Smart Talk
News and Views about Growth on Long Island
February 2006 -- Vol. 4, Ed. 1
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Vision
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EDITOR'S NOTE
Though the year is young, Long Island has already seen movement on a number of major land use issues. Newspapers abound with articles on US Senator Hillary Clinton's efforts to advance SCORE legislation and Nassau County's debate over what to do with the Nassau Hub. Eyes are also on Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy's proposal to build 1000 units of affordable housing in Yaphank, on one of the region's last large parcels.
These high-profile stories will be focus of intense debate and more than a few regional news stories in the coming months. However, if you really want to see how Long Island land use is changing, you have to look closer. As a 'home-rule' state, it is New York's Towns and Villages that hold the significant zoning and regulatory powers. It is within the realms of these municipalities, and the communities that call them home, that quiet revolutions in land use practice and policy are taking place.
Planning has been transformed from a top-down to a grass-roots initiative. Since the start of 2006, two new communities -- Farmingdale and Gordon Heights -- have begun public visioning processes. Across Long Island, other communities are working to implement their visions: a land use plan for Middle Island/Coram is being reworked, while Floyd Harbor -- the first large vision project to be realized -- is now well under construction. The Town of Riverhead is now reviewing finalists in a major effort to revitalize its downtown.
There's so much more. For starters, Port Washington is working with its residents to implement its community vision, while business leaders, Village officials, and community groups have joined forces to ensure that whatever happens in the Nassau Hub really is the best thing for Nassau County. Across Long Island, Towns and Villages are grappling with legislation, regulations and plans aimed at ensuring more positive growth.
Many of these efforts are so local that they fly under the radar of the regional news media. Nevertheless, it is these small yet bold steps that are changing the Long Island land use machine.
Vision Long Island looks forward to highlighting efforts like these at the 5th Annual Smart Growth Awards, scheduled for June 17th. Nominations are still being accepted for this major event. In the meantime, we will be updating our website frequently to provide Smart Growth news updates, action alerts and other information.
Let us know what you think. Send your comments and contributions to "Smart Talk" by e-mailing us at info@visionlongisland.org.
Eric Alexander, Executive Director
Katheryn Laible, Assistant Director
VLI NEWS & EVENTS
Nominations Deadline for 2006 Smart Growth Awards Extended
'Now its our turn': Gordon Heights Visioning Kicks Off
Vision for Farmingdale's Future Unveiled
ACTION ALERTS
Check it Out: Long Island Organization Talks Energy, Global Warming
LOCAL NEWS
Brookhaven Seeks Planning Commissioner
Middle Country Road Land Use Plan Debated
Workforce Housing Commission Report
Riverhead Revitalization Proposals
CNU XIV: Developing the New Urbanism
NATIONAL NEWS
Report Urges More Support for Nation's Older Suburbs
South Carolina, Maryland Bills Seek Broader Land-Use Input
ARKANSAS
Bentonville Prepares to Overhaul General Plan; Consultants Brief City Council on Importance of ''Small Details''
CALIFORNIA
SANDAG Smart Growth Plan Aims to Focus Growth Within Designated Development Centers
COLORADO
Denver Ties Community Benefits to Public Subsidy
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Nation's Capital Poised to Draw More Young, College-Educated Workers
FLORIDA
West Palm Beach Sells Development Rights to Fund Homes
GEORGIA
Threat of More McMansions Leads Atlanta Mayor to Call for ''Best in Class'' Zoning Code Update
ILLINOIS
River Edge Redevelopment Initiative Designed to Help Illinois River Communities Clean Up and Redevelop Brownfields
LOUISIANA
Lake Charles Endorses New Urbanist Downtown and Riverfront Renewal Plan
New Orleans Leaders Push Homeowner Buyouts;Governor's Trust Bill Dies
MARYLAND
New State Water Restrictions at Odds with Maryland's Smart Growth Policy
MISSOURI
Columbia to Seek Broad-Based Input for Community Visioning Project
NEW MEXICO
Sante Fe County Adopts Inclusionary Zoning
OHIO
Rebuild Ohio Consortium Gives Citizens a Chance to Help Shape Future of Their Communities
PENNSYLVANIA
Neighborhood Schools Vital to Community Health, EPA Expert Tells Pottstown Planning Commission
Growing Greener II Protects 37 Pennsylvania Farms, 3,360 Acres in 2005
WISCONSIN
Green Bay's Town of Scott Votes to Protect Open Spaces, Cultural Sites Through 20-Year Comprehensive Plan
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VLI NEWS & EVENTS
NOMINATIONS DEADLINE FOR 2006 SMART GROWTH AWARDS EXTENDED
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Final call for 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.
