fuel to the fodder for Long Island's increasing homogeneity, 7-Eleven is going to be adding 30 stores to Long Island in 2008. According to Ambrose Clancy's article in December 21-27 edition of the Long Island Business News, the additional outlets will "join more than 185 stores in Nassau and Suffolk." On top of their growing presence on Long Island, 7-Eleven will also be selling its more than 1,000 company-operated stores to franchisees. Public relations and marketing director for 7-Eleven, Margaret Chabris stated that "with a franchise system you have store operators that have a financial investment in the business, and we find they are usually more involved with their communities." This joining of company operated stores and standard franchises, their "business conversion program," includes targeting existing delis, convenience stores and other mom 'n' pop stores and converting them to the 7-Eleven brand. The existing site is then transformed into a 7-Eleven, rather than rebuilt from the ground up, and the franchisee keeps the land and building instead of leasing. But what will these "new" 7-Elevens look like? Will they maintain the individuality of a local corner landmark or submit to the power of the green, orange, red and white stripes?
However, while many local store owners are struggling to maintain their business and independence, this easy "sell out" to a big brand offers an attractive option. James Calvin, President of the New York Association of Convenience Stores, claims that "converting to an instantly recognizable brand is a healthy sign for convenience stores because in certain circumstances, there's a better chance for an individual owner to distinguish his operation in the market and be successful." This is considered especially beneficial in New York where competition within this market is fierce. 
Long Island Business News recently announced this year's "40 Under 40." The Class of 2008 marks the list's 10th anniversary. Many of this year's honorees are friends of Smart Growth. Among them are Tracie Holmberg, of the Office of Congressman Steve Israel; and Hon. Andrew Raia, of the New York State Assembly. Special acknowledgement goes to environmental leader and former VISION Board member Beth Fiteni of the Neighborhood Network, as one of the 40 Under 40.
Over the past decade, the list has become increasingly distinguished and drawn from a wider variety of backgrounds. It now represents government, law, entrepreneurs, banks, non-profits, the high-tech industry, and others. 
This year's "Influentials" List, run by Long Island Business News, recognized some of the most powerful Long Islanders from the past year.|
Spirit Of Christmas Past? It's Downtown
"Christmas is the season when we're reminded of what the country has thrown away over the past 50 years. Almost eliminated from the lives of most Americans is a noisy, lively, open-to-the-city pattern of shopping, a pattern that traditionally made people feel they were part of a large social enterprise. ... Since the 1950s, developers have offered a series of substitutes for downtown shopping. First came suburban shopping "plazas" where the stores looked onto acres of free but deadly dull parking lots. Then came enclosed malls where the climate — and much else — was totally controlled. More recent are "lifestyle centers," some of which mimic Main Street — but usually without the idiosyncrasies, the housing, the public buildings and the freedoms of a traditional Main Street. Read the full article and see commentary here. Upstate New York Town of Colonie Using Smart Growth Principles to Revitalize Aging Downtowns
The town of Colonie is joining the ranks of New York communities using Smart Growth principles to revitalize their aging downtowns. Highlighted in the December 25th edition of the New York Real Estate Journal, the proposed New Urbanist Village of New Loudon in Colonie, NY is emblematic of the growing union of public and private investment in downtown redevelopment. Local developers New Loudon Rd. Associates have awarded the New York firm Cooper Carry with the design contract for the village, which includes master planning and architectural design services. According to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) website, the Village of New Loudon's design vision draws on a combination of the area's Shaker history and regional character. Inspired by the success of Cooper Carry's Bethesda Row project in Bethesda, Maryland, the developers are committed to incorporating New Urbanist design strategies. The 45-acre mixed-use town center proposal emphasizes its regional history and context while incorporating key Smart Growth components such as preserving open space and a mix of uses. The master plan integrates retail, office and residential units, a 45-65 boutique hotel and spa, and public spaces. In response to community opposition towards big-box retailers, the plan compromises with a mix of boutique national chains and local retailers, entertainment, dining and other amenities. In addition, the residential component will provide multifamily units in a variety of building types. Read more here from the AIA's newsletter. NYC Public Transit: Bane or Silent Savior of New Yorkers?
