Please note the change of venue! The 11th Annual Smart Growth Awards will now be taking place at the Huntington Hilton in Melville, NY!   We are pleased to announce the honoree for this year's
Regional Leadership Award NYS Regional Economic Development Councils Lt. Governor Robert Duffy	Master of Ceremonies John Kominicki Long Island Business News
Walkability NYS Complete Streets Law NYS Senator Charles Fuschillo & Sandi Vega	Community Participation Huntington Station Enrichment Center Dolores Thompson
Transportation Choices Transit Oriented Development Zoning Hon. Jean Celender, Village of Great Neck Plaza	Clean Energy EmPower Solar David Schieren
Housing Choices Metro 303, Hempstead Mill Creek Residential Trust	Housing Choices The River Walk, Patchogue GRB Development Corp.
Compact Design Water Mill Station Koral Brothers	Creating Great Places The Paramount, Huntington
Revitalizing Communities Farmingdale Hotel & Mixed Use Bartone Properties & BWC Realty Partners	Certainty & Predicatability Elmont Mixed-Use Zoning District Town of Hempstead

 

Vision Long Island congratulates this year's
Smart Growth Awards winners!

Online registration is now available, or feel free to download a copy of our registration form and mail it to: Vision Long Island, 24 Woodbine Ave, Suite 2, Northport, NY 11768

Vision Long Island is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. All donations over the fair market value of $30 per ticket are tax deductable

Online registration is now available here!

 

Central Islip Visioning draws over 200 to plan future park

Pictured (L-R): Debbie Cavangh - Coalition of Good Neighbors, Amparo Saddler - Central Islip Parks Committee, Scott Martella - Office of NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo, Nancy Manfredonia - Central Islip Civic Council, Debbie Rotunda - Central Islip Parks Committee, Islip Town Councilman Steve Flotteron, NYS Assemblyman Phil Ramos, Suffolk County Legislator Rick Montano, NYS Senator Lee Zeldin

On Saturday, April 28th, over 200 families, young people, seniors, chamber members and other local stakeholders gathered for the Central Islip Visioning at Central Islip High School. The goal of this visioning, spearheaded by Islip Town Councilman Steve Flotteron and facilitated by Vision Long Island, was to design a 20-acre park in the heart of the community. The meeting was filled with an excited and positive energy and some consensus developed on possible uses for the park.

The charette began with brief comments from community and government leaders. Vision Long Island Executive Director Eric Alexander kicked things off by introducing the Town’s park committee that is seeking more community input for the project. The community’s goals are to build something multi-generational and multi-use. The park, which is currently an under-utilized space, will be adjacent to the new Jobco housing development Coventry Gardens and will be funded in part through a public benefits fund from local developers. Community leaders noted that Central Islip has been waiting 50 years for this park!

Additional speakers included: Debbie Cavanaugh of the Coalition of Good Neighbors, Amparo Saddler of the Parks Committee, Debbie Rotunda of the Parks Committee, Nancy Manfredonia of the Central Islip Civic Council, Councilman Steve Flotteron, Scott Martella from Governor Cuomo’s office, Suffolk County Legislator Rick Montano, NYS Assemblyman Phil Ramos, NYS Senator Lee Zeldin and Vision Assistant Director (and Central Islip resident) Tawaun Weber. 

The day before the meeting, Vision worked with the Islip Youth Mentoring program to do a mini-charrette with several middle school students. The youth presented their ideas, which included concession stands, spray or water park, basketball courts, a skateboard park, a theater, a dog park with dog sitters, restaurants, an ice skating rink, tennis courts, volleyball courts, bocce ball courts, bike riding paths, sufficient parking, bathrooms, water fountains, ‘you are here’ maps, and a jogging trail around perimeter. The kids concluded that they want officials to “show us the money.” 

Following the kick-off speeches, Vision Long Island Sustainability Director Elissa Ward went through a presentation showing some of the possibilities for the park, opening people’s minds to various possibilities. The community then did an image preference survey, where they got to vote on a wide variety of options for park uses.

An important interactive activity had participants list some of the “hopes and horrors” for the park. The list of hopes was much longer than the horrors, the latter which included fear of gang infiltration and the idea that park maintenance and cleaning would not be kept up. Later in the day, people were given stickers that were used to vote on their favorite hopes and worst-case-scenario horrors. Among the top choices for hopes were: a place for families to gather; a running/biking path with exercise stations; fields for sports such as soccer, basketball or football; a spray park or fountain for kids; picnic and BBQ areas; a bandshell or performance area; a dog park; a wildlife center; a display of the history of Central Islip and many others. 

During a brief question and answer session, main concerns included the time frame of the park’s completion and how to finance it. Another community meeting is planned for late June and the Town hopes to break ground in the fall, after which it should take 6-12 months to complete. As for funding, beyond the seed money the Town has from the public benefits fund, there are several sources available at the state or regional level, and with a united plan, the community is primed to access those funds. 

Maps and tracing paper were distributed to the tables and groups used the ideas generated throughout the morning to put pen to paper and design the park! The table groups were very creative, with most staying true to the hopes and horrors results. Adults worked in fun activities for kids, and the kids planned spaces for seniors to go. 

Throughout the day, the diversity and energy in the room was infectious, and we look forward to seeing this multi-use and muliti-generational park get built!

Here’s what some folks are saying about the park:

“I am very excited that this project is finally starting to happen. We have been waiting 50 years for this park in Central Islip. We want to make it a multi-generational area, for all ages to enjoy. It has been wonderful to work with the Town of Islip, Vision Long Island and community leaders who spent a lot of hours together to make this happen.” - Amparo Saddler, Central Islip Chamber and Central Islip Park & Recreation Committee

“This parkland is 50 years in the making. We are excited this current town board, including Supervisor Tom Croci and Councilman Steve Flotteron, have kept their campaign promises to build the park,” - Debbie Cavanagh, Coalition of Good Neighbors.

“We want to tell people CI is here! We’re real, we don’t bite! It’s safe to come here! … Dream on this, think the biggest things you can think of. Because you know what? We might just find a way to make it happen.” - Debbie Rotunda, Parks Committee

“We have been working for many years to get some good recreational facilities for our kids, and I’m absolutely thrilled to see all of you here today because this is really a turning point in our community for our children.” - Nancy Manfredonia, Central Islip Civic Council

“We wanted an open, transparent process where everyone can participate and take ownership in the end result. Recognizing that the community knows best their needs and desires for this park, we are pleased to introduce a process that will bring their vision to life.”  - Steve Flotteron, Town of Islip Councilman

“This is about beautifying our communities here on LI, to make this a more business-friendly place. But more than that it’s about reclaiming the identity of your towns; finding a way to leave your imprint, to make this the town you want it to be, and not let other people make that decision for you...Civic engagement is what really makes our community special.” - Scott Martella, Office of Governor Cuomo

“It’s amazing how much you can accomplish when you work together with your colleagues... All levels of government are working together on this... It’s really a great reflection on the community that all of you are here this morning.” - NYS Senator Lee Zeldin

“There is no Democratic way to revitalize a downtown or Republican way to fix a park. We know what we have to do. Campaign is campaign, but there’s a time for us to do our jobs and work together and get the resources and just make it happen.” - NYS Assemblyman Phil Ramos

“This is a dream that Central Islip has pursued for many years... Anything that we can do to in the County of Suffolk to improve the quality of life for the community that I represent, believe me we’re going to do it.” - Suffolk County Legislator Rick Montano

Pictured (L-R): Nancy Manfredonia - Central Islip Civic Council, Debbie Cavanagh - Coalition of Good Neighbors, Amparo Saddler - Central Islip Parks Committee, NYS Senator Lee Zeldin, Islip Town Councilman Steve Flotteron, Suffolk County Legislator Rick Montano, Central Islip Youth Mentoring Program representatives, Scott Martella - Office of NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo, NYS Assemblyman Phil Ramos, Eric Alexander - Vision Long Island

 

 

Earth Day Lobby Day pushes solar jobs; EPF funding

On April 25th, Vision participated in the 22nd annual Earth Day Lobby Day in Albany, which drew well over 100 people from throughout the state to urge representatives to enact critical legislation that will protect the environment and build a clean energy economy. The day consisted of a high-energy morning program and productive afternoon lobby visits with over 90 state legislators.

The morning program presented the five “Super Bills” that the coalition supports this year. Vision was there to support the Solar Industry Development and Jobs Act (A.9149A / S.4178A, not currently same as). This legislation would create thousands of new solar jobs and jumpstart investment in New York’s growing solar energy industry by requiring that 3,000 megawatts be installed on the grid by 2021—enough to generate over 3,400 gigawatt-hours of electricity to power over 300,000 households, equivalent to nearly two percent of New York State’s total electric load. Adding that much solar to our energy mix would reduce as much carbon pollution as taking nearly two million cars off the road. The Assembly’s version of the legislation would codify parts of the Governor’s NY SUN initiative. Vision also represented the LI Lobby Coalition for this bill.

The other four bills included: the Environmental Protection Fund Enhancement Act (S.5403A / A.7137A) to increase resources allocated to the state's Environmental Protection Fund (EPF), the Child Safe Products Act (A.3141A) to protect New York's children from toxic chemicals, the Global Warming Pollution Cap (A.5346 / S.2742) to require that climate-altering pollution from all sources is cut by 80 percent by the year 2050, and the Fracking Hazardous Waste Loophole (A.7013 / S.4616) to end special exemptions that allow the gas industry to circumvent requirements for hazardous waste disposal, including fracking wastes.

