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Vision Long Island Home

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VLI NEWS & EVENTS

SHOP DOWNTOWN FOR THE HOLIDAYS!
Long Island offers some of the very best retail there is. As you buy gifts this holiday season, think of the places you like best. Help us celebrate them. Let us where they are, what they sell, and why they're special. We'll spread the word!

Last year, we got together and held a press conference in the Village of Farmingdale to offer a sampling of our favorite local shops. Check 'em out:

Shops in Nassau County

Shops in Suffolk County

The full map (pdf)

Thank you, everyone who participated in the 2005 Smart Growth Summit
Thank you for your support!!
Tapes Available Soon!!

Once again it was made clear: the key to most of the critical problems facing the region lies in a better understanding of how the issues work together, and how they are all impacted by the way Long Island chooses to develop and grow. As such, a chief objective of these events is progress toward a Smart Growth Agenda for Long Island, which will offer a comprehensive collection of planning, development and preservation strategies.

We look forward to your input on this process! Check back at our website soon for more images and information, or contact us at 631-261-0242

Now is the time to submit your nominations! On June 17th, Vision Long Island will honor the individuals, organizations, policies and projects that are advancing the progress of Smart Growth on Long Island

On December 1st, 2005, the Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce and Vision Long Island co-sponsored a meeting of the Nassau Business and Community Planning Coalition. The event centered on the proposals submitted by four prominent developers in response to Nassau County's RFP for the redevelopment of Nassau Coliseum. They are: The Coliseum Redevelopment Corp. (New York Mets/Sterling Equities/Blumenfeld Development), Lighthouse Development Group (Charles Wang/Reckson Associates), Polimeni International-The Cordish Co. and Engel Burman-Kabro Associates. In addition to representatives of each developer, over 90 people participated, including Chamber of Commerce leaders, Village Mayors, elected officials, and key members of the environmental, civic and educational institutions. .

VISION has been proud to serve as a noble stepping stone for a number of wonderful individuals, many of whom continue to provide their services to our ever-grateful organization. Once again, we are in need of a motivated, conscientious administrative assistant/program coordinator.

Successful applicant will be able to learn quickly, to prioritize and multi-task, to function independently and to work well with a diversity of occasionally frustrating (but good hearted) personalities. Own car a major plus. Strong sense of humor a must!

VISION is looking to post internships for Database Development, Planning/Design, Photography and more. Interns will be given a valuable opportunity to work with and learn about Long Island issues, government, and a broad variety of organizations

Universities and individuals interested in learning about these postings are encouraged to contact us. Please put "Internships for 2006" in the subject heading. More details available soon.

LOCAL NEWS

At the recent Smart Growth Summit, Brookhaven Town Councilman Steve Fiore-Rosenfeld highlighted his proposal to provide development standards for large commercial centers (read: big-box stores). A public meeting on this legislation was held December 6th

A public meeting was held on December 6th by the DEC regarding proposed clean-up regulations for brownfield sites in New York State. This was the 5th in a series of public information meetings to outline the draft proposed regulations.

Melinda Sobin, Regional Environmental Advocate for NYPIRG, has provided a list of questions they hoped to have answered, as well as some of the responses we've gotten so far, and the detailed agenda of the meeting.

Questions and Answers.doc

DEC BF Meeting Agenda.pdf

SUCCESS! FREE LEGAL REPRESENTATION FOR NASSAU RENTERS

Nassau County Majority lawmakers recently approved funding for a program that will provide free quality legal advice and representation for Nassau County tenants who are otherwise unable to afford such services. Democratic legislators said they believed the $300,000 in funding for the program was vital to preserving the legal rights of indigent tenants throughout Nassau County.

As the birthplace of modern suburbia, Long Island is an apparent icon of American upward mobility. Here, on what is supposed to be the “level playing field” of our excellent schools, hard work seems to guarantee success for our children....but is the field really level? Join Dr. Peggy McIntosh in a day-long program, sponsored in part by Vision Long Island, which will include an analysis of the structures and attitudes of hidden white privilege as well as reflections on how Long Islanders can be agents of change for racial harmony and economic justice.