Click here for a nomination form
Click here for a printable Save the Date form (pdf)
'NOW IT'S OUR TURN': GORDON HEIGHTS VISIONING KICKS OFF
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On March 4th, over 250 residents turned out to launch a visioning for a better, more viable Gordon Heights community. This effort, conducted in cooperation with the Town of Brookhaven, will continue over the coming months. Primary goals include planning for safer streets, better transportation and access to commercial development, and a commnunity center.
The Long Island Advance quoted community leader Tawarn Whitty, "Now it's our turn for progress. It's time for our community's appearance to match its rich history"
Learn more at http://www.visionlongisland.org
A VISION FOR FARMINGDALE'S FUTURE
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Recently, the Village of Farmingdale and Vision Long Island invited residents, business owners and other stakeholders to help shape the future of their community. The effort, Farmingdale's Future, is a public visioning to fuel Main Street improvements and to shape the hamlet's Master Plan, which will guide development over the next 30 years.
The community vision was unveiled on February 15th. Check out details regarding the vision and the process on our website http://www.visionlongisland.org
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VISION is looking to for conscientious, energetic interns to assist in Database Development, Planning/Design, Reporting, Organizing, Photography and more. This is a valuable opportunity to work with and learn about the issues impacting Long Island, 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.
ACTION ALERT
CHECK IT OUT: LI ORGANIZATION TALKS ENERGY, GLOBAL WARMING
Watch channel 20 on Monday nights at 9:30pm all this month to learn about global warming and energy issues on Long Island. This edition of the Pine Barrens Society Cabelvision show features Beth Fiteni and Neal Lewis of the Long Island Neighborhood Network.
LOCAL NEWS
BROOKHAVEN SEEKS PLANNING COMMISSIONER
Brookhaven Zoning Map
The Town of Brookhaven is conducting a national search for a planning commissioner capable of realizing the Town's aspirations to Smart Growth. For information, click here: http://www.visionlongisland.org/smart_talk/brookhavenplndir.htm
MIDDLE COUNTRY ROAD LAND USE PLAN DEBATED
A Vision for Middle Island
In 2002, VISION led civic leaders in a visioning process to guide transportation and land use planning for State Route 25 between County Road 83 and Mount Sinai-Coram Rd. This vision was strongly embraced by the community, which continues to lobby for it's implementation. In July 2003, a development moratorium was enacted to provide time for planners to formulate a land use plan that balanced this vision with the Transportation Improvement Project proposed for this region by NYSDOT. A draft land use plan was released and is now available through the Town of Brookhaven Website, along with a Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS). The Town is currently reworking this plan in an attempt to make it more consistent with the community vision.
You can review it for yourself at: http://www.brookhaven.org/press_room/view_press_release.asp?document_id=302
For more information about the vision, visit the Middle Country Road Renaissance Project website at:
http://www.middlecountryrdproject.org/index.html
Let us know what you think!
REPORT: SUFFOLK COUNTY WORKFORCE HOUSING COMMISSION
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Established in February 2004, the Suffolk County Workforce Housing Commission was created by County Executive Steve Levy to address the affordable housing crisis that poses a major threat to both Long Island's local economy and the quality of life. This Commission, in which VISION played a pivotal role, is comprised of diverse interests including building, school districts, civic and environmental organizations, and business associations.
Recently, the Commission released it's 2005 report, highlighting key accomplishments such as getting municipalities to identify over 250 sites that are suitable for workforce housing, improvements to the County's Affordable Housing Program, and the creation of sewer credit incentives for the development of reasonable priced homes. Among the twelve recommendations to the County Executive are to pursue the identified sites, to provide incentives for school districts to support needed housing, to promote the transfer of development rights (TDR) component of the Suffolk County Open Space Bond Act, and to improve coordination between Town and County processes.
The full report can be downloaded here: http://www.co.suffolk.ny.us./webtemp3.cfm?dept=4&id=2538
PROSPOSALS SUBMITTED FOR RIVERHEAD REVITALIZATION
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Renderings of VISION's proposal for Riverhead
The Februrary 14th issue of Suffolk Life reported on the presentations of the finalist proposals for the revitalization of downtown Riverhead. The article opens:
"Armed with high-tech computerized images, pristinely pressed suits and cartfuls of graphic displays, three organizations publicly presented their proposals for the revitalization of downtown Riverhead, both to the Riverhead Town Board for its ultimate approval, and to the community, for its nod of support. As the three groups concluded their presentations, what became clear were the main issues of concern for this endeavor: traffic, parking, eminent domain of dilapidated housing and growth that is too ambitious."