The New Year started off with a headline from The New York Observer asking, "Are Longer Commutes Driving the Young From New York?" Published in the January 7th edition, writer Tom Acitelli pondered the reasons that many young professionals are leaving the Northeast. According to the article, the region's aging transportation grid may be a leading factor. It suggests that as housing prices and other higher living costs drive more New Yorkers to the suburbs and exurbs, transportation becomes all the more influential in choosing where to live. Throughout the 1990's, the number of commuters in the New York metropolitan area who commuted at least 45 minutes each way every weekday increased by more than 300,000; at the same time, the number who commuted 25 minutes or less declined by over 400,000, according to a November report by the Regional Plan Association on the Northeast's transportation. Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island and the Bronx had the longest commutes in the nation, according to a 2005 census survey of bigger U.S. counties. Over 5 percent of New York City commuters have what the census ominously labels extreme commutes—ones of at least an hour and a half each way daily. Frustrating commutes cannot be the only reason that about two-thirds of the 190,150 people ages 25 to 64 who left New York in 2005 moved beyond the city's metropolitan area, according to a September analysis of census data by City Comptroller Bill Thompson. Of those two-thirds, over 47,100 moved to North Carolina, Florida and Georgia (and 8,400 to California). The rest stayed in or near the Northeast, including Philadelphia, Boston and Washington, D.C. Yet it is obvious that the frustrations of commuting to work don't help.
Cohen notes that our choice of route says a lot about each of us, and what we value in terms of how and where we live. This is a common trend, especially in New York; people choose where they live by how accessible it will be to where they work. The relationship between commuting patterns and real estate trends is clearly visible in the high numbers of people who travel into the city from the surrounding boroughs and suburbs. According to a Department of Transportation report based on the 2000 census, nearly 40 percent of all the transit commuters in the entire country live in the New York metropolitan area. As the article eloquently states, "Our chosen daily pilgrimages are based on a complicated algorithm that relates distance from home to quality of home," and New York has so much quality to outweigh the pains. So if someone approaches you on your morning commute, asking why you kvetch so much but stay in New York, grin and bear it and give them a helpful earful because it may help the rest of us, too. Photo credit: Jonathan Fickies for the New York Times (On the F train to Brooklyn at the end of the day). |
Philip Langdon, senior editor of New Urban News, recently wrote an Op-Ed for the Hartford Courant about the spirit of the holiday season and its connection to downtown development. Below is a short excerpt
The day before this article was published (Jan. 1), another article was written in the New York Times by Billie Cohen entitled, "A Month Commuting." The article states that, "On any given weekday, 5.3 million people crowd into the subway system, 300,514 take the Long Island Rail Road, 284,593 ride Metro-North and 275,850 take NJ Transit trains. Still others opt for boats, trams, cars and buses." According to Cohen, "our choice of route says a lot about each of us, and what we value in terms of how and where we live. So to better understand these relationships, Cohen, along with other writers and curious parties, is tracking the paths that commuters take, concentrating within the five boroughs as well as New Jersey, the Hudson Valley, Westchester, Long Island and Connecticut. For the month of January, Cohen will ride to and fro with NYC's commuters, posting accounts of particular trips and interviews online in regards to what the trip looks and feels like, who makes that commute and why, where they live and why.
|
"Have a Heart for the Homeless" Candlelight Vigil
Donations of unused baby items, diapers, formula, unopened toiletries, and non-perishable foods will be accepted at the door. For more information, contact the Nassau-Suffolk Coalition for the Homeless at 516-742-7770 or gguarton@nsch.org. Sierra Club To Hold Downtown Redevelopment Seminar
For more information, visit liserraclub.org. |
The Nassau-Suffolk Coalition for the Homeless is holding their annual "Have a Heart for the Homeless" Candlelight Vigil on Friday, February 13th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at Farmingdale State College. The vigil will take place on the Great Lawn and the Multi-Purpose Room at 2350 Broadhollow Rd. and will feature a candlelighting ceremony, guest speakers, and music by Miles to Dayton. 