STUDY SHOWS COST OF LIVING SCARING LONG ISLANDERS AWAY
From News 12 Long Island: A study done by Stony Brook University and sponsored by the Long Island Index found that more than half of Long Islanders are considering moving off the Island to less expensive regions. Thirty-two percent said they were "very likely to leave within the next five years," which is up 5 percent from last year. An additional 24 percent said they were "somewhat likely" to leave in search of cheaper pastures.

Local leaders say the study should force politicians into action, making strides to create affordable housing and lower the cost of living.

RESIDENTS TURN OUT IN FORCE TO COMMENT ON LEVY'S CONCEPT FOR YAPHANK LANDS
Suffolk Life recently reported that approximately 700 people turned out for a lively public hearing on November 21st to comment on what should be done with County land in Yaphank. Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy's vision involves dividing the land three ways, with one-third consisting of next generation housing, one-third used for utilized for sports and entertainment purposes and one-third set aside for future county use. Public opinion on this concept appears to runs the gamut.

Jim Morgo, commissioner of economic development and workforce housing for Suffolk County noted that less than 300 acres are available for development, with the properties scattered between county facilities. The county, while it owns the land, has “no land use power,” as any zoning changes are up to the town of Brookhaven.

Recently, the Huntington Housing Coalition held a summit with municipal officials to develop a blueprint for affordable housing.

The result was an 18-point draft plan that includes strategies to involve corporations in financing, public education on the need for housing, and recommendations for zoning changes. The coalition will vote on whether to approve the plan in early 2006.

L.E.D. (Light Emitting Diode) lights use about one-tenth the electricity of super bright mini-lights, and as little as one-hundredth that of C7 incandescent lights. If all Long Islanders converted to L.E.D. holiday lights, the Long Island Neighborhood Network (LINN) estimates that approximately 108,744,000 kWh would be saved.

Replacing your conventional incandescent light strings with L.E.D.s can also save you money. The average LIPA customer could save more than $13 dollars for the month of December if they switch to L.E.D.s. The Neighborhood Network surveyed 30 Long Island stores, and found that a number of major retail chains have L.E.D. lights on their shelves.

To find out more about L.E.D lights visit the LINN web site:
http://neighborhood-network.org/energy/holiday.htm

LIPA OFFERS $5 REBATES FOR PURCHASE OF L.E.D. LIGHTS
LIPA offers their residential customers a $5 per package rebate on the purchase of L.E.D. holiday lights. You must buy the lights between November 1st and December 31st, 2005. There is a limit of ten packages per customer -- a total of $50. (There is an error on the rebate form; it states that the limit is six, but LIPA will accept ten, as they claim on their web site.) For more info, or to download the rebate form visit LIPA's web site: http://www.lipower.org/cei/led.html

Robert Steuteville has commented for the New Urban News that "the seven-day Mississippi Renewal Forum in mid-October, which created regional and local plans for redevelopment of 11 cities along 120 miles of coast devastated by Hurricane Katrina, was the most efficient and productive event I have ever witnessed or even heard about in recent times." Check out the full article at: http://www.newurbannews.com/

Thanks to the efforts of organizations such as The Enterprise Foundation, green building is "taking off in cities across the country," reported the Christian Science Monitor. In the past year, the foundation has helped start 77 green developments in 21 states, providing more than 4,300 energy-efficient homes for low-income families, the article said. According to CEO Bart Harvey, those new green homes will translate annually into $1.5 million of energy savings, 30 million gallons of reduced water use, and more than 5,000 tons of reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Another manifestation of green buildings' ascension is that cities such as New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles are offering developer incentives for adopting green building principles or rewriting building codes to incorporate green standards, the article said. In New York, the Lower East Side People's Mutual Housing Association helped spark the trend by building its first energy-efficient affordable housing complex seven years ago. With Enterprise tax-credit financing, the group is planning an additional 44 units of green affordable housing, the article said.