Vision Long Island co-founder and design team leader Alex Latham of ADLIII Architecture, working with Jack Kulka, president of Kulka Contracting in Hauppauge and Robert C. Rosenberg of Meltzer/Rosenberg Development in Mineola, were among the three finalists.
On March 7th, the Riverhad Town Board voted 4-0 to move forward on negotiations regarding a proposal made by Apollo Real Estate Advisors working with the Spector Group. Their proposal involved development of 12.5 acres of land surrounding E. Main Street, with over 7 acres in the heart of the downtown along the Peconic River transformed into public open space featuring a man-made lake that would serve as a skating rink. The plan also includes a 12-screen multiplex, a 1.000 car parking garage, waterfront retail and residential buildings.
Read the full Suffolk Life article, including details of all three proposals here:
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16129469&BRD=1776&PAG=461&dept_id=6365&rfi=6
Read the Newsday article on the phase one decision by the Riverhead Town Board:
CNU XIV: DEVELOPING THE NEW URBANISM
The fourteenth annual Congress for the New Urbanism will convene June 1-4, 2006 in Providence, Rhode Island. This annual convention annually draws the best and the brightest from around the nation to examine the issues surrounding Smart Growth and New Urbanism.
This year, the focus will be on the role of developers, the "promises and pitfalls" of implementation, and land use processes focussing on community building and place making. Early registration for CNU XIV, Developing the New Urbanism, will open March 1.
Visit www.cnuxiv.org to register early and save 15%.
NATIONAL NEWS
Report Urges More Support for Nation's Older Suburbs
A new study by the Brookings Institution found either slow or stagnant growth and rising poverty in many of the 64 older U.S. suburbs, exacerbated by the fact that these regions ten to be ignored by policy-makers in favor of programs for central cities and outer suburbs. Serious challenges faced by America's older suburbs include affordable housing and services for elderly and immigrant populations. A key recommendation stemming from the report is for regional alliances, enabling local governments work together on regional solutions rather than compete for development.
Efforts are under way to begin to address this. First suburbs in Pittsburgh's Allegheny County and Boston's Middlesex County are partnering to assemble land and streamline approvals for redevelopment projects. At the federal level, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) have introduced legislation to create a $250 million fund for first-suburb revitalization projects.
For more, visit Knowledgeplex
You can also check out http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=5252&state=52
South Carolina, Maryland Bills Seek Broader Land-Use Input
The Knowledgeplex Week in Review recently reported on bills in South Carolina and Maryland to increase the base of input on planning decisions. The South Carolina bill would require local governments to share zoning, sewer lines, roads, and other public infrastructure plans with neighboring jurisdictions, and would also require them to adjust regulatory structures to encourage affordable housing. In Maryland, one bill would grant community or condominium associations within a 1/2 mile of a proposed development the right to appeal a zoning change or building permit approval. Another would give counties more say when cities attempt to annex land by allowing residents living within a mile of the proposed annexation to request a public referendum.
To learn more, visit Knowledgeplex
ARKANSAS
Bentonville Prepares to Overhaul General Plan; Consultants Brief City Council on Importance of ''Small Details''
Looking toward a full overhaul of Bentonville's general plan, a task given to the Planning Works consulting firm, city leaders shouldn't allow the community vision of a sustainable future to be derailed by deceptive claims that all growth pays for itself and that smart growth means no growth, constrains the free market or costs too much, said consultant Sara Copeland at a City Council meeting, stressing, "What's really more expensive for you is to let growth go wherever it wants."
http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=5253&state=4
CALIFORNIA
SANDAG Smart Growth Plan Aims to Focus Growth Within Designated Development Centers
In advanced preparations for the county's population jump from about 3 to 4 million by 2030, the San Diego Area Council of Governments (SANDAG) will hold a series of eight local workshops in April to unveil and gather input on its "smart growth concept map," which would help the 19 jurisdictions expand housing, boost transit, preserve farmland and save on infrastructure costs by concentrating development in designated metropolitan, urban, town and community centers and rural villages.