On Saturday, February 16th from 2pm to 4pm, the Long Island Sierra Club will be holding a seminar about downtown redevelopment at the Neighborhood House in Setauket. Reinvesting in walkable downtowns decreases traffic, reduces emissions, and protects open space from housing pressures. VISION's own Eric Alexander will be there to explain how community visioning and Smart Growth principles can redirect development to revitalize our neglected downtown areas.|
Norman Rockwell Lecture Comes to Long Island Museum
New Haven To Host New Urbanist Film Festival
|
The Long Island Museum will be holding a lecture on Norman Rockwell on January 13th at 2pm. Featuring Philadelphia's Moore College of Art and Design's Jonathan Wallis, the lecture will cover Rockwell's work that went into creating his iconic works for the Saturday Evening Post. Following the lecture, all 323 Post covers will be on display. The museum is at 1200 Rt. 25A in downtown Stony Brook and is open Wednesdays through Sundays. Call 631-751-0066 or visit their 
Though a surprising place to hold a film festival about New Urbanism, New Haven will host the 2 month-long "Saving Our Cities/Saving the Land: A New Urbanism Film Festival," running on Thursdays throughout January and Februrary. The first annual event will explore the challenges facing the region and the nation as we reach build-outs and seeks alternatives to sprawl.Eye Sore of the Month Eye Sore of the Month - Republic Plaza
The redevelopment of the former Polytechnic University site along Route 110 in Farmingdale features a multi-tenant shopping center totaling 275,000 square feet of development, including a 157,000-square-foot Wal-Mart. The site identifies itself with festive flags on the parking lot lightsand sports the name "Republic Plaza" in a space that couldn't be more of the antithesis of the word. Depsite its adjacency to Republic Airport, a block-long fence enveloping the site completely isolates it. A plaza, according to the Wikipedia definition, is a "Spanish word related to "field" which describes an open urban public space, such as a city square." The definition also states that at times of crisis or celebration, the plaza was the space where a large crowd might gather. At Republic Plaza, unless that large crowd was shopping, the surveillance force would probably be summoned. Similarly to the Italian piazza, the plaza is also the center of community life that is only equaled by the market-place. On a commercial corridor like Route 110, it seems that at Republic Plaza the only aspect of the "plaza" that remains is market based commercialism. A vast parking lot is the center of the site. It is completely fenced in and blatantly shields itself from the movie-theater, offices, hotel, airport and academic buildings that it neighbors. Its fortified design demands that one drive into the only entrance provided, lest you risk walking across the six lanes of traffic and dodge oncoming traffic. Chain stores and restaurants divide Republic Plaza from Route 110 while a slender sidewalk warily borders the site, but never provides a path to enter the site itself. It is separated by a deliberately landscaped berm that rejects pedestrians and the general public- unless it is vehicular. The only crosswalks within the site are by Wal-Mart which allow for "safe passage" from the parking lot to the store's doors. To get from Wal-Mart to Houlihans or any of the other structures, it is actually easier and safer to drive. Sight For Sore Eyes - Ringing in the New Year, Polar Bear Style
We at VISION enjoy spending time at Coney Island in the summer, so what better way is there to welcome 2008 than by recognizing what some might call insane: the annual New Year's Day dip in the Atlantic Ocean, as made popular by the Polar Bear Club of America. An Associated Press reporter spotted daring members of the Coney Island Polar Bear Club dipping into the Atlantic on Tuesday, January 1, 2008. About 300 club members went in the water off Coney Island, raising $30,000 in pledges for Camp Sunshine, a camp for seriously ill children and their families in Casco, Maine, Scarcella said. Another two dozen members of the Ice Breakers took a dip off nearby Brighton Beach, member Bob Stewart said. There were other Polar Bear sightings at the annual Polar Bear Plunge for Hunger held at Coopers Beach in Southampton. It's a winter sight for sight for sore eyes... and yet you might want to cringe and look away... (Photos are from Andrea Mohin at the New York Times and Gordon M. Grant at Newsday). For more information on the Polar Bear Club, click here. |
|
A new feature, starting in this month's newsletter, is to include quotes, comments, and otherwise inspiring or interesting anecdotes. Feel free to forward your favorites onto us. "Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will never die, but long after we are gone will be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing insistence. Remember that our sons and grandsons are going to do things that would stagger us. Let your watchword be order and your beacon beauty." - Daniel H. Brunham (1910) |
SMART GROWTH NEWS Newsletter Editor: Michelle Dutchen, Communications Director We strive to provide continued quality publications such as this each week. If you are interested in becoming a newsletter or news blast sponsor, please call the office at 631-261-0242 for rates and opportunities. If you have any news or events that you would like to add to our newsletter, submit them to info@visionlongisland.org for consideration. For more information about Vision Long Island, visit http://www.visionlongisland.org or contact us at: |