NEW GROWTH SPROUTS ON USA'S BROWNFIELDS
The October 7th USA Today reported that in a search for inexpensive real estate, developers are increasingly looking toward abandoned factories, landfills, and gas stations that have been deemed environmentally hazardous. Most residential developers have stayed away from such brownfields, but as land in prime locations quickly vanishes or is restricted through stricter zoning laws, the properties are becoming more attractive to buyers and are proving lucrative for developers.
Read more from the Urban Land Institute

POPULATION SHIFTS CAN OCCUR DAILY
ULI has pointed out this October 24th Washington Post Article: Last month, the U.S. Census Bureau released its first estimates of daytime population as the agency sought to determine how much bigger--and smaller--certain cities and counties become during the day as commuters come and go. Washington, D.C.'s official population of less than 600,000 or so increases to almost 1 million during the day when commuting workers are added to the mix. The 72-percent gain from night to day ranked as the largest among the country's major cities. Meanwhile, the 410,000 net daytime gain placed second behind only New York City's 563,000. Analysts report that daytime population patterns are of growing interest to businesses and government agencies because they reflect a reality typically not factored into the country's official population totals. Keeping abreast of such trends affects everything from traffic management and disaster planning to retailers selecting new outlets.

CALIFORNIA
Santa Maria Halts Work on Wal-Mart Rezoning Request Following Crowded Public Hearing

After a crowded and emotional public hearing, with many of the more than 200 attendees watching the debate on TV monitors in the City Hall corridor, the Santa Maria City Council voted 5-0 to stop staff work on a Wal-Mart request to rezone a 55-acre site from light-industrial to retail use -- which would let the company leave its present store and build a Supercenter nearby -- citing the need to defend small local businesses, revitalize downtown and keep sufficient land for industrial firms offering better wages.
http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=5105&state=5

San Diego Nonprofits Get High Marks in Affordable-Housing Study
The November 20th San Diego Union-Tribune reports that according to a new report, San Diego County's community development corporations have produced more than 8,500 housing units, mostly rentals for lower-income tenants, reported The San Diego Union-Tribune. The nonprofits' output represents close to 30 percent of all affordable rentals in the county, not including some federally subsidized housing, the report said. Although the region has a relatively young community development industry compared with other areas, performance has exceeded expectations, said the study's author. A number of factors have helped boost production, including a local housing trust fund, a local office of the Local Initiatives Support Corp., and partnerships with for-profit builders, who in some communities must include affordable homes in their projects. The report recommends more financial support for CDCs, including more revenues for the housing trust fund.

Living in the Zone
Andy Reid reported in the October 17th Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel that recent hurricanes have not stopped development in Florida's coastal areas. A total of 2,000 condominiums are being built in downtown West Palm Beach, for instance, and an additional 3,000 are in the works. Hundreds of condos also are under construction elsewhere along the beachfront. According to Gold Coast Builders Association Executive Vice President Brenda Talbert, post-Hurricane Andrew building codes have made waterfront homes better able to withstand strong storms. She notes that waterfront properties generally are priced from the $200,000s to more than $1 million, meaning that buyers likely have the financial means to evacuate if necessary. However, 1,000 Friends of Florida executive director Charles Pattison insists that counties need to consider emergency planning when changing zoning rules and issuing permits.
Read more from the Urban Land Institute

Report Points to a Cut in Commutes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on November 21 that Researchers have found that average commuting distances for Atlanta drivers decreased about 19 percent between 1998 and 2003, reported The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. According to the study by the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, people drove an average of 38.3 miles a day in 2003, compared with 47.2 miles in 1998. The study didn't probe the cause of the decline. However, the authors, business leaders, and planners attribute some of the drop in travel distances to the development of mixed-use projects and new town centers with homes near businesses and activities, as well as increased residential development within Atlanta city limits. For the first time in quite a while, most of the proposed projects in the region -- including 6,000 new housing units -- are in the city of Atlanta, said an official with the Atlanta Regional Commission.
Find more at Knowledgeplex

Realtors Push for New Eminent Domain Laws
In the October 13th Clayton County New Daily Online, Justin Boron reported that as a recent Supreme Court decision pertaining to a development in New London, Conn., continues to have a ripple effect across the country, the Georgia Association of Realtors has launched a media campaign to lobby for changes to the state's eminent domain laws. Since the high court's ruling, the city of Stockbridge, Ga., has condemned commercial property that is slated to be replaced with a mixed-use project. The state trade group is opposed to such moves and is advocating a constitutional amendment to be added to the 2006 General Election ballot that would limit local governments' ability to seize commercial and residential properties for development, mixed-use and otherwise. The group is spending $100,000 on radio advertisements, building a Web site and rallying its 36,000 members to support the proposed amendment. The Georgia Municipal Association is opposing the push for legislative changes that spokeswoman Amy Henderson says would "take away the cities' power to do good things with eminent domain."
Read more from the Urban Land Institute