After reviewing the legislation, presentations were given by New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, Assemblyman Robert Sweeney, and Senator Mark Grisanti who all voiced their support for the environmental legislation. DiNapoli explained that the environment and economy work hand-in-hand, and that we need a more long-term approach to the protecting the environment. Sweeney noted that the EPF was not cut this year, for the first year in some time, and it is time to bring it back up to stable levels. He also expressed the need to introduce a new environmental bond act next year. Grisanti was eager about the day’s agenda, and mentioned that the solar jobs legislation could bring 22,000 jobs to the state.

The crowd split into 25 small groups for the afternoon lobby visits. Vision was met with Senator Carl Marcellino and Staff for Senator Owen Johnson and Assemblyman Steve Englebright, and others throughout the afternoon. There was broad support for the Super Bills and for the advancement of solar energy on Long Island!

Earth Day Lobby Day was hosted by the Adirondack Council, Adirondack Mountain Club, Alliance for New York State Parks, Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy, Catskill Mountainkeeper, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Clean and Healthy New York, Environmental Advocates of New York, Natural Resources Defense Council, New York Interfaith Power and Light, New York League of Conservation Voters, New York Public Interest Research Group, Pace Energy and Climate Center, Public Employees Federation Division 169, Riverkeeper, Scenic Hudson, Sierra Club, Sullivan Citizens for Responsible Energy Development, The Nature Conservancy, the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, and cosponsored by additional organizations.

Read more at Environmental Advocates of NY’s website.

 

Pedestrian fatalities in Nassau happen near transit, study finds

According to an analysis by Tri-State Transportation Campaign, 83% of pedestrian fatalities (68 of 82) in Nassau County between 2008 and 2010 occurred within ¼ mile of a transit hub.  TSTC writes, “The clustering of pedestrian fatalities surrounding transit stations may occur because the areas tend to be pedestrian hubs. People often walk to and from transit stops, especially bus stops, and bus routes are often found along arterial roads whose design is a leading cause of pedestrian fatalities in the region.” 

Hopefully, this data can inspire more traffic calming projects and funding that are targeted into our areas with transit hubs. The NYC Department of Transportation has a model program called Safe Routes to Transit which works to improve pedestrian safety near mass transit and 
the New Jersey DOT’s Safe Streets to Transit program targets grants to municipalities interested in promoting greater transit use through safer access. Long Island municipalities and the NYS DOT should work to develop similar programs and target existing traffic calming dollars into these locations. 
Vision’s Eric Alexander was interviewed on this study in Fios1 News. Read about the study on Tri-State Transportation Campaign’s blog.

 

Poll: Business community opposes SEQRA takeover

Last week, 79% of voters on Long Island Business News' website opposed the proposed state takeover of SEQRA. The poll was listed on the main page of the site and logged IP addresses to ensure that each computer could only cast one vote. It should be noted that the publication has a generally pro-development readership. Here are the full results from the 400 respondants:

Should SEQRA approval authority be taken out of municipalities' hands and be given to the state?

• No, authority should remain with local governments. (79%, 314 Votes)

• Yes, but only for regionally significant projects. (15%, 58 Votes)

• Yes, for all projects. (7%, 28 Votes)

NYS lawmakers have put forth a bill that would block the takeover (S.6525 (Marcellino) and A.9541 (Schimel)). The legislation has gained some new sponsors since we last covered this issue: Senator Marcellino is joined by Senators Fuschillo, Johnson and Martins and Assemblywoman Schimel is joined by Assemblymembers Saladino, Curran, Ra, Montesano, McDonough, McKevitt, Murray and Weisenberg.
Read more at LIBN.

 

Real Estate Awards honor Smart Growth leaders

Long Island Business News hosted their annual Real Estate Awards on Wednesday night at the Crest Hollow Country Club. The awards recognize the Island’s top professionals in the commercial and residential business community, including brokers, developers and economic development officials. 

Among the winners were two Vision Long Island board members: Maria Rigopoulos from Mill Creek Residential Trust won Best Smart Growth Project for the Metro 303 multifamily development in downtown Hempstead, located a few blocks from the train station, and Michael Puntillo from Jobco won Top Mixed Use Project for the Glen Cove Piazza project in downtown Glen Cove. In addition, previous Smart Growth Award winners were honored, including the Hyatt hotel in downtown Riverhead for Top Hospitality Developmen and Wyandanch Rising for Best Public/Private Partnership between Albanese Organization and the Town of Babylon.

The event was well-attended and a good night for Smart Growth projects. Congrats to the awardees! View the full list of winners at LIBN.

Paterson to join MTA board

Former NYS Governor David Paterson has a new gig: MTA Board Member. Paterson was nominated by Governor Andrew Cuomo, who must find a replacement for recently-resigned member Nancy Shevell. The appointment is good news for transit riders, as Paterson has demonstrated a sensitivity towards local communities and transit service.

Cuomo said, “Gov. Paterson has dedicated his life to working for the people of this state and I am excited that he will continue his public service at the MTA. Gov. Paterson’s energy, expertise, and experience will benefit the millions of New Yorkers who rely on the MTA every day. I look forward to working together as we continue to reform the MTA and improve service for New Yorkers.”

Speaking to a news source this week, Paterson defended the scaling back of the MTA’s payroll tax, saying it was "a perfectly valid concept whose life ended in 1999, and the current thinking does not accommodate it." He added: "The reason I accepted the payroll tax [in 2009] is because I had to close $21 billion of deficit. We talk about $10 billion deficits now like it’s the worst thing that ever happened. I’m the only governor in the state that ever had to close $21 billion in their first year. And so at that point, anything that was on the table that involved revenue generation to pay off these debts, I took. But now the governor who has continued to cut spending and has cut two budgets in a row on time, he has rolled back a lot of that tax, and at this point in history, it is precisely the right thing to do.”

Paterson also indicated that he may be receptive to congestion pricing again, which has recently come back into transportation discussions.

The nomination still needs to be approved by the State Senate.
Read more in LI Business News and Capital.

 

New Carmans River plan to move forward

After the defeat of a controversial plan to protect and redevelop the area around the Carmans River, a new community-based approached is scheduled to advance.

The ten-mile Carmans River runs from Middle Island to Bellport Bay. There is a concern that new development near the river could lead to the level of pollution that is in the nearby Forge River. Under the original Carmans River Watershed Protection and Management Plan, zoning would have changed away from the river to allow for greater densities while protecting the watershed. Local civic organizations opposed the high level of density, and were concerned that the plans were developed without their input. Town Council Members voted down this plan earlier this month.

This week, the board voted unanimously to move forward with the new plan. Pending a community process, the plan could include a $30 million to $40 million Open Space Bond and could also rezone properties surrounding the watershed. In addition, the Town hopes to introduce a new zoning code that would allow for mixed-use buildings with retail on the ground floor and up to two stories of affordable housing above. Councilman Steve Fiore-Rosenfeld explained the new resolution would be a "public process to get input first and then write things later," which was an issue in the first plan.

The two community meetings to develop this plan will be held on May 30th at 6pm and June 2nd at 1pm at Brookhaven Town Hall in Farmingville.
Read more at Port Times Record and Newsday.

 

State considers SEQRA bill

Behind all of the recent hullabaloo over the possibility that New York State will take over the environmental review process for major redevelopment projects on Long Island, there has been a quiet legislative process at play in Albany that could impact this proposal. Senate bill S.6525 and Assembly bill A.9541 would “insure that a local agency will be the lead agency for all SEQRA purposes when the anticipated impacts of an action are primarily of regional or local significance.” 

The justification for the legislation reads: “In cases when projects are undertaken that are primarily of regional or local significance, the lead agency conducting the SEQRA review should be a local agency. Major projects have the greatest impact on the host municipality. It stands to reason that the most qualified entity to be the lead agency for environmental review would be at the local level. This legislation recognizes and seeks to insure that lead agency status remains at the local level and should not be taken over at a higher level of government for SEQRA review of projects that are deemed of regional or local significance.”

The Senate bill  was introduced in February by Senator Marcellino and is co-sponsored by Senators Fuschillo and Martins. It passed through the Environmental Conservation Committee in late March. The Assembly bill was introduced by Assemblywoman Schimel and is co-sponsored by Assemblymembers Saladino, Curran, Ra and Montesano, with multi-sponsors McDonough, McKevitt and Murray.

 

Long Island Business Council holds meeting on Small Business Study, Energy, Jobs for Youth, Taubman Mall and SEQRA reform

Pictured (L-R): Dave Winzelberg - Long Island Business News, Rich Bivone, Bob Fonti - Long Island Business Council, Dr. Nathalia Rogers - American Communities Institute at Dowling College, Mark Grossman - NYS Department of Labor, E. Christopher Murray - Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce

On Friday, April 13th, the Long Island Business Council met at the Sustainability Institute at Molloy College. Nearly 100 business leaders and community groups were in attendance to discuss the results of a small business study, electric rates for downtowns, the NY Youth Works program, and the Cerro Wire mall property along with the proposal to move the SEQRA process up to the state level.

Dr. Nathalia Rogers of the American Communities Institute at Dowling College started with a presentation on the results of a federally-funded small business study, with data gathered from surveys of 159 small business owners, 10 focus groups with 167 small business owners, and a small business symposium with 110 small businesses and experts. Steps that businesses suggested the government take include: provide tax credits, contain healthcare costs, create tax-deferred IRA accounts for small businesses, and develop local downtowns as small business hubs. The results of this study will be used to advance federal legislation, as well as possible implications at the state and local levels. Read the full study on Dowling’s website.

You can also download Dr. Rogers’ powerpoint presentation here.

Chris Murray of the Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce discussed the rising electric rates on Long Island. He noted that to grow downtowns, we must control utility costs. The state’s Recharge NY program takes low-cost power from upstate and makes it available downstate, giving incentives for businesses to grow in NYS. However, local downtown merchants have no access to this program, which limits revitalization. We need to adjust this limitation to allow downtowns to prosper, which could potentially be done by consolidating efforts through a Business Improvement District or Chamber of Commerce. This proposal was well-received in Albany, where many elected leaders were surprised that Recharge NY was not available to downtowns.

Mark Grossman of the NYS Department of Labor talked about the NY Youth Works program, after being introduced by Suffolk representative for Governor Cuomo Scott Martella. The program authorizes $25 million for business tax credits and $8 million for job-readiness training, and enables low-income or disadvantaged youth ages 16-24 to connect with sustainable jobs. On Long Island, participating youth must live in the Towns of Hempstead or Brookhaven, and participating businesses can be nearly anywhere on the Island. Youth and minority unemployment levels are very high, and this program will help address that gap. Meanwhile, businesses that employ participating youth will receive a maximum tax credit of $4000 in the first year, or up to $2000 for a part-time or seasonal employee. The program targets 7,000 young people statewide. Learn more and sign up your business here.

Download Mr. Grossman’s powerpoint presentation here.

The main event of the meeting started next, with a program and discussion moderated by David Winzelberg of LI Business News. A front-page story in LI Business News that week, written by Winzelberg, confirmed that New York State’s economic development department was considering a proposal that was on page 75 of an 80 page report written by the LI Regional Economic Development Council. The proposal would allow the state to take over as lead agency for all SEQRA environmental review processes for transformative or regionally significant projects, taking authority away from the local municipality or agency. The Cerro Wire mall is one project that could be affected by this change.

Howard Avrutine of the Cerro Wire Coalition opened with a presentation on the proposed mall development in Syosset, which his organization along with many civic organizations and community members oppose. The 39-acre property was first proposed in the 1990s, and along the way there have been several lawsuits and attempts to circumvent the environmental review process by going around the Town of Oyster Bay and getting recognition from regional and state agencies. Under the SEQRA proposal, Cerro Wire’s environmental review could be done at the state level, where representatives would likely be disconnected from the widespread community opposition. Avrutine said that he is adamantly opposed to the state takeover of SEQRA in this case, noting that there is no basis for changing the lead agency except that the developer would get a better deal from the state after the town denied the proposal.

Long Island Business Council reached out to Taubman Mall representatives who declined to attend or send a statment.

John Cameron of Cameron Engineering and the LI Regional Planning Council gave an opposing view. He noted that whether it is regionally significant is in eye of the beholder, and the LIRPC said yes. Taubman, the developer, is not asking for any grants or stimulus money, so the project would just be an infusion into the economy. He added that some community members have argued that the site be used for other uses like affordable or senior housing, but as a superfund site the property is not remediated to residential standards, which would cost tens of millions more. He did not comment on the SEQRA issue.

Warren Tackenberg of the Nassau County Village Officials Association argued that all 64 villages that he represents, along with the NYS Conference of Mayors, have reasons for maintaining local control and are very opposed to the state taking over SEQRA. Cerro Wire is the poster child for this debate. Bringing up an earlier point, he cited the example of the Tappan Zee Bridge replacement project, which the state controls and has been sitting on for 25 years without doing anything. He added that SEQRA has been around since 1975 with hundreds of successful reviews that have not been problematic to local communities. If there is a problem with a developer or local government, that is what the courts are for.

Vision’s Eric Alexander read a message for the group from Village of Westbury Mayor Peter Cavallaro, who said that this is a really bad idea: developers right-size projects because of local control, and developers who want to do Smart Growth will always be able to market their projects to the public if they are done right through a community process. There is no way for the state to assess all local mitigations. Cavallaro’s village has had 800 downtown housing units approved recently without much controversy or fanfare.

Dennis Grossman of the Board of Realtors said it is important to keep the process on the local level, as local people know what’s going on.

Chris Murray said that Taubman was a bad example because of the local opposition. “A hard case makes bad law,” he said. SEQRA is supposed to be an environmental review, not the weapon of choice for people who want to challenge and delay projects. There would still be local control, he argued, because the local municipality would still have the final say in zoning and site plan approvals.

Avrutine countered that SEQRA and zoning overlap, and if the state were to make its own findings it could handcuff a community if there are contrary finds (for example, both SEQRA reviews and site plans analyze traffic). That is why SEQRA is set up for the permitting authority to handle the entire application.

Neal Lewis of the Sustainability Institute at Molloy College said that this distinction is important, because the REDC’s seem to be looking for a broader usurpation of local control. In addition, the definition of regionally significant is murky.

Jeannine Maynard of the Uniondale Community Council reminded the crowd that SEQRA at its core is about looking at impacts on the environment, and as an Island we need to take that seriously. Many SEQRA reviews tend to overemphasize economic impacts over the physical environment. The people who understand those local dynamics are on the ground.

Winzelberg concluded the discussion with an audience poll: How many think it’s a good idea for the state to take over SEQRA for regionally significant projects? About 6 hands were raised. How many think it’s a terrible idea? Most of the remaining hands of the 100-person crowd were raised.

The LIBC has not taken a position on the SEQRA issue as of yet.

The following are some quotes from the meeting (and beyond) on the SEQRA matter.

Susan Berland, Huntington Town Council, speaking to News12 during the meeting, as aired on 4/13: “They want the businesses to come in, but they want them to come in and recognize what the locality wants, and by taking the responsibility away from the localities and putting it to the state, I’m concerned that what matters to my constituents is not going to be considered.”

Peter Cavallaro, Mayor of the Village of Westbury, via Facebook: “As you might imagine, this is a really bad idea. The only thing that makes developers 'right size' their projects is local control. Otherwise, developers will be able to overdevelop projects at the expense of local communities. Local governments that want to pursue smart growth (and there are plenty) will always be able to make their case to the public that a particular proposal is the right thing to do, if crafted correctly with local input. There is no way that a regional or state agency will be able to accurately and adequately assess all local impacts, and make sure that adequate mitigation is provided for. And, if the state wants to encourage community support for these regionally significant projects, maybe they should try to induce support by distributing the property tax revenue generated by these projects to the entire affected region, not just the locality in which the project happens to be located. The impacts of these projects are regional, and the benefits should be too. Instead, the state is seeking to alter the fundamental right of local communities to have a say in what they want their community to be. The state legislature should pass laws creating 'taxpayer equity' platforms to allow counties and towns to implement this kind of tax sharing tool in the decision making process.”

Howard Avrutine, who represents the Cerro Wire Coalition, said "The Economic Development Council’s report…states that for projects either transformative, regionally significant…or even important…then the state should take over reviews. And this is not limited to the Taubman application. So it’s an important issue for the people of Long Island…and to make everyone’s opinion known. As an advocate for the communities impacted by the Taubman mall project, our position is obvious. We are adamantly opposed to any state takeover of the application review process. In certain instances [state review] would be appropriate, and in certain instances it’s not. Long Island has a lot of villages…and the villages exist because the people who live in those communities want local control, home rule. That’s why they choose to live there and it’s the purest form of democracy there is…they want their villages to appear a certain way and want the people who live there to have certain amenities…that’s where enemies come. And that simply can’t be stripped away overnight.”

Warren Tackenberg, executive director of the Nassau County Village Officials Association, noted "There is no loss of translation. We are very opposed to the state takeover of SEQRA and I don’t care about the Cerro Wire mall…that’s not the issue. The issue is letting the State of New York take away local control…from the municipalities of the State of New York. If you give them that power, it would be the worst thing you could do.”

E. Christopher Murray, president of the Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce, said “SEQRA is supposed to be an environmental review; it’s not supposed to be a local control over projects. The local control over projects is site planning, is zoning; those are the mechanisms with which the county has the ability to control...SEQRA is simply supposed to be looking at the environmental impacts, looking at alternatives, and making determinations. But what it's turned into is the weapon of choice, the weapon of choice for people to try to oppose a development…you still have local control. We’re mixing everything up together and we’re using SEQRA not what it was intended for.”

Martin Cantor, in an op-ed in LI Business News: “The transfer of SEQRA responsibility could lead to a Long Island where local residents will have little say over development in their communities – places where they have made the biggest investments in their lives. Further, the development process and job creation would be further delayed by shifting SEQRA responsibility away from local elected officials because Long Island’s municipalities impacted by the regulation change would certainly seek redress from the courts...Treading on local community rule on Long Island is the new third rail of New York state politics. Be wary of touching it.”

Read the LI Business News article that sparked the discussion.

So tell us: what do you think? Email comments to info@visionlongisland.org or call us at (631) 261-0242.

See SmartTalk for photos and more!

 

Rally for pedestrian killed crossing Hempstead Turnpike highlights need for change

Vision attended a rally last weekend in remembrance of Anthony D'Alessandro, a 16-year old who died trying to cross Hempstead Turnpike after a party two weeks ago.  The rally was intended to honor Anthony, while bringing attention to the dangerous roadway and proposing a pedestrian bridge as a possible way to make it safer for pedestrians.

Following February's announcement that Hempstead Turnpike was once again named Long Island's bloodiest roadway in terms of pedestrian deaths,  the Department of Transportation, according to News12, has said that they would be fast-tracking safe street improvements such as pedestrian medians and islands, more countdown signals, modified turning lane restrictions and more red-light cameras. Some residents have suggested that another key point in making the road safer involves better enforcement of existing traffic laws, such as those against texting and driving, drinking and driving, speeding and jaywalking.

Kudos to Anthony's friends and family for putting together the event. 
Read more about the rally and the road on News12's website.

 

UPDATE: 2012 Long Island Youth Summit brings over 200 high school students to work with experts on Long Island’s issues

Dowling press release published

Pictured (L-R): Michael Dowling - President and CEO of North Shore LIJ Health System, Dr. Nathalia Rogers - Dowling College & the American Communities Institute, Honorable Steve Flotteron - Islip Town Council, Dr. Elana Zolfo - Dowling College

On Friday, March 9th, more than 200 high school students from across Long Island assembled for the 2012 Long Island Youth Summit (LIYS) at Dowling College in Oakdale. The purpose of the Summit was to work with the brightest and most active high school students to find innovative solutions to socio-economic and socio-medical issues affecting Long Island. 

According to the recently published press release from Dowling, "The purpose of the Summit is to work with the brightest and most active high school students to find innovative solutions to socio-economic and socio-medical issues affecting Long Island. During the Summit students work with experts in the fields of medicine, government, civic activism, economics, and the environment to address such issues as bullying and violence, the dangers of social networking, the effects of poverty on health, pollution of the environment, the use of renewable energy, the shortage of alternative housing, cuts in public transportation, and the inequalities in high school education."

During the Summit, students worked with experts in the fields of medicine, government, civic activism, economics, and the environment to address such issues as bullying and violence; the dangers of social networking; the effects of poverty on health; pollution of the environment; the use of renewable energy; the shortage of alternative housing; cuts in public transportation; and inequalities in high school education. Vision Long Island’s Executive Director Eric Alexander moderated a panel on LI Economic Growth and Employment, and Sustainability Director Elissa Ward served as an expert on a panel on Housing and Sustainable Community Design. (See below for a list of workshop topics, participating experts, and award winners.

This year, the program began with a keynote speech delivered by Michael Dowling, president and CEO of the North Shore-LIJ Health System. Dowling emphasized the importance of leadership and civic activism in creating positive changes in local communities.

“A future president of the United States may be in this room, a future governor of New York State may be in this room, a future president of a large health system may be in this room”, noted Dowling. Providing valuable advice to the future generation, Dowling stressed key points of leadership including: not being afraid of change, having a positive attitude, having a vision, the importance of building bridges rather than walls, and the ability to influence others based on one’s vision and attitudes rather than the power of one’s institutional title. 

Pictured (L-R): Michael Dowling - North Shore LIJ Health System, Arthur Perri - Dowling College, Scott Martella - Office of NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo, Bill Cunningham - North Shore LIJ Health System, John Keating - National Grid / LIPA, Eric Alexander - Vision Long Island, Dr. Nathalia Rogers - Dowling College & the American Communities Institute, Robert Scheiner - H2M, Dr. Elana Zolfo - Dowling College

Recognizing that future leaders are capable of making a difference in their communities right now, Dowling offered students who won the Summit’s awards an opportunity to obtain internships within the North Shore-LIJ Health System.  “If you stay engaged as a leader, you can make a difference in your community today”, he said.

Dowling noted the importance of the Summit. “This is a transformative event for the youth who have been selected to be a part of this initiative.  What we are really doing is identifying emerging leaders who will help improve the Long Island community,” he said.

Students participating in the Summit as finalists were selected from a pool of more than 500 participants who submitted projects representing high schools from across Long Island. Student projects were scored based on comprehensiveness, creativity and original research, and innovative ideas and solutions presented in a project.

“Our goal is to engage students as early as possible in creative thinking about issues that affect Long Island,” said Dr. Nathalia Rogers, director of the American Communities Institute at Dowling College.  “We’re looking for the development of future leaders in our communities and the Summit is the first step in the process.  The Summit is also a great example of a public/private partnership among organizations in the fields of health, education, business, and policy that brings together resources to provide young people with the tools they will need to succeed in the future.”

During the Summit, student finalists participated in 10 workshops including: Bullying and Violence; Social Networking; the Effects of Poverty on Health; Protection of Water and Preservation of Open Space; Renewable Energy; LI Business and Economic Development; LI Governance and Activism; Transportation; Housing and Suburban Culture; and Race, Class, and Education.

Dowling College has published their offifcial press release. Check it out here.

 

Town of Hempstead passes Complete Streets law

The Town of Hempstead became the sixth Long Island town to pass a local Complete Streets law this week, taking a major step toward designing safer streets for all road users. Hempstead joins the Towns of Babylon, Islip, Brookhaven, North Hempstead and Southampton in passing Complete Streets, along with New York State and local villages like Great Neck Plaza. 

Newsday explains, “For the most part, the town is responsible for side streets that don't have traffic lights, including busy roads such as Neptune Avenue in Seaford, Dogwood Avenue in Franklin Square and Bellmore Road in North Bellmore and East Meadow, said spokeswoman Susan Trenkle-Pokalsky.”

Town Supervisor Kate Murray said, "By developing this all-encompassing ‘Complete Streets’ policy, the town is laying the groundwork for creating more efficient roads that are safe for all residents. I am confident that pedestrians, bicyclists, and those who use public transportation will all benefit from this new road design policy.”

Vision’s Eric Alexander testified in support of the legislation at a Town Board meeting on Tuesday, along with safety advocate Sandi Vega and Tri-State Transportation Campaign.

The Wantagh-Seaford Patch writes, “Alexander said he is pleased Hempstead has joined five other Long Island townships in crafting ‘Complete Streets’ policies...‘There are a lot of people in Hempstead that will benefit from this law,’ Alexander said...Vision Long Island will be honoring Vega as well as State Sen. Charles Fuschillo, R-Merrick, this June for their commitment to improving transportation safety conditions.”

Read more from Newsday and Patch. 

 

Engel Burman advances multi-family projects

The Engel Burman Group has put forth a proposal to build 482 units of condominium housing at the 37-acre Oaktree Dairy property on Elwood Road in East Northport. The $250 million project would be marketed to as high-end housing for seniors over age 55, with prices at about $450,000 for two-bedroom units. Tentatively titled “The Seasons,” it would feature a 20,000 square foot clubhouse with indoor and outdoor pools, a gym, tennis courts and a jogging track. 

The project requires a zone change from the Town of Huntington. Engel Burman principal Steven Krieger said that the Elwood School District supports the development, which would receive about $1.7 million in school taxes per year but without any additional students, versus the $110,000 that is currently paid by Oaktree Dairy. In addition, VHB’s Bob Eschbacher analysed traffic flow and noted that peak travel hours on Elwood Road would not coincide with active hours for the 55+ community. Several improvements will be made to nearby infrastructure, including a traffic circle installed in front of the property to allow cars to enter and leave more safely, wider sidewalks in front of the nearby high school, and new signage to obey traffic safety laws. 

Engel Burman is also proposing multifamily housing developments in Brentwood and Garden City, along with additional locations for their “Bristal” senior living facilities. 

Long Island Business News wrote that Vision's Eric Alexander “said Engel Burman’s push into multifamily will help create much-needed diversity in the Island’s housing stock. ‘Engel Burman has been very active in meeting the needs of Long Island’s housing market,’ Alexander told LIBN. ‘Vision Long Island is pleased that their newest projects, such as in Brentwood and Garden City, conform to smart-growth principles and  providing alternative housing options for the local community.’”

Read more in LI Business News and Northport Patch. 

 

SEQRA Reform: The right way to go?

In December, Smart Talk reported on a troublesome measure that was tucked away on page 75 of the LI Regional Economic Development Council’s report to New York State. The measure would allow the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation to assume lead agency status on SEQRA reviews for all of the “transformative” projects identified in the plan. The goal, noted the Council, is to avoid projects getting “bogged down at the local level” during the environmental review process and that a state agency could “fast-track projects that have been identified as transformative.” These projects include Wyandanch Rising, the Hempstead Village revitalization, Heartland Town Square and the Ronkonkoma Hub, which were funded by the State last year. This could also potentially affect controversial projects like the Nassau Hub and Cerro Wire mall in Syosset.

An article in this week’s Long Island Business News reports on the local backlash to this proposal, as well as the origin and justification for the measure. As the article explains, the Nassau County Village Officials Association recently sent a letter to Lt. Governor Robert Duffy, the chair of the Regional Economic Development Councils, noting that the change would be “a serious mistake that could only lead to poor results and enhanced conflicts between DEC and the municipality that actually has responsibility for overseeing the project. It is a complete reversal of how things have been done since SEQRA was adopted more than 35 years ago.” The letter continues, “I urge you to abandon this recommendation regarding the DEC which threatens the welfare of communities and assure local officials on Long Island that the time honored home rule principles will continue to be applied as we pursue economic progress in New York.”

Meanwhile, according to LIBN, “Land use attorney Chris Kent, of Farrell Fritz in Hauppauge, said the council’s recommendation to give the state the lead is a reaction to localities that have failed to act on developments that have been identified as real necessities for the region. ‘A few local people are unduly influencing elected officials from making tough decisions,’ Kent said. ‘Sometimes hard decisions have to be made.’

The debate leaves out some problems: the DEC is known for being understaffed and giving authority to them removes the nuanced understanding of local issues that exists with local decisionmakers. SEQRA is certainly in need of reform to speed up a bureaucratic and time-consuming process, but taking away local control for ongoing downtown revitalization processes could be problematic. 

What do you think? Email us at info@visionlongisland.org with your thoughts.

This topic was discussed at this morning’s meeting of the Long Island Business Council. Stay tuned for a full update on this meeting next week.

Read more from LI Business News.

 

Census: Suburban growth shrinks while cities thrive

Suburban growth has essentially fizzled out, according to new Census estimates released this month. For the first time in at least 20 years, the annual rate of growth in American cities and surrounding urbanized areas have surpassed sprawling “exurbs” located on the edge of metropolitan areas. 

According to an article printed in Huffington Post, “Gas prices are discouraging long commutes. Young singles prefer city apartments. Two years after the recession technically ended, and despite some signs of economic recovery, there's a reversal of urbanites' decades-long exodus to roomy homes in distant towns.”

Yale University economist Robert J. Shiller called the development of suburbs since 1950 "unusual," enabled only by the rise of the automobile and the nation's highway system. "With the bursting of the bubble, we may be discovering the pleasures of the city and the advantages of renting, investing our money not in a single house but in a diversified portfolio," he said.

"The sting of this experience may very well put the damper on the long-held view among young families and new immigrants that building a home in the outer suburbs is a quick way to achieve the American dream," said William H. Frey, a Brookings Institution demographer who analyzed the census data.

Read more in The Huffington Post.

 

Bartone Plaza mixed-use project moves forward in Farmingdale

On Monday night, the Farmingdale Village Board of Trustees voted to move forward on the proposed Bartone Plaza mixed-use project by sending it to Nassau County’s Planning Commission for review. This development has been in the planning stages for many years and was awaiting the completion of additional Village-wide planning studies.

The three-story development would replace a vacant warehouse with a mix of apartments and retail space while also working as a transit-oriented district due to its proximity to LIRR. The proposal includes space for 115 apartments, several retail units on the first floor and an underground parking lot designed to hold 172 vehicles on 162,000 square feet. The Village is hoping for quick approval so they can break ground on the project sometime in August.

"We are hoping that when we reconvene on May 7 - when everything is said and done - I can bang the gavel and they can put a shovel in the ground in August," Mayor Ralph Ekstrand said Tuesday, which also happened to be his first day in office.

In addition to building the development, Bartone Properties will also provide a series of amenities in exchange for exceeding the pre-approved density cap for the Village. These amenities will include widening streets, installing parking meters that will generate revenue for the Village, brick walkways, removal and burial of utility poles, plus the addition of trees, landscaping and a pocket park. The building itself will also bring a number of new retailers into the area with a coffee shop, a bank and a frozen-yogurt shop all under consideration.

“We’re not excluding a restaurant but our immediate uses are the service-oriented retailers,” said Anthony Bartone, managing partner of Bartone properties.

Though the project originally met with some concern over density, the response from residents and the Village Board has been mostly positive and representative of a recent shift in public opinion when it comes to transit and density in Long Island downtowns. "I would say a trend is well under way," said Eric Alexander, Vision Long Island’s Executive Director. "A certain part of the market wants to live in downtowns with easy transit access to Manhattan. We see communities across Long Island do what Farmingdale is doing."

The project’s approval was due to a November amendment to Farmingdale Village’s zoning code that allows for mixed-use and high-density development. This will be the first project approved for the municipality that follows those guidelines.

Vision Long Island conducted a visioning process in 2006-2007 that identified this location for redevelopment.

Vision Long Island has also awarded Bartone Plaza a 2012 Smart Growth Award for “Revitalizing Communities”

For more press coverage check out the Farmingdale Patch and Newsday.

 

Village of Westbury makes strides in revitalization

Vision Long Island joined Village of Westbury Mayor Peter Cavallaro and Village Clerk Ted Blach in February for a walking tour of the Village to see the downtown improvements that have been made to date, as well as pending projects and potential for the area.

Construction on the Smart Growth Award-winning Westbury Theater is well underway and, when completed, it will serve as a major attraction to draw more people into the downtown. Westbury is unique in that it has an existing downtown fabric that supports daytime activities, with a great deal of housing and office space with retail lining the long main street, Post Avenue. However, the community is typically pretty quiet at night. Alternatively, many downtowns on Long Island have strong nightlife but struggle to stay vibrant during the day. The Westbury Theater will work to enhance nighttime activities in the community. Not only will the theater bring in more visitors to the downtown, but it will also support local businesses and restaurants so that people can do “dinner and a show.”

Read more on the Village of Westbury's website.

 

American Communities Institute at Dowling College releases Small Business Study

Over the summer of 2011, the American Communities Institute at Dowling College conducted a study aimed at creating recommendations for the federal government and Small Business Administration on ways to improve the small business climate in New York State and across the United States. For the purposes of the study, a company with less than 500 people qualifies as a small business.

The ACI received a grant from the US Small Business Administration to conduct a scientific study of small businesses in order to generate the recommendations, along with identifying factors that contribute to the improvement of the small business environment. This was accomplished through the combination of three different methods of data collections: a survey of small business owners; face to face focus groups with both small business owners and experts; and technical symposiums with small business owners, experts and lawmakers in attendance. Programs of the past symposiums can be found here.

The study uncovered key factors for growth in the small business community. Small businesses, for example, could benefit more from “rainy day” tax-deferred savings accounts as opposed to straight tax breaks. These accounts would be similar to IRAs for individuals, including triggers for withdrawing funds and penalties for early withdrawal, but ultimately designed to cushion them from sudden financial strain. Businesses need a set of strong incentives for small businesses to set aside money during profitable times to avoid debt-borrowing when things became lean. These tax-deferred accounts could mean the difference between staying open and closing permanently during economic downturns.

“They have an incentive to spend, so they don’t pay as much taxes,” said Dr. Nathalia Rogers, Director of the American Communities Institute at Dowling College and principal investigator for the small business study. “When a tough situation comes in, businesses have nowhere to go to get extra capital.”

“We found 52 percent of businesses, a high number, wanted the state to provide something like this and 47.8 percent wanted the federal government to do something like this,” Rogers said. “They wanted a form of self-reliance. Put a percent of profits into a tax-deferred account. When a recession hits, you can draw on those accounts up to a point without paying taxes.”

The study also concluded that small businesses have been hit hard by downturns in local downtown areas. Traditionally a haven for entrepreneurs, the study found that real estate prices and a lack of parking have been holding back growth in the area. This keeps small businesses from competing effectively with malls and shopping centers where leases are usually more costly.

“People want to see their downtowns filled with viable small businesses,” Rogers said. “Before, I don’t think that was such an issue.”

You can read the full 214 page report here. You can also check out ACI’s website here with links to past press releases and articles here.

 

Smithtown residents gather to discuss safety improvements to Main Street

Pictured (L-R): Mark Mancini - Greater Smithtown Chamber of Commerce, NYS Assemblyman Michael Fitzpatrick

Pictured (L-R): Will Stoner - AARP, Lavena Sipes - The Courtney Sipes Memorial Foundation, Eric Alexander - Vision Long Island, Ryan Lynch - Tri State Transportation Campaign

On Friday, March 23rd, over 200 Smithtown residents gathered at the Smithtown Historical Society’s Brush Barn to hear from advocates and discuss plans for future safety improvements to Main Street. In attendance were NYS Assemblyman MIchael Fitzpatrick, Suffolk County Legislator John Kennedy, and Suffolk representative for Governor Cuomo Scott Martella.  The two meetings were organized by AARP, the Greater Smithtown Chamber of Commerce, the Courtney Sipes Memorial Foundation, Vision Long Island and Tri-State Transportation Campaign.

The meetings were held to respond to an independent engineer’s report that was commissioned by the organizing groups. The report, written by Michael Wallwork of the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute (walkability expert Dan Burden’s group), states, “This project is too complex to simply add a few additional minor tweaks.” It suggests some short term solutions, such as better crosswalk striping to make sure pedestrians are more visible, but notes that the DOT’s ideas are not long-term solutions. These solutions would include encouraging more traffic on the Smithtown bypass, installing better controls like roundabouts and raised medians, a mid-block crossing near the fence, and removing one travel lane in each direction, among others. The report analyzed up to 5 locations where roundabouts could work.

Each of the two meetings began with an activity to gauge the crowd’s initial feelings toward roundabouts in Smithtown. Residents held up a red, yellow, or green sheet of paper to indicate their thoughts (negative, unsure, or positive, respectively). At the end of the meeting the activity was reprised to see how feelings had changed. Both sessions demonstrated a healthy mix of opinions, with a few minds changed from negative to positive by the end. Although roundabouts tend to be unpopular during planning stages, there was a good deal of support by the end, with 54% of attendees liking the idea, 30% opposed, and 16% undecided.  

AARP’s Will Stoner began the presentations with some information and statistics on why traffic and pedestrian safety issues are so important on Long Island, especially for the growing number of elderly individuals. New York has the 4th highest pedestrian fatality rate in the country, and 22.5% of all traffic-related deaths in the state involve pedestrians. Traffic calming matters,as dfemonstrated by the following statistics: If a car is driving 40 miles per hour, there is an 80% chance that if the car hits you while you are walking, you will die. At 30mph, there is a 60% chance that you will die. At 20mph, the chance drops to 5%. Stoner noted that local groups have been working with the Department of Transportation to turn Main Street into a “complete street.” The DOT hopes to make some quick improvements, like re-timing traffic lights, painting, and new curb cuts, but it’s not enough; we need more.

Lavena Sipes spoke briefly about the multitude of tragedies that have taken place on Main Street, including the death of her daughter, Courtney, who was killed by a speeding driver in 2009. She became outraged as the deaths continued and no one did anything to fix the road. Sipes decided to form a Facebook group, which gave some organizational power to her efforts to reform the road. She has since collected thousands of signatures and has been successful in bringing all the relevant parties together to find solutions.

Tri-State Transportation Campaign’s Ryan Lynch spoke about the widespread problem of dangerous roads on Long Island. He noted that arterial roads like Main Street, with multiple lanes designed to move traffic quickly, are responsible for 60% of pedestrian fatalities, even though they only comprise 15% of roads in the region. He discussed other dangerous roads, like Hempstead Turnpike, and efforts to repair them. However, he noted that there is “no silver bullet” to fix road problems; every road is unique and will require unique solutions.

Mark Mancini of the Greater Smithtown Chamber of Commerce presented a hyper-local look at Main Street, and explained how road design improvements will have a major impact on economic development. Smithtown is plagued by problems like an exodus of young people, a lack of sewer infrastructure which limits growth, and 36 vacant stores on Main Street, with many neighborhood shops for everyday use being replaced by pawn shops and offices. Yet the downtown also has many opportunities, including an LIRR station in the downtown, an underutilized waterfront, great restaurants, plenty of parking, and space to build apartments over stores. Mancini also introduced roundabouts, showing on a map exactly how they would work in Smithtown. He noted that when you enter a roundabout, you know that you are entering a community, and you must slow down.

Vision’s Eric Alexander spoke about potential funding opportunities for Smithtown. There are numerous sources, including the DOT capital budget, federal support, safe streets traffic calming funds, LI Regional Economic Development Council funds, and possibly a state infrastructure bank. He also discussed the new NYS Complete Streets law, along with successful examples of roundabouts on Long Island in Huntington and Great Neck Plaza. He also explained that the DOT has been doing things in recent years to make people think they are changing their methods, as seen on Route 347 and Hempstead Turnpike.

Assemblyman Fitzpatrick, a Smithtown native, also spoke briefly during the first session and provided a supportive overview for “out of the box” solutions. He added that residents should be flexible and open-minded to new solutions. Assemblyman Fitzpatrick was quoted as saying, "I am a very big fan, I do believe that they work, I’ve done some homework on it … if you look for solutions inside the box they’re gone, they’re not there. I believe in it, I want to talk about it, I want to help people understand it. I think it could be very realistic if the community gets behind it. Top down, people will push back. Bottom up? Inform them, show them, educate them and build it that way then I think it could happen more quickly than people realize.” 

Following a short video explaining the benefits of the “modern roundabout” versus the larger traffic circles that many are accustomed to and a short overview of the report’s recommendations, the meeting was opened up to questions and suggestions.

There were many comments and concerns about the roundabouts, most relating to the logistics of navigating them by foot or car and whether they would actually succeed in calming traffic. For example, when do people walk if traffic lights are removed? And how do you prevent cars from backing up in bumper-to-bumper traffic? To cross the street, pedestrians would only have to cross halfway at a time, resting in pedestrian islands in the middle. In addition, pedestrians and drivers would rely on naturally slower speeds and improved signage to make eye contact and avoid collisions. Roundabouts would help to serve as visual cues that drivers are entering a downtown area, and naturally slow them down. Roundabouts also allow for a constant flow of traffic, so even if cars are backed up they are always moving. Some suggested that roundabouts could work well as a pair, with one at Route 111 and one at Town Hall, serving as gateways into the community. Statistics tell us that roundabouts work: on Gerard Street in Huntington Village, there were 33 accidents the year before the roundabouts were installed and 0 the year after.

Some residents also called for additional immediate actions that are easier to implement, like retiming traffic lights, installing red light cameras, and creating public education campaigns about obeying traffic laws. Some mentioned that the Town needs to create a master plan to help. Many also called for better enforcement of traffic violations. Assemblyman Fitzpatrick noted that one problem is that there is no place on Main Street for a police car to pull anyone over. However, redesigning the road will be just as important, if not more so, to improving safety. Design changes behavior, and these traffic calming solutions give the best chance possible to Smithtown’s pedestrians and drivers.  

Read more press coverage at Newsday, News 12, Patch, The Times of Smithtown, and FiOS1 .

 

NYS passes budget deal; transportation wins big; First Long Island Lobby Coalition for 2012

Governor Cuomo and the New York State Legislature have reached an agreement to pass a $132.5 billion budget, and transportation ‘fares’ well! The MTA Capital Plan will receive an infusion of $770 million, allowing it to be fully funded for the final three years of its 2010-2014 span, and the bond cap will be raised to $7 billion. This is a win for projects like East Side Access and Manhattan’s Second Avenue Subway. This is a measure that was part of the Long Island Lobby Coalition’s 2012 platform, so we are excited to celebrate its success! A source told the Daily News that “This represents the greatest commitment to the MTA from a governor in recent history.”

The MTA said in a statement "The MTA is grateful for Governor Cuomo's leadership and commitment in recognizing the critical importance of funding mass transit, and in particular fully funding our current Capital Program. The MTA Capital Program not only provides for continued investment in our network, but also creates tens of thousands of jobs and generates economic activity across the entire state. With this funding, the MTA will continue to enhance our riders' experience by investing in the future of our transportation network, as well as bringing our assets up to a state of good repair."

The budget was the first win in 2012 for the Long Island Lobby Coalition which was in Albany this February and has been advocating for budget items since then.  The Lobby Coalition was happy to see the budget include both the approved funds for the transportation capital plan as well as funding for Nassau and Suffolk County to expand its red light camera program, both of which were specifically in the Coalition's platform (link here). Kudos to the LI Federation of Labor and the Tri-State TransportationCampaign for making these issues a high priority in their lobby efforts in Albany.

The budget also funds the Governor’s NY Works Fund, which would develop a coordinated capital infrastructure plan with various state agencies, and work to fund and implement those projects. This could help accelerate road and bridge repair projects. It also funds the second round of Regional Economic Development Council projects.

Governor Cuomo said, "For the second straight year, New York State has worked and created a balanced budget based on fiscal responsibility, job creation, government efficiency, and the premise that we must invest in our communities. The cornerstone of this budget is the New York Works program, a new and smarter strategy for putting New Yorkers back to work by rebuilding our aging infrastructure and helping put our state's economy back on track, just the way we have put our state government back on track. I commend Majority Leader Skelos and Speaker Silver for working with us to achieve this historic early progress."

Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos said, "The historic, on-time budget passed today puts New York State on the path to future prosperity by keeping spending under control and putting in place important measures to create private sector jobs. As we have done over the past 15 months, the Legislature has worked together with Governor Cuomo to achieve bipartisan results that protect taxpayers and get the economy working again. I commend the Governor for his leadership and look forward to continuing to work together in a bipartisan way to rebuild our state."

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said, "This year’s state budget is good news for New Yorkers. While we are holding the line on spending, we are funding vital safety net programs, including the promised four percent increase in education and healthcare programs. For the second year in a row we have passed an on-time, balanced budget by working together with Governor Cuomo in a bipartisan manner. I thank the Governor for working together with the Legislature and I look forward to continued progress building a better future for all our state’s residents."

Read more press coverage from Bloomberg News or The Gothamist or read a summary of the budget on the Governor’s website.

 

House punts on Transportation Bill; Obama signs 90-day stopgap extension

Fortunately our April Fools’ joke about Congress failing to pass a transportation bill, thus causing a shutdown of all government transportation services, did not come true. But UNfortunately, our favored outcome of the House passing HR 14 before March 31st did not come true either. Instead, the House passed a 90-day extension of SAFETEA-LU. With no other option forthcoming, the Senate approved the House's stopgap bill, setting up another showdown on the previously uncrontroversial issue in 90 days. This serves as the 9th extension of SAFETEA-LU, which was signed into law by the President last Friday. Speaker Boehner still hopes to pass a 5-year bill, but with a fractured House and such widespread opposition to HR 7, the future of this process is murky at best.

“The House should have passed the sensible, bipartisan bill approved by the Senate earlier this month,” said US Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), who serves as the chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. “Kicking the can down the road for another 90 days is not good policy. While I am relieved that we’ve been able to avoid letting our job-critical and surface transportation safety programs lapse, I’m frustrated that the House has been unable to act on the Senate’s bipartisan two-year reauthorization, which passed (the Senate) with 74 votes.”

Streetsblog summarizes the situation well: “Just to remind everyone where things stand, the Senate has passed, in a 74-22 vote, a two-year transportation bill that the House GOP doesn’t like. Meanwhile, the House has offered up a 90-day extension of current funding that Senate Democrats don’t like. House Republicans are expected to use their extension to buy time for their five-year bill that almost nobody likes.”

They continue by noting that Congress needs to stop passing short-term extensions: “Every extension eats away at the Senate bill’s value as a long-term reauthorization measure. The Senate’s two-year bill would go into effect retroactively to September 30, 2011, meaning that even if it were to be signed into law tomorrow, it will only be in effect for 18 months. Tack on a 90-day extension, and what is nominally a two-year bill would in reality be a 15-month bill. Another 90 day extension to the August recess would reduce the Senate bill to little more than a one-year deal, and any extensions beyond that would effectively kill the Senate bill altogether.”

Read more on this important issue at Streetsblog.

 

Village elections a win for revitalization platforms in Farmingdale and Patchogue

Congratulations go out to the winners of this week’s local Village elections! Village of Patchogue Mayor Paul Pontieri was re-elected for a third term and Ralph Ekstrand was elected Mayor of the Village of Farmingdale, replacing incumbent Butch Starkie, who did not seek re-election. Both ran on platforms of downtown revitalization and plan to continue or implement planning efforts in their communities. 

In Patchogue, Mayor Pontieri has been successful in bringing hundreds of new housing units to the downtown in the last few years, with projects including ArtSpace, Copper Beech, New Village, River Walk and many others completed or underway. These housing units connect with strong local businesses and entertainment opportunities, such as the Patchogue Theater for the Performing Arts. Pontieri will continue to promote downtown revitalization and Smart Growth solutions over the coming years.

Pontieri said, "I think it's very clear the residents want us to move forward. They understand where we've been, they understand where we've come to, and they understand the next steps are the big and bold ones. We're moving forward."

Farmingdale’s challenge is to implement planning efforts and reports that have been in the works for years but have been too long delayed by many planning efforts. Recent zoning amendments will allow for additional housing in the downtown, including apartments above stores. Ekstrand ran on the “Farmingdale 2035” party line and, along with his new Village Trustees, will work to bring in private sector builders and work toward a revitalized community.

Ralph Ekstrand said,  “A vibrant, revitalized downtown will only become a reality by utilizing transit oriented development and mixed use buildings. With our historic train station as a focal point, our plan includes controlled growth and walkability from the train station to Main Street.” He added, "It was a hard fought election on both sides. The people had a choice of whether to go forward with development and revitalization or not, and the residents chose building and revitalization, and for that I am eternally grateful."

Read more about all the Village elections at Newsday.

 

Suffolk County creates land bank

Suffolk lawmakers are applauding the creation of a Suffolk County Land Bank, a measure that takes advantage of a new state law and allows Suffolk County to remediate and return to the tax rolls abandoned and contaminated brownfield properties. The Legislature unanimously supported creating the Land Bank earlier this month.

The law allows the County to establish the Suffolk County Land Bank Corporation, a not-for-profit entity that gives the County discretion to acquire and sell brownfields for development purposes. Brownfields are abandoned properties, previously used for industrial purposes or commercial uses that are contaminated by hazardous waste or pollution. Often located in busy commercial or industrial areas, they have the potential to be put back on the tax rolls once they are cleaned up. The problem is County law currently does not allow for these properties to be sold at a price lower than what is owed in back taxes. The State’s Land Bank law, adopted last summer, encourages developers to purchase properties by allowing them to be sold at price lower than the outstanding tax lien, however the developer is responsible for the remediation.

“All across Suffolk County, communities are struggling to cope with vacant, abandoned, and tax-delinquent properties, resulting in lost revenue to the county and leading to deterioration of neighborhoods and business districts,” said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. “This Land Bank will finally give Suffolk County a tool to put dozens of brownfields in the hands of private individuals where they can be cleaned up and restored to good use.”

According to the Suffolk County Brownfields Taskforce, at least 83 brownfield sites comprised of 76.8 acres, representing more than $20 million in uncollected tax revenue, would qualify for remediation under the new entity. These parcels are located in communities all over Suffolk County from Babylon to Southold. Taxpayers are further shielded from any additional costs because board members will serve without pay and existing County employees will staff the land bank.

Bellone developed the measure in consultation with Legislators DuWayne Gregory and Tom Cilmi. The County Executive introduced the measure this month in order to allow Suffolk to qualify for the State’s first round of authorization and to also become eligible for federal funding that the County could qualify for this summer. Once the board is formed, members will begin meeting to determine which of the current stock of brownfields have the greatest potential for development.   

Read more on the County Executive’s website.

 

Federal Update: House must act on transportation bill; HR14 introduced

The House of Representatives has only one week left to take action on the surface transportation bill before current legislation expires. While HR7 has gone back to the drawing board, and the piece that would eliminate dedicated transit funding is likely to be scrapped, there is still a long way to go before the House bill is in good shape. Fortunately, some good news came Thursday night when Long Island’s own Representative Tim Bishop introduced HR14, which is identical to the Senate’s bill.

The Senate’s version of the bill, a 2-year, $109 billion package, was passed with bipartisan support last week, and includes provisions to support transit, biking, walking, complete streets, transit-oriented development and other important components that support the Smart Growth movement.

Unfortunately, Speaker Boehner has said that he hopes to pass a short-term extension of current legislation and revisit the issue after the spring holidays, still hoping to pass a 5-year bill. He has expressed that he will not bring HR 14 up for a vote before the March 31st deadline. Many have been speculating this week that if the Senate’s bill were up for a vote in the House today, it would receive the 218 votes needed to pass. "So what the heck is Speaker Boehner afraid of?” said Senator Charles Schumer, who is among many Senators who are putting pressure on the House to move the Senate’s bill this week.

Vision had a letter to the editor on this issue published in Newsday on Wednesday, titled “Keep safe streets, transit in bill.” The piece reads:

For the fourth time since 2008, Hempstead Turnpike has won the great (dis)honor of being the most dangerous road for pedestrians in the region ["Deadly roads for LI pedestrians," News, March 8]. With 15 pedestrians killed by vehicles in three years on the turnpike, local leaders are right to look for solutions and calm traffic.

Unfortunately, a stalemate in Congress puts initiatives like this at risk. Supporters of transit and pedestrian safety have been fighting for more equitable funding formulas introduced into a long-term transportation bill -- one that would reflect the growing numbers of walkers, bikers and transit users.

So when the House of Representatives introduced its now-defeated version of a five-year surface transportation bill, pedestrian-safety supporters were floored that not only was equitable funding not in place, but the bill actually removed dedicated transit funding, eliminated pedestrian safety programs and removed local control over transportation funding sources. Municipalities would lose access to safety programs like Safe Routes to Schools and Transportation Enhancements, and New York State could lose nearly half of its transit funding, about $1.7 billion.

After a massive outcry, House leaders said they would go back to the drawing board. The Senate's version of the bill -- a two-year, $109-billion package -- is more on track.

Eric Alexander, [Northport]

Editor's note: The writer is the executive director of Vision Long Island, a nonprofit advocate for smart growth.

Newsday also published an editorial which argues the same point.

Senator Schumer has also noted that the Senate’s bill could bring $3.5 billion in infrastructure dollars to New York over the next two years.

In related news, this week was the National Bike Summit in Washington, a 3-day event that drew over 800 cyclists from 49 states to raise awareness on this important and growing mode of transportation. The release reads, “[T]he Summit convenes as Congress considers how to spend billions of dollars on the future of our transportation system. Bicycling represents a popular, equitable and growing mobility option that creates jobs, cuts healthcare costs and protects American families from skyrocketing gas prices. Still, members of the U.S. House of Representatives are poised to eliminate dedicated funding for cost-effective programs that make bicycling safe and accessible in urban and rural communities across the country.”

 

 

Federal Transportation Bill passes Senate 74-22

On Wednesday afternoon, the U.S. Senate passed their 2-year, $109 billion surface transportation reauthorization bill with a bipartisan vote of 74-22. The bill includes many of the provisions that we have been fighting for and is a major success for sustainable and equitable transportation funding in our country and region. The Senate is urging the House of Representatives to swiftly adopt their version of the bill, before current funding expires on March 31st.

The Senate bill, known as MAP-21, maintains current levels of road and transit funding and protects the existing transit funding source threatened by the House. It maintains local control over certain funds and ensures access to funding for safer walking and bicycling through programs like Safe Routes to Schools and Transportation Enhancements. It also includes language that makes federal road projects include “complete streets” principles, restores the federal commuter transit benefit, reforms the New Starts program to get transit projects out the door faster, allows transit agencies to use a small portion of federal funds for emergency operations and creates a transit-oriented development planning grant program for municipalities.

By protecting transit funding and providing flexibility from a costly federal mandate, Senator Charles E. Schumer noted that the Senate’s bill would provide additional flexibility to the MTA to build the $750 million Second Track project on the LIRR from Farmingdale to Ronkonkoma.

Schumer said: “This bill will allow the MTA to make the Farmingdale-to-Ronkonkoma second track its first priority for Long Island. Our bipartisan bill provides the MTA with the needed flexibility to finally devote the resources to move forward with this second track; a project the agency itself described as its most important project for the Long Island Railroad. A second track would radically reduce commuting times, facilitate the flow of workers into and out of Long Island, spur the growth of MacArthur airport and create a job creation corridor right down the center of the island. No more excuses and delays, the MTA needs to make it a top priority in their capital plan.”

Read more in SmartTalk.

 

Vision in Washington for Railroad Day

Vision Long Island traveled to Washington, DC on March 8th to participate in “Railroad Day on Capitol Hill,” an annual event organized by GoRail. GoRail “unites rail stakeholders with community leaders and the public to support rail solutions for tomorrow’s transportation challenges.” The lobbying effort was a unique opportunity for Vision to connect with national leaders working to advance freight and passenger rail. The day sought to extend a railroad tax credit, preserve balanced regulation and bringing about a more balanced transportation infrastructure spending policy. Throughout the day, we met with Long Island Congressmen Tim Bishop and Steve Israel, who were receptive to our issues.

Issues specifically included: preserving reasonable regulation by opposing the Railroad Antitrust Enforcement Act (S.49/S.A.1591); extending the Short Line Tax Credit by supporting the Short Line Railroad Rehabilitation and Investment Act of 2011 (H.R. 721 and S.672); opposing bigger and heavier trucks through the surface transportation bill (S.1813 and H.R. 7); and preserving the Section 130 Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety Program.

Freight rail infrastructure is very important to our national and regional economies. We hope that new freight opportunities can expand on Long Island to help reduce congestion on our highways and build our economy, like the new Calverton rail spur which has already attracted several new businesses to the area.

For more information head on over to GoRail.com.

 

2012 Long Island Youth Summit brings over 200 high school students to work with experts on Long Island’s issues

Pictured (L-R): Michael Dowling - President and CEO of North Shore LIJ Health System, Dr. Nathalia Rogers - Dowling College & the American Communities Institute, Honorable Steve Flotteron - Islip Town Council, Dr. Elana Zolfo - Dowling College

On Friday, March 9th, more than 200 high school students from across Long Island assembled for the 2012 Long Island Youth Summit (LIYS) at Dowling College in Oakdale. The purpose of the Summit was to work with the brightest and most active high school students to find innovative solutions to socio-economic and socio-medical issues affecting Long Island. 

During the Summit, students worked with experts in the fields of medicine, government, civic activism, economics, and the environment to address such issues as bullying and violence; the dangers of social networking; the effects of poverty on health; pollution of the environment; the use of renewable energy; the shortage of alternative housing; cuts in public transportation; and inequalities in high school education. Vision Long Island’s Executive Director Eric Alexander moderated a panel on LI Economic Growth and Employment, and Sustainability Director Elissa Ward served as an expert on a panel on Housing and Sustainable Community Design. (See below for a list of workshop topics, participating experts, and award winners.

This year, the program began with a keynote speech delivered by Michael Dowling, president and CEO of the North Shore-LIJ Health System. Dowling emphasized the importance of leadership and civic activism in creating positive changes in local communities.

“A future president of the United States may be in this room, a future governor of New York State may be in this room, a future president of a large health system may be in this room”, noted Dowling. Providing valuable advice to the future generation, Dowling stressed key points of leadership including: not being afraid of change, having a positive attitude, having a vision, the importance of building bridges rather than walls, and the ability to influence others based on one’s vision and attitudes rather than the power of one’s institutional title. 

Pictured (L-R): Michael Dowling - North Shore LIJ Health System, Arthur Perri - Dowling College, Scott Martella - Office of NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo, Bill Cunningham - North Shore LIJ Health System, John Keating - National Grid / LIPA, Eric Alexander - Vision Long Island, Dr. Nathalia Rogers - Dowling College & the American Communities Institute, Robert Scheiner - H2M, Dr. Elana Zolfo - Dowling College

Recognizing that future leaders are capable of making a difference in their communities right now, Dowling offered students who won the Summit’s awards an opportunity to obtain internships within the North Shore-LIJ Health System.  “If you stay engaged as a leader, you can make a difference in your community today”, he said.

Dowling noted the importance of the Summit. “This is a transformative event for the youth who have been selected to be a part of this initiative.  What we are really doing is identifying emerging leaders who will help improve the Long Island community,” he said.

Students participating in the Summit as finalists were selected from a pool of more than 500 participants who submitted projects representing high schools from across Long Island. Student projects were scored based on comprehensiveness, creativity and original research, and innovative ideas and solutions presented in a project.

“Our goal is to engage students as early as possible in creative thinking about issues that affect Long Island,” said Dr. Nathalia Rogers, director of the American Communities Institute at Dowling College.  “We’re looking for the development of future leaders in our communities and the Summit is the first step in the process.  The Summit is also a great example of a public/private partnership among organizations in the fields of health, education, business, and policy that brings together resources to provide young people with the tools they will need to succeed in the future.”

During the Summit, student finalists participated in 10 workshops including: Bullying and Violence; Social Networking; the Effects of Poverty on Health; Protection of Water and Preservation of Open Space; Renewable Energy; LI Business and Economic Development; LI Governance and Activism; Transportation; Housing and Suburban Culture; and Race, Class, and Education.

 

AARP, Vision Long Island, Tri-State Transportation Campaign and Smithtown Chamber of Commerce release safety recommendations for Main Street Smithtown

Michael Wallwork, an engineer from the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute, released a report this week that presents several recommendations for design changes that would best benefit traffic safety on Smithtown’s Main Street. According to the study, the best way to calm traffic along the 1-mile strip would be to install five roundabouts, reduce the road from four lanes to two, lower the speed limit and install a raised median.

The report was commissioned by AARP with support from Tri-State Transportation Campaign, the Courtney Sipes Foundation, the Greater Smithtown Chamber of Commerce and Vision Long Island, and was written after walkability expert Dan Burden came to Smithtown and spoke with both DOT and community representatives.

Two public meeting to present the report and hear from the community will be held on March 23rd: one from 1-3pm, and one from 7-9pm. Both will take place at the Smithtown Historical Society’s Brush Barn, 211 East Main Street (Route 25). Register on the AARP’s website.

The report was featured on page 8 of Monday’s Newsday, and an article in the Smithtown Patch features a poll and some insightful comments by community members.

 

Vision in D.C. for federal transportation bill

Pictured (L-R): Transportation for America's Ilana Pruess, Eric Alexander, and U.S. Representative Carolyn McCarthy

Vision Long Island Executive Director Eric Alexander traveled to Washington, DC on February 28th and 29th to participate in an advocacy event organized by Transportation for America to fight for the federal surface transportation bill. The first day included several panels and training sessions on the bill, while the second was filled with lobbying visits to Congressional members from across the country. The overarching goal is to promote a transportation bill that is adequately funded and promotes a more balanced system including transit, traffic calming and pedestrian and bicycle projects in addition to highway funding.

Vision met with Representative Tim Bishop and Representative Carolyn McCarthy, as well as the offices of Representative Steve Israel, Representative Gary Ackerman, Representative Peter King and Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand. The meetings were very successful and we know that our representatives were listening, as evidenced by recent movement on the bill.

The dreadful House bill, HR 7, has disappeared from public attention as it has gone back to the drawing board. Our comments were important to reiterating public distaste for certain components of this bill, especially the piece that would eliminate all dedicated transit funds (we expect that this piece will be restored in a new version). Meanwhile, the Senate adopted three important amendments to their 2-year bill, MAP-21, shortly after our visit. These included the Cardin-Cochran amendment to ensure that local municipalities have access to pedestrian and bicycle safety funds, the Franken-Blunt to provide additional flexibility for states to repair bridges and the Landrieu-Murray amendment to ensure that the bill’s incentive for states to repair bridges doesn’t inadvertently punish MPOs. The Transportation for America coalition is supporting these amendments, and given their adoption now officially support the Senate’s version of the bill.

The Senate will now be breaking MAP-21 into 30 separate amendments and voting on them individually. Many of these amendments are not at all related to transportation, or are non-germane as it is commonly known, and will likely be more controversial. These will likely include the Keystone XL pipeline and expanded oil drilling. However, the positive transportation amendments will be rolled into a “manager’s amendment” package which is a victory.

We’re pleased that our time in Washington was so productive. It is important that we all continue to remind our Representatives that the transportation bill matters to us and that we want to see transit and pedestrian projects on more equal footing as highways.

 

Schumer supports Hicksville’s Thought Box project locating to post office building

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer is asking the U.S. Post Office to work with the leadership of Accelerate Long Island to transform the currently underused Post Office building in Hicksville into space for the new Thought Box 1 business incubator project. The Thought Box aims to redevelop existing vacant properties in downtown Hicksville into multi-use space for innovative companies and entrepreneurs involved with the federal research lab in Brookhaven as well as other institutions. A 450,000 square foot building such as the post office, which has residential and commercial space and is located near the Hicksville LIRR station, will create hundreds of jobs and serve as a key piece in the revitalizion of downtown Hicksville. The project leaders have not yet selected a location for the project.

In December, the project received a $3 million grant from the state’s Regional Economic Development Council for construction of a business incubator. Canrock Ventures, a LI venture capital firm, and the LI Emerging Technology Fund, a fund dedicated to Accelerate LI technologies, will be the Thought Box Center’s first tenants, and will bring with them the eight technology companies on Long Island they have already invested in. It is estimated that they will