As we head into the holiday weekend with our family and friends, let us take a moment away from barbecuing and fireworks watching and respect Independence Day with an updated message.

Let's raise a glass to celebrate the promise of independence from fossil fuels that are bankrupting our nation and polluting our environment and independence from the high consumptive lifestyles that take time and resources away from our family and friends.

We are not there yet, but let's celebrate the work we will do to achieve that and many other Visions for our community.

Have a Happy 4th.

Vision Long Island

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REgional Updates

CNU-NY Hosts Lecture with Doug Farr on Sustainable Urbanism

Albany Politics Failed, But High Gas Prices Ease Congestion

Capital District Suburbs Booming at Expense of Downtowns

NYS EDC Leading Effort to Expand TIF Program

Community Updates

Oyster Bay Approves Stop & Shop in Farmingdale

National News

Newest Eco-Development Model: Agricultural Urbanism

San Francisco Chronicle Writer Highlights Middle Class Exodus in City; Similar Patterns Seen Here

Gas Prices Changing the Face of America

Action Alerts

Capitol Hill Hearing on Climate,Energy, and Smart Growth

Call for Comments: NYSDOT Launches New Smart Growth Website

Upcoming Events

Clean Beaches Council Kicks Off Clean Beaches Week

Canvas Magazine Presents Open Mic Night

Lighthouse on Parade

Help Wanted

LIPC Seeking Affordable Housing Organizer

Services Available: Help Around the House

Weekend Planner

Teddy Roosevelt Re-Enacter to March in Oyster Bay Parade

4th of July Captree Boat Tours

North Shore Pops at Old Westbury Gardens

Eyesore of the Month & Sight for Sore Eyes

Closing Words

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CNU-NY Hosts Lecture with Doug Farr on Sustainable Urbanism

Last evening at the Municipal Arts Society on Madison Ave in New York City, the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) presented Douglass Farr’s lecture on his new book, "Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design with Nature." Representatives from various organizations, including the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), New York University, and several architecture and urban design firms, were in attendance. Filling the room to capacity, Mr. Farr explained his call for change in how we design our neighborhoods and buildings. He argued for higher density, high performance infrastructure and buildings, and linking humans to nature. Of course, he acknowledged that the reform in urban lifestyles and design that he calls for will not happen overnight—instead, Mr. Farr has issued a call to tackle short-term goals in sustainability such as light bulbs before moving on to other, longer-term goals. Changing the way cars operate or the way we build houses, he says, may take a generation, but changing entire neighborhoods and  cities can take 75-100 years.

Albany Politics Failed, but High Gas Prices Ease Congestion

Some exciting news on traffic came out of the New York Times on Thursday, July 3rd. According to William Neuman’s article, “Politics Failed, but Fuel Prices Cut Congestion,” bridges and tunnel tolls indicate a 4.7 percent decrease in traffic, compared with the same month last year. With gas at more than $4 a gallon throughout the Tri-State Region, it appears that the high cost of gasoline is accomplishing what Bloomberg’s defeated congestion pricing plan aspired to: fewer cars are on the roads and more people are taking mass transit!

The article also states that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has recorded a similar decline in travel across its bridges and tunnels since early March, when it first raised its tolls. Numbers have shown that the greatest decline was in April, when traffic fell by 4.2 percent. All the while, ridership on subways and buses has been steadily increasing, with weekday subway ridership up 6.5 percent in April, compared with the same month a year ago. Long Island Rail Road ridership increased 5.5 percent in April, 4.3 percent on the Metro-North Railroad and almost 9 percent on PATH trains between Manhattan and New Jersey. Other indicators include data from the Metropolitan Parking Association, which represents garage and parking lot owners, which recorded a 10 percent decrease in daily customers. William Neuman and his team also interviewed gas station managers in Brooklyn, Queens, and New Jersey who noted that the numbers of drivers buying gas had also declined.

As we “weep” our way to the gas pumps, it would be understandable how few of us can see how this is really “making lemonade out of lemons.” But this is certainly proof that people are adjusting their driving habits due to finances, not “green” motivations, and that rising prices may actually bring us close to the goal set by Mr. Bloomberg’s congestion pricing plan.

Capital District Suburbs Booming At Expense Of Downtowns

An article from the Times Union in Albany stated that the Capital District’s suburbs are developing faster than their urban counterparts. Despite investments to revitalize downtown areas, satellite suburbs and exurbs like Wilton, NY are receiving hundreds more housing permits than downtowns in established cities upstate. Wilton issued building permits for 423 housing units in 2007, while the cities of Albany, Schenectady, and Troy combined for just 66.

In what the article calls a “major setback to Smart Growth,” the continued expansion of development is largely due to available open land. Leaders in Capital Region cities have been pushing for residential development as a way to revitalize downtowns and offset decades of population loss to downstate areas and other parts of the country. But the building permit statistics show that upstate urban centers have much more to do to compete with the development of open space and farmland.

Despite this pattern, Schenectady Mayor Brian Stratton feels that cities need new housing construction, particularly in and near their downtowns. "Our future lies in bringing in condominiums," he said. Reinvestment and infrastructure in existing established downtowns and cities will offset the Greenfield development of New York’s remaining pristine open space and farmland.

Chris Churchill’s complete article from the Times Union is available here.

NYS EDC leading Effort to Expand TIF Program

Brian McMahon, President of the New York State Economic Development Council in Albany, recently wrote an article in the New York Real Estate Journal on the potential of Industrial Development Agencies to stimulate economic growth. According to the article, the NYS EDC supports expanding New York’s Tax Increment Financing program, which, when used in conjunction with IDAs and other economic development programs, is an important tool for communities to attract investment and jobs. Despite the fact that the legislature and governor “prohibited the use of school real property taxes in the enacting statute,” there is new legislation that has been introduced by Senator Catherine Young and Assemblyman Robin Schimminger that would allow IDAs to finance projects in a TIF district and give NY’s municipalities a tool to redevelop blighted areas.

According to Mr. McMahon, tax increment financing is a tool that municipalities use in specific areas, like blighted or vacant properties, to “capture the increased tax revenue generated by the private development itself and use the tax revenues to pay for public improvements and infrastructure necessary to enable to development.” A “bootstrapping” type of economic development tool, TIFs enable municipalities to use the expected future benefits of redevelopment to pay for its creation. He also states that while it aids municipalities, it can also aid developers in constructing projects by shifting some of the costs to the municipalities and benefit the general public by redeveloping depressed areas. Overall, Mr. McMahon suggests that the Schimminger/Young legislation would improve the TIF program and the effectiveness of other economic development programs, such as New York’s Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP).

There are enough other facts and figures about TIFs to make your head spin, so check out the full article, “The NYSEDC is Leading an Effort to Expand TIF Program.”

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Oyster Bay Approves Stop & Shop in Farmingdale

After a unanimous approval from the Oyster Bay Town Board, absent Councilman Chris Coschignano, the Liberty Industrial Finishing property will be redeveloped into an 81,103-square foot Stop & Shop supermarket. Approximately eight years after its initial application, after numerous conflicts and community battles, many feel that the big box store will recover the Federal Super Fund site from its blighted state. According to Newsday writer, Susana Enriquez, supporters cheered and hugged after the decision was made. "At the end of the day, it appeared to be the best use" of the property, said Supervisor John Venditto. "There is a market for it -- no pun intended."

An equal number of opponents and supporters gave testimony to the Town of Oyster Bay. Two busloads of senior citizens were organized for the hearing by Stop & Shop. The opponents cited concerns for traffic and the impact on the downtown businesses as reason to review alternate plans for affordable housing, an office park, a community center or the expansion of adjacent Allen Park. Vision Long Island supported these alternatives and spoke to the impact of the Stop & Shop on the downtown. The Village of Farmingdale recently completed their visioning, in which bolstering the downtown business district is a main goal. "I hope that 10 years from now we're not sorry," said Mike Grello, the former president of the Concerned Citizens Association of Farmingdale, in the article.

The remaining 14 acres of the site must undergo remediation in order for future use and the Town is in the process of acquiring the seven remaining acres through eminent domain in the hopes of expanding the existing park. Unfortunately, we will never know the feasibility of alternative uses, such as workforce housing and office development for the site.

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Newest Eco-Development Model: Agricultural Urbanism

A new model for green residential development is sprouting near Vancouver, British Columbia.  The new approach called, “agricultural urbanism” weaves food-related activities, including small farms, communal gardens, farmers' markets and kitchen gardens, into New Urbanist communities. In collaboration with Andres Duany, of Duany Plater-Zybeck & Co., other new urbanists, and Michael Ableman, an organic farmer and writer, the eight-day charrette crafted innovative land use forms that foster open space and farm land preservation.

The 538-acre tract, known as Southlands, presently exists as open fields, woodlands, and drainage ditches. The charrette transformed it into a walkable, compact community with 42% of the land preserved for agriculture, 26% preserved for open space and 32% to be mixed use development. Four proposed scales of agriculture were envisioned, including the small details of a window box in the high-density housing area to kitchen gardens and farmers markets. The housing density is 80 units per acre maximum, is suited to the region’s climate and architectural vernacular. The land will be managed and regulated by a land trust but agricultural activities were laid out in a Transect diagram dictating where they belong. This new concept has enormous potential for regions that are grappling with potential growth and open space preservation.

San Francisco Chronicle Writer Highlights Middle Class Exodus In City; Similar Patterns Seen Here

New York can learn from the real estate patterns in San Francisco, another hot and trendy city. According to James Temple’s article from the San Francisco Chronicle, “the number of low- and middle-income residents in San Francisco is shrinking as the wealthy population swells, a trend most experts attribute to the city's exorbitant housing costs.” From 2002 to 2006, the number of households making up to $49,000 per year dropped by 7.4 percent, those earning between $50,000 and $99,999 declined by 4.4 percent, and those bringing home between $100,000 and $149,999 fell by 3.9 percent, according to Census Bureau estimates. In polar opposition, the number of households making between $150,000 and $199,999 surged 52.2 percent and those earning more than $200,000 climbed 40.1 percent. Those that can no longer afford the city are being pushed towards the suburbs, promoting suburban sprawl. “It's not very healthy for the city's social fabric or the city's economy," said Roberta Achtenberg in the article, an economic development consultant who focuses on workforce housing.

Similar patterns are occurring in New York City and on Long Island, where the middle class are being squeezed out of apartments and communities due to the rising costs of housing and property taxes. Naturally, this is leaving a dearth of firefighters, cops, teachers, and others who compose the core of stable communities in cities and suburbs. At the same time, an influx of upwardly mobile young professionals into cities is simultaneously revitalizing old downtowns and putting pressure on housing prices for existing stock, causing unwanted gentrification. So it would seem that the middle class-workforce is being pinched out of two environments-the once affordable city and the increasingly unaffordable suburb- throughout the nation. The New York region certainly is a microcosm of larger, national trends affecting real estate and demographics. While the New York State Senate just passed the Long Island Workforce Housing Act and the Downstate Suburban Workforce Housing Act to encourage affordable housing and a range of housing options, there is still much to be done to ensure that New York does not become a facsimile of San Francisco.

Gas prices changing the face of America

We don’t mean to beat a dead horse, but it seems that people can’t get enough of information on how to save on those painful gas prices. From driving slower, gradually accelerating, lightening up the car with junk and the obvious driving less, many people are seeking the easy to achieve solutions. And according to a recent poll commissioned by Smart Growth American and other groups earlier this year, 92 percent of Americans believe gas will only get more expensive in the coming years. We are already seeing the relationships between energy costs and transportation in the wilting housing market and factory closings for SUVs and Hummers. Just this month, the Wall Street Journal, CNN and the Los Angeles Times all reported on how expensive gas is reshaping consumer demand. To make matters worse, Smart Growth America estimates that 95 percent of Americans lack easy access to public transportation and untold millions live in unwalkable places. In addition to the quick fix solutions to the wallet, there are obvious design solutions to our communities that can be made through Complete Streets with more walkable and bikeable neighborhoods and obviously, better transportation.

Read the recent coverage, and stay up-to-date with Smart Growth America’s continuing commentary on the topic of gas prices with the SGA blog. Read Barbara McCann’s post, coordinator of the Complete Streets Coalition on the Smart Growth America website.

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Capitol Hill Hearing on Climate, Energy, and Smart Growth

The United State Congress held their first substantive hearing on the role of Smart Growth in curbing climate change and foreign oil dependence. According to an article from the Smart Growth America Newsletter, Communications Director David Goldberg joined four other panelists in testifying to the House Select Committee on Global Warming and Energy Independence in a hearing entitled "Planning Communities for a Changing Climate-Smart Growth, Public Demand and Private Opportunity." The co-author of “Growing Cooler,” Steve Winkelman of the Center for Clean Air Policy and Greensburg, Kansas City Administrator Steve Hewitt also testified at the hearing. Mr. Hewitt led the town of Greensburg in rebuilding the city with the latest in green design and Smart Growth principles after it was devastated by tornadoes last year.

You can download all of the testimonies here, including Steve Winkelman's.

Their concrete policy recommendations:

1. Address our development patterns and transportation choices in climate legislation to encourage walkable neighborhoods with better public transportation options.
2. Ensure that the next surface transportation bill, up for reauthorization in 2009, reduces our dependence on oil and our global warming emissions.
3. Reform the current tax code to better encourage the kind of development and transportation choices that result in more climate-friendly, energy efficient, lower cost options for Americans.

Check in with Smart Growth America blog on a regular basis for some quotes and other updates from this exciting hearing.

Call for Comments: NYS DOT Launches Smart Growth Website

The New York State Department of Transportation recently released their new “Smart Growth-Smart Planning” website, which will provide an introduction to Smart Growth principles, checklists for community planning, and development frameworks. The site is part of New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Glynn's Smart Growth Initiative to align the DOT’s transportation projects with the principles of Smart Growth and sustainable development. According to an article featured on Smart Growth Online, the website also “reasserts Governor David Paterson's commitment to Smart Growth as ''an integral part of government planning.'' As part of this revitalized commitment is a burgeoning effort to increase outreach, education, and other programs to assist communities in developing Smart Growth plans with transportation-sensitive zoning and land use ordinances.

"The State Department of Transportation is committed to helping communities better integrate their land use and transportation choices.  This new Web site is an important step in that process," Commissioner Glynn said.

"Governor David Paterson has made smart growth an integral part of government planning, and NYSDOT's new Web site supports this vision by providing useful, practical information to help local decision makers."

Vision Long Island endeavored to move NYS DOT Long Island’s office (Region 10) towards Smart Growth transportation policies and design on Long Island. In an attempt to correct years of indifference to Smart Growth and sprawl supportive transportation decisions, Region 10 is turning over a new leaf. Prompted by the Governor and Commissioner Glynn’s initiative, several meetings have been held this year with representatives, engineers and planners from DOT Region 10. Vision is optimistic about working with DOT Region 10 on Smart Growth programs in the future.

One missing piece is the road design recommendations. A useful resource that we would have included is the Context-Sensitive Solutions in Designing Major Urban Thoroughfares for Walkable Communities (ITE). It was created by the ITE and the CNU.

Check out the NYSDOT Smart Growth website at: nysdot.gov/smartplanning and please submit comments to our office at info@visionlongisland.org.

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Clean Beaches Council Kicks Off Clean Beaches Week

The Clean Beaches Council, a not-for-profit organization, kicks off its fifth annual Clean Beaches Week on Monday, July 7th– a nationwide event to increase awareness and volunteer participation in beach sustainability. Huntington Town and Village leaders are joining the national initiative to raise awareness about the importance of safeguarding Huntington’s marine environment and waterfront areas. Town supporters of this event include John W. Engeman Theatre at Northport and Verizon, along with environmentalists, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, beach/park stewards and area commercial fishermen.

According to a press release from the Town of Huntington, the collaborative campaign will involve various projects and activities to promote public awareness and volunteer participation for beaches and waterfronts throughout Huntington. Coordinators of this year’s event and volunteers will be at Centerport Beach, Crab Meadow Beach, Scudder Beach, Asharoken/Steers Beach, West Neck Beach, and Hobart Beach on Monday, July 7th at 10:00am. A luncheon is being planned for all volunteers. Please call 351-3171 to sign up or for additional information.

Canvas Magazine Presents Open Mic NIght

On July 10th, canvas  magazine and Joe Iadanza will be hosting another edition of Open Mic Night. Visit the canvas Gallery on Thursday, July 10 at 7:00pm for another great night of performances and refreshments from Whole Foods Market for only a $5 cover charge. The night’s featured performer will be Rorie Miller.

If you’d like to display your talent and perform, send an email to: openmic@canvasli.com.

Lighthouse on Parade

According to David Winzelberg’s LIBN column “Spaced Out,” the Lighthouse Development Group will soon be heading to the beaches and parks as part of their summer outreach efforts. In addition to their ongoing community tour, Lighthouse staffers will join the New York Islanders promotional team when it heads to Jones Beach on July 11 and July 21. They will be available for questions and comments and hope to inform the general public on their $2 billion plan to redevelop the Nassau Coliseum.  After possibly receiving bad sunburns (and who knows what else), the Lighthouse group will be traveling to Eisenhower Park in Westbury on July 16th. Their following tour dates include the Uniondale Community Council on July 21 and the Islanders open house at the Coliseum on July 30th.  Hope to see you all there.

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LIPC Seeking Affordable Housing Organizer

The Long Island Housing Partnership is looking for an experienced community organizer to focus on Affordable Housing in the Yes in My Backyard (YIMBY) Campaign.

The Community Organizer’s primary responsibilities include identifying and building relationships with local leaders, working with the faith-based community, and developing local activists and leaders. The position will also entail organizing and strategizing for campaigns, actions, mobilizations, media coverage, and other activities. Prior experience in community organizing, as a volunteer or employed, is necessary.  The position also calls for creative approaches to problem-solving, including analytic, strategic, and planning skills. It requires the ability to travel, including having a reliable car, to work evenings and weekends, and effective public speaking skills.

Please send a resume, cover letter and a writing sample to: Erin Curtin, LIPC, 90 Pennsylvania Ave, Massapequa, NY  11758 or fax your materials to: 516-541-2113 or email erin@lipc.org.

Services Available: Help Around the House

Once a Vision Board Member, Carol Eckert is now a pioneering “handygal” offering her skills and services in home improvement to the greater Huntington Area, Fort Salonga, and Kings Park.  “Help around the House” is a cross between “Take Home Handyman” and “Toolbelt Diva.” She offers help completing to-do lists, gardening, redecorating, organizing, home vacation watch, and any other little jobs that you may need help with around the house. For more information on this entrepreneur and her business, check out her website.

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In honor of the long weekend’s holiday, here are some local 4th of July celebrations:

Teddy Roosevelt Re-Enactor To March in Oyster Bay Parade

On Friday, July 4th, James Foote, Long Island’s very own Theodore Roosevelt re-enactor, will appear in the Town of Oyster Bay 4th of July parade at 10:30am. Following the festive parade, Mr. Foote will head to Theodore Roosevelt’s historic home of Sagamore Hill for an afternoon of celebrations and historic re-enactments.

For more information on the day’s events, visit their website.

4th of July Captree Boat Tours

For those more inclined to watery waves than parades, climb aboard Captree’s boat tours for a 4th of July Fireworks spectacular. Setting off from Captree State Park (at the East end of Ocean Pkwy, off of the Robert Moses Causeway), boats will set sail at 6:30pm for a scenic tour to Zach’s Bay at Jones Beach and return to the dock at approximately 11pm.

For more information, visit: www.captreefleet.com.

North Shore Pops at Old Westbury Gardens

If you don’t have sea legs, let your ears do all the work as the North Shore Pops serenade you with patriotic music at 1pm on Friday, July 4th at Old Westbury Gardens. Even better, the gardens will celebrate America’s first day of being free with a free day! Bring a picnic lunch or enjoy hot dogs and burgers at their Café in the Woods. Kids’ events include nature tours and craft making. Enjoy a guided tour of the 100-year old mansion, stroll the picturesque grounds or visit their Plant Shop, where all things green and fragrant are 50% off! Old Westbury Gardens is located at 71 Old Westbury Road, Old Westbury, New York, between the Long Island Expressway (I-495) and Jericho Turnpike (New York Route 25).

For further information call 631-864-2574 or visit North Shore Pops' website or The Old Westbury Gardens' site.

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Eye Sore of the Month: Drivers Line Up for $1 a Gallon Gas in Syosset

Here is an eyesore that will make you cry but your wallet sing, if only for a short, glorious moment. According to News 12, a Shell gas station on Jackson Avenue in Syosset accidentally charged customers $1 a gallon for gas on Wednesday night due a computer glitch. A long line of cars sat for hours to try to take advantage of the extraordinarily cheap price, but the error was eventually fixed.

Now back to reality…

Watch News 12's coverage of the fluke here.

Sight for Sore Eyes

On the commute home from the office, a lovely sight brings a smile to our faces even as we sit in grating traffic on 25A. A small, white wooden shack appears around the bend and as one drives closer, the colors of ears of corn, juicy peaches, lush tomatoes, potatoes, crisp cucumbers and golden honey sparkle and beckon. The door is open, the produce is out and the warm face of the summer attendant greets us as we fill our handy canvas bags in delight.

The arrival of the summer farm stand at the intersection of Little Neck and Centerport Road on 25A was eagerly anticipated. It is a flavorful, vibrant indicator of summer on Long Island, one that brings fresh produce to farmers markets, downtowns, public parks and less traditional community centers like sprawling parking lots.

Find a farmer’s market and stands near you to enjoy the “fruits of the labor” of local farmers and gardeners. For a list of Long Island’s markets, visit: “Farm Stands and Farmer’s Markets on Long Island."

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In the spirit of the 4th of July, please enjoy a new, patriotic Muppets cartoon on YouTube.

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SMART GROWTH NEWS

Newsletter Editor: Michelle Dutchen, Communications Director
Contributors: Juliana Roberts, Planning Coordinator; Eric Alexander, Executive Director;
Katheryn Laible, Assistant Director; Jeff Leyco, Intern

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:
24 Woodbine Ave. Suite One Northport, NY 11768. Phone: (631) 261-0242. Fax: (631) 754-4452.
Email: info@visionlongisland.org