http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=5254&state=5
Denver Ties Community Benefits to Public Subsidy
From the Knowledgeplex Week in Review: For the first time, Denver officials will require a developer receiving public subsidies to create a package of community benefits, according to an opinion article in The Denver Post. The benefits would be designed with input from a community coalition, the article said. Cherokee Denver LLC is building a mix of housing, retail space, and offices on the site of a former factory. The $1 billion project will receive more than $250 million in public subsidies. Under negotiations with the city and the Campaign for Responsible Development, the company agreed to set aside 20 percent of the rental units for lower-income working families and to provide living-wage jobs with health care benefits. With the agreement, Denver joins such cities as Los Angeles, Milwaukee, and Atlanta in reclaiming public dollars, the article said.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Nation's Capital Poised to Draw More Young, College-Educated Workers
Although they understandably fret over the latest census data showing that Washington has lost some 20,000 people since 2000, Mayor Anthony Williams and other officials should feel encouraged that their city increasingly attracts "young, mobile, college-educated workers," write CEOs for Cities network president Carol Coletta and Impresa Inc. economist Joseph Cortright in The Washington Post, citing both the network's recent "The Young and Restless in a Knowledge Economy" study and census findings that more than 65 percent of the 25-to-34-year-olds within a three-mile radius of the White House have a four-year or higher degree.
http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=5263&state=9
West Palm Beach Sells Development Rights to Fund Homes
Knowledgeplex recently reported on how West Palm Beach is directing the $1.8 million generated through a "transfer of development rights" (TDR) program. Trust monies will fund incentives for developers to build homes affordable to families at various income levels.
For more, visit Knowledgeplex
GEORGIA
Threat of More McMansions Leads Atlanta Mayor to Call for ''Best in Class'' Zoning Code Update
With the Atlanta City Council unwilling to extend her January moratorium on McMansions in some hot-market neighborhoods increasingly plagued by small-home teardowns, Mayor Shirley Franklin called for a thorough update of the city's 1982 zoning codes, which would also ensure sound development in depressed communities near the planned greenbelt along Atlanta's old railroad tracks.
http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=5255&state=11
ILLINOIS
River Edge Redevelopment Initiative Designed to Help Illinois River Communities Clean Up and Redevelop Brownfields
"River communities were the original economic engines of Illinois, and there are countless underutilized and abandoned properties along major waterways prime for redevelopment," said Democratic Governor Rod R. Blagojevich, announcing his River Edge Redevelopment Initiative, which offers communities and businesses "tax credits, exemptions and $20 million in new grant funding" to help them clean up brownfields, spur additional growth and create more jobs.
http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=5256&state=14
LOUISIANA
Lake Charles Endorses New Urbanist Downtown and Riverfront Renewal Plan
Setting an example of post-hurricane decisiveness and readiness for change, the Lake Charles City Council unanimously endorsed a long-term downtown and riverfront renewal plan, worked out by New Urbanism co-founder Andres Duany under the Louisiana Recovery Authority local charette process, pledging both city and federal resources for better land uses and already revising area zoning to implement new design standards.
http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=5257&state=19
New Orleans Leaders Push Homeowner Buyouts;Governor's Trust Bill Dies
From The Knowledgeplex Week in Review: New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and the presidents of the four surrounding parishes are pushing a hurricane recovery buyout and renovation plan offering up to $150,000 to owners of the most severely damaged homes, reported the Times-Picayune. Under the plan, eligible homeowners who had flood insurance and wish to renovate can seek grants covering 80 percent of their repair costs, minus insurance settlements. Homeowners without flood insurance could obtain grants covering 60 percent of repair costs. Homeowners could also sell their properties to the government for 100 percent of their home's pre-Katrina value, less insurance settlements. No grants or buyouts would exceed the $150,000 cap. Local, state, and federal officials are negotiating the plan, aided by increasingly clear data on the region's needs, the article said. The plan would consume about $3.6 billion of the $6.2 billion in Community Development Block Grants pledged to Louisiana to date, according to the plan's authors.