LOUISIANA
Planners Outline Redevelopment Goals for New Orleans; Smart Growth Principles, Regional Approach to Services Endorsed in Plan
Endorsing the smart-growth principles proposed for New Orleans at the recent Louisiana Recovery and Rebuilding Conference, a national team of some 50 post-disaster planning experts gathered by the Washington-based Urban Land Institute (ULI) produced a color-coded map of the city's three potential "investment zones," recommended the highest ground as the first redevelopment target, and called for creation of a nonprofit Crescent City Rebuilding Corporation, which would control the influx and distribution of all reconstruction funds.
http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=5109&state=19

MARYLAND
Limits Sought on Government Ability to Condemn Private Property
Tom Stuckey reported for the Associated Press on October 2 that lawmakers in Maryland will take on the issue of eminent domain when the General Assembly next meets in January. The issue has been pushed to the forefront by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allows municipalities to take private property and give it to private developers as a means of boosting tax revenues--even though most lawmakers believe land seizures to be justified only for new schools, roads, and other infrastructure. Sen. James DeGrange (D-Anne Arundel County) will introduce legislation that prohibits condemnation of private property for anything but the redevelopment of blighted areas. Other state lawmakers want to go as far as proposing a constitutional amendment to safeguard property rights.

MASSACHUSETTS
Bay State Set to Reimburse Communities for Cost of Schooling Children That Move Into Designated Smart Growth Districts
"We need to build more housing to keep our state economically competitive," said Republican Governor Mitt Romney, reiterating his commitment to smart growth with his signature on a bill that will reimburse communities for the additional cost of schooling children whose families move into new moderate-income higher-density housing within designated smart growth districts -- the payments for each new student based on local per-pupil spending rates.
http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=5112&state=22

MONTANA
New Impact Fee Law Designed to Help Montana Towns Cover Costs of Development
To help Montana communities shoulder development costs, state lawmakers asked local officials, planners, builders and smart-growth leaders to join them in crafting an impact fee bill at the last session, but the resulting law isn't clear enough for many jurisdictions to start implementation, reports Ravalli Republic writer Dana Green, quoting Montana Smart Growth Coalition leader Tim Davis, who said that although the bill (SB 185) is "not perfect," it offers an additional tool for handling growth problems, including the affordable housing deficit.
http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=5113&state=27

Brownfield Blues
A Philadelphia Weekly Online article from October 3 reported that Pennsylvania lawmakers scaled back cleanup standards in 1995 so that developers looking to build on polluted industrial sites need only lower health risks to "acceptable levels," or to a one-in-100,000 risk of developing cancer in the case of carcinogens, rather than decontaminate them completely. The new rules have spurred redevelopment of nearly 2,000 brownfields sites statewide. However, there are concerns that state officials are not doing enough to protect residents and the Delaware River watershed from contaminants.
Read more from the Urban Land Institute

UTAH
Layton Mayor to Become Chairman of Envision Utah
The October 28th Deseret Morning News (UT) Online reported that Jerry Stevenson has been named the new chairman of Envision Utah, a group created with the purpose of guiding smart-growth initiatives throughout the state. Stevenson currently is the mayor of Layton, Utah, and is regarded as a dealmaker in local government circles. As chairman of Envision Utah, his job will entail meeting with elected leaders to discuss the organization's principles and ideas. His chairman position is for two years. In recent years, Layton has taken steps to foster high-density, mixed-use development in its downtown area in return for preservation of open space in its more rural areas.

WISCONSIN
Madison Mayor Offers Changes to Inclusionary Zoning Law as Housing Market Cools and Support for Ordinance Wanes
Passed just last January, Madison's inclusionary zoning (IZ) law, which requires most new residential projects to make 15 percent of their units affordable for lower-income earners, is facing a rough time as the housing market cools down, with Mayor Dave Cieslewicz proposing "a very substantive package of improvements," the industry-based Smart Growth Madison group demanding its repeal, and the City Council so far split down the middle.
http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=5116&state=50