Smart Talk
News and Views about Growth on Long Island
February, 2004
While we often decry the problems impacted and exacerbated by conventional development, it is equally important to consider the successes and failures of Smart Growth planning and land-use efforts. By sharing these news updates and reports, we become better equipped to make informed land-use decisions that meet Long Island's most pressing needs including housing, open space, transportation and economic development.
We welcome your feedback! If you would like to contribute to future issues of “Smart Talk” please e-mail us: info@visionlongisland.org.
Eric Alexander, Director
Katheryn Laible, Communications Director
TABLE OF CONTENTS...
EVENTS
Vision Long Island Radio Interview
Nominations Being Accepted for Smart Growth Awards
ACTION ALERT!!
Affordable Housing
TOWN NEWS
Huntington: Planning Today For Huntington's Tomorrow
Brookhaven: Middle Country Road Moratorium Extended
The Davis House
Southold: Greenport Plan to Increase Affordable Housing
Islip: Heartland Plan Now Includes Affordable Housing
LONG ISLAND NEWS
Does LI Sprawl Make You Fat?
LI Clean Energy Leadership Task Force formed
AROUND THE NATION...
CNU XII - Blocks, Streets and Buildings Today: The New City Beautiful Connecticut: Smart Growth Planning Offers a Brighter Future for City of Torrington Massachusetts: Governor Pledges $100M for Mixed-Income Housing
New
Jersey: Gov. McGreevey Pledges Continued Focus on Community Preservation,
Environmental Protection in State of the State Address
South Carolina: Gov. Sanford Endorses Community Schools in State of the
State Speech
California: The Hidden Costs of Wal-Mart
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VLI NEWS & EVENTS
VISION LONG ISLAND RADIO INTERVIEW
Listen to Ron Stein and Eric Alexander of Vision Long Island talk about Smart Growth on LIP Service. Jed Morey and John Carraciolo co-hosts of the show interview Long Island leaders on a variety of topics.
Sunday February 8, 9:00am on WLIR, 107.1 and 98.5
NOMINATIONS BEING ACCEPTED FOR SMART GROWTH AWARDS
Vision Long Island is accepting nominations for the third annual Smart Growth Awards.
For more information contact (631) 261-0242 or www.visionlongisland.org
ACTION ALERTS!!!
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Join Vision Long Island and other supporters of Smart Growth and Affordable Housing on Wednesday, February 11th at 11:30 a.m., for a press conference to rally support for the DiNapoli/Balboni housing legislation, Long Island Workforce Housing Incentive Program, A08060, S.4899A.
The press conference will be held at the IBEW, Local 25, 370 Vanderbilt Motor Parkway in Hauppauge and is being sponsored by the Long Island Association, Long Island Campaign for Affordable Rental Housing, Long Island Housing Partnership, Long Island Federation of Labor and Long Island Building Trades.
This is your opportunity to let the state legislators know of the overwhelming support this important legislation has from the people and organizations throughout Long Island.
Please e mail ellen@cj2.com if you will be represented in this effort to add your name and organization to the list of supporters.
TOWN NEWS
HUNTINGTON
Planning Today For Huntington's Tomorrow
On January 27, 2004, the Huntington Town Board announced the dates and locations for the next round of meetings for the "Planning Today for Huntington's Tomorrow" Master Plan Update process.
The series of four Community Input Meetings will be held in different parts of the Town and will allow citizens the opportunity to express what they want to see for the future of Huntington. The dates and locations are:
- Friday, March 5 from 9 a.m. to Noon @ Hilton Long Island/Huntington, 598 Broadhollow Road, Melville (*Sign Language Interpreter Available)
- Saturday, March 6 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. @ Huntington Intermediate School, 155 Lowndes Avenue, Huntington Station (**Spanish Language Interpreter Available)
- Tuesday, March 9 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. @ East Northport Middle School, 1075 Fifth Avenue, East Northport
- Wednesday, March 10 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. @ Half Hollow Hills High School East, 50 Vanderbilt Parkway, Dix Hills
The Town has hired the planning firm of Wallace, Robert and Todd (WRT) to undertake the community input process. The information gathered at the Community Input meetings and previous small group sessions will be compiled and then used as a guide to update the Comprehensive Plan for the Town of Huntington. There will also be a survey conducted and additional meetings throughout the year.
The format of each of these meetings will be identical and residents need only attend one meeting. The agenda at each meeting will consist of introductions, a brief presentation by WRT, small group discussions and activities to identify planning and land use issues of importance to the community and then return to a large group for for wrap up and conclusions.
The Town Board also encourages residents to send written comments to them in care of the Department of Planning and Environment, 100 Main Street, Huntington, N.Y. 11743 or email to masterplan@town.huntington.ny.us
For more information, visit the Town of Huntington website:
http://town.huntington.ny.us/newsdetails.cfm?ID=449
BROOKHAVEN
Middle Country Road Moratorium Extended
On January 27th the Town of Brookhaven extended the Middle Country Road Moratorium for another six months. The purpose of the moratorium was to enable the town to conduct a master plan within the Middle Country Road corridor in the hamlets of Coram and Middle Island. The master plan process is still in its initial stages, and thus an extension of the Middle Country Road Moratorium is essential to the successful completion of the communities visioning process.
We hope that the moratorium will be used by the Town Board to insure that long range planning which will benefit all concerned will be conducted. At the same meeting the study area for the corridor was extended into Selden and Centereach. See statement to town board made by the President of the Longwood Alliance, Connie Kepert. Moratoraum Extension
The Davis House
The Town of Brookhaven has finally gotten a commitment from the State to move ahead on the restoration of the historic Davis House. Initial restoration steps include replacing the tarp which covers the roof and examining the condition of the foundation.
The Davis House contains 17 rooms. The Town¹s tentative plans include hiring an on site care taker, opening a community room similar to the Neighborhood House in Setauket, and displaying artifacts found on the site. We were informed that the long awaited restoration should move ahead at a brisk pace.
For more information, visit the Middle Country Road Project at:
http://www.middlecountryrdproject.org
SOUTHOLD
Greenport Plan to Increase Affordable Housing
Newsday
recently reported on a plan by the mayor of the incorporated village of
Greenport to annex lands now under control of Southold Town into the village,
where the zoning would allow for an increase in the amount of affordable
housing on the North Fork.
According to the article, Mayor David Kapell won approval from the village
board Monday to pursue his proposal. The area he is looking at is a mix
of developed and vacant land. It was reported that a referendum could
be held within a year or two for the owners of any land proposed for annexation.
See the Newsday article at:
http://www.newsday.com/mynews/ny-livill043655280feb04,0,5364512.story
ISLIP
Heartland Plan Now Includes Affordable Housing
Newsday recently reported that, according to Islip Town Planner Gene Murphy, Heartland Town Square is to be constructed in three five-year phases, beginning possibly in a year.
The article stated that the Developer Jerry Wolkoff's proposal includes a $4 billion mini-city on 452 acres of land surrounding Pilgrim State Psychiatric Center in Brentwood. It is the most dense development ever proposed on Long Island.
It
is being billed as Smart Growth, as it incorporates housing, offices,
retail and recreational space, all be concentrated in a walkable area.
A third of the site will remain open space - vest-pocket parks, grand
plazas and large spaces. Although there will be no subsidized housing,
the proposal also now includes workforce housing - smaller, more affordable
units, both for rent and for sale.
It was reported that Murphy said town officials, who have been meeting
with Wolkoff and his consultants since summer, plan to evaluate the project's
impact on traffic and the environment.
Newsday reported that Scoping hearings before the Islip Planning Board
on an environmental impact statement for the project are scheduled for
March 4. This will be the first chance for the public to raise objections
to the far-reaching proposal. The scoping process is expected to be completed
by May and the entire environmental review process is expected to take
a year, Murphy said.
See the Newsday article at: http://www.newsday.com/business/local/newyork/ny-bzpilg043655061feb04,0,4369150.story
LONG ISLAND NEWS...
DOES LI SPRAWL MAKE YOU FAT?
Increasing numbers of obesity studies say “Yes!” A leading theory is that the sedentary lifestyle of the suburbanite drive-through culture makes them heavier than their urbanite counterparts, who walk to meet many of their daily needs.
Check out this editorial by Cablevision's Peter Kohler:
http://www.cablevisioneditorials.com/content/LI/2004/LI_2004-01-06.html
LI Clean Energy Leadership Task Force formed
The time is ripe for changes in public attitudes and behavior on energy consumption and climate change. The recent blackout in the Northeast has put energy policy in the headlines. The ongoing military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the continuing violence in Israel and the Occupied Territories highlight the instability of the Middle East. The heightened focus on national security and combating terrorism call into question the U.S.'s increasing dependence on foreign oil, when the world's largest reserves are located in extremely volatile regions. These energy supply and national security concerns, combined with the environmental goals of improving local air quality and reducing climate change provide strong incentives for change.
The Neighborhood Network is organizing an exciting program that will be launched in early 2004 called the Clean Energy Leadership Task Force. The strategy of this project is to work with municipalities who agree to lead by providing a positive role model of energy efficiency.
The project will work to transform local government buildings and vehicle fleets to clean energy technologies that will reduce energy consumption, lower energy costs, and help to reduce impacts on the environment and human health from the burning of fossil fuels. We are inviting every town and both counties on Long Island to participate in the Clean Energy Leadership Task Force . The Task Force is a clearinghouse of information among participating Towns and will identify financial incentive programs available to municipalities to move towards clean energy technologies.
Long Island Towns are already signing up to participate in the Task Force.
For more information visit the Long Island Neighborhood Network: http://www.longislandnn.org
AROUND THE NATION...
CNU XII
Blocks, Streets and Buildings Today: The New City Beautiful
In 2004, the Congress for the New Urbanism will meet in Chicago, to explore New Urbanism in practice. CNU's twelfth Congress will feature a critique of the late 19th century City Beautiful movement, which came to prominence at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893 and sought to return art to the practice of city building everywhere.
This Congress will focus on the smallest scale addressed by the Charter of the New Urbanism. With "Streets, Blocks and Buildings Today: The New City Beautiful," CNU will define principles and methods for restoring, infilling, and creating places in ways that satisfy not just aesthetic ideals but environmental and social goals as well. CNU XII offers an unparalleled opportunity to learn techniques for realizing these principles, to appreciate their histories, and to contribute to their evolution.
Plenary sessions structure the Congress, providing the context for numerous breakout and intensive sessions that offer detailed discussions on the design, development, financing, marketing, and politics of New Urbanism. A sequence of three sessions on Friday and Saturday highlights the Traditional City, the Modernist City, and the Sustainable City, all interpreted broadly to encompass the design of towns and villages as well as central cities.
CONNECTICUT
Smart Growth Planning Offers a Brighter Future for City of Torrington
Having become "one of the latest hot topics" in legislatures
and municipalities across the country, Smart Growth has also stirred hopes
in Torrington -- the main city in park-like Litchfield County --
where Mayor Owen Quinn's Smart-Growth Group, formed last fall to
address the tremendous residential development surge, is focusing on downtown
redevelopment, courthouse construction, sewer capacity and a new
Park and Recreation master plan.
http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=3809&state
Massachusetts Governor Pledges $100M for Mixed-Income Housing
The Boston Globe recently reported on January 26 th that Governor Mitt Romney will pledge $100 million to build 5,000 units of mixed-income housing during the next three years.
It was reported that the administration's initiative, called the Priority Development Fund, will provide funds to developers through MassHousing, the state's quasi-public housing lending agency. The money comes from the agency's reserve account and does not use new tax dollars. The Globe reported that it is expected to leverage as much as $1 billion in additional financial housing resources.
The article stated that the announcement coincides with the release of a study by the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute, which finds that 250,000 Bay State families are spending more than half of their income on housing.
NEW JERSEY
Gov.
McGreevey Pledges Continued Focus on Community Preservation,
Environmental Protection in State of the State Address
"We are here to create a government that stands up for those whose
spirit and energy drive this state forward, but whose voices are too rarely
heard," said New Jersey Democratic Governor James E. McGreevey in
his second State of the State address, determined to
advance his multi-prong quality-of-life agenda, under which the state
"stood up to developers with the nation's toughest standards to protect
our drinking water and our open
space," firmly "punished polluters with tougher enforcement
and collected more from
polluters in the last two years than the previous administration did in
all eight," and "did more in two years to stop sprawl than was
done in the entire decade before."
http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=3815&state=31
SOUTH
CAROLINA
Gov. Sanford Endorses Community Schools in State of the State
Speech
"Quality of life is many things," said South Carolina Republican
Governor Mark Sanford in his State of the State speech, pointing to last
year's Neighborhood Schools legislation -- thanks to which "state
Department of Education restrictions were lifted and local communities
are now much more empowered to incorporate new schools within the fabric
of their own towns and cities" -- but still finding "a lot of
institutional biases to build these remote mega schools that have proven
themselves to be less effective as learning environments."
http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=3834&state=41
CALIFORNIA
The Hidden Costs of Wal-Mart
"[W]hen the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. released a study finding that the expansion of Wal-Mart's grocery business into Southern California would be, on balance, a great thing, my first reaction was that the company had purchased the LAEDC's reputation cheaply for the $65,000 it paid for the study... The fact is that while the LAEDC report may be fine as far as it goes, it doesn't go far enough in analyzing the Wal-Mart effect on a community. And by leaving out a few perceptible but unquantifiable consequences of Wal-Mart policies, it makes the overall effect look more favorable than it really is."
Excerpted from the LA Times for Planetizen Planning and Developer Network:
http://www.planetizen.com/news/item.php?id=12064
Many of the National Smart Growth updates are provided by the US EPA Smart Growth Network. For more information about Vision Long Island please contact us at:
Vision Long Island
24 Woodbine Ave. Suite One
Northport, NY 11768
(631) 261-0242 Fax: (631) 754-4452
info@visionlongisland.org
www.visionlongisland.org