In the last hours of its special session on hurricane relief, the Louisiana House killed legislation to create a state housing trust, reported the Times-Picayune. Opponents of the trust criticized Gov. Kathleen Blanco for rushing to create an entity that could control as much money as the state's general operating budget. Proponents said the measure was a critical first step in determining how to get rebuilding money to homeowners, the article said. A compromise measure creating a board to plan a trust failed to win a hearing. Gov. Blanco said her staff would devise a strategy for distributing federal aid without involvement from the Legislature, which reconvenes March
For more, visit
MARYLAND
New State Water Restrictions at Odds with Maryland's Smart Growth Policy
One of the most water-rich states nationwide, Maryland should be among the least-worried about water supplies, but its 35-percent population growth since 1970 to 5.3 million in 2000, with 1.1 million more expected by 2030, combined with recent droughts and overburdened treatment systems, has already caused shortages in areas that grow fast or depend on wells, prompting state officials to impose seasonal restrictions on inessential water uses, tighten limits for some 500 jurisdictions reliant on public water and sewers, and require an acre of aquifer for each new household hooked to a well -- a requirement bad for compact development and at odds with the state's 1997 policy of Smart Growth.
http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=5258&state=21
MISSOURI
Columbia to Seek Broad-Based Input for Community Visioning Project
In response to increased development, expected to push Columbia's population from 91,000 to about 150,000 by 2025, officials are gradually updating several "master plans" for roads, parks, sidewalks and other infrastructure, but the Boone County Smart Growth coalition worries about the lack of a long-term comprehensive plan, with City Manager Bill Watkins agreeing that the city doesn't yet know "what it wants to be when it grows up" and initiating a "community visioning" project to find the answer.
http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=5259&state=26
Sante Fe County Adopts Inclusionary Zoning
After more than two years of proposals and deliberation, county commissioners in Santa Fe, N.M., unanimously passed an inclusionary zoning ordinance, reported the Albuquerque Journal. Under the law, 30 percent of homes in new housing developments with 25 or more units must be priced for people making a range of incomes below 120 percent of the area median income. Sixteen percent of the units in smaller projects (between five and 24 lots) must be affordable, the article said. The ordinance does not apply to public land, pueblo land, and other regulated areas. Both builders and developers supported the ordinance and praised the county for its inclusiveness throughout the planning process, the article said.
For more, visit Knowledgeplex
OHIO
Rebuild Ohio Consortium Gives Citizens a Chance to Help Shape Future of Their Communities
Following their statewide Vacant Properties Forum last October, the Cleveland Neighborhood Development Coalition (CNDC) and the Columbus-based Greater Ohio citizens network -- both instrumental in creation of the jointly led Rebuild Ohio consortium of local governments, nonprofit organizations and civic groups -- invite all those interested in helping prevent site abandonment, facilitate property redevelopment and spur community revitalization to get involved in its subject committees, including communication, advocacy, education, research/study, resources, outreach, and Ohio Vacant Properties Forum II.
http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=5260&state=36
PENNSYLVANIA
Neighborhood Schools Vital to Community Health, EPA Expert Tells Pottstown Planning Commission
With a school's size and location traditionally among the main factors in its educational and community effectiveness, the past five decades of consolidating small neighborhood schools into megauctures, mostly on urban edges, has produced few results other than more costs, traffic congestion, tailpipe emissions, air pollution, missed student opportunities to walk or bike, and related health risks, said EPA Smart Growth Program policy analyst Tim Torma, the agency's school strategy focused on renovating old schools, locating new ones in core areas and making all more accessible on foot.
http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=5261&state=39
Growing Greener II Protects 37 Pennsylvania Farms, 3,360 Acres in 2005
Under his $625-million Growing Greener II initiative, approved by voters and signed into law last year, Democratic Governor Edward G. Rendell released a record amount of $102 million in state funds and $45 million in matching money from 15 counties for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program, with the state's farmland preservation board expanding the program onto another 37 farms totaling 3,630 acres.
http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=5262&state=39
WISCONSIN
Green Bay's Town of Scott Votes to Protect Open Spaces, Cultural Sites Through 20-Year Comprehensive Plan
First in the path of Green Bay's sprawl up the eastern shore, the small town of Scott will protect much of its northern part -- rich in farms, scenic bluffs and Native burial sites -- through a 20-year comprehensive plan, required under the state's Smart Growth law for most priority funding after 2010 and just approved 3-2 by the Town Board, the two "no" votes cast by Town Chairman Mike Van Lanen and Supervisor Colleen Harris, opposed to a last-minute exception for local developer Jim Schmitt, who imagines large luxury homes on 50 acres he owns in the area where other development is restricted until at least 2025.
http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=5264&state=50
Special thanks to Smart Growth Online, Smart Growth America, 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:
Vision Long Island
24 Woodbine Ave. Suite One
Northport, NY 11768
(631) 261-0242 Fax: (631) 754-4452
info@visionlongisland.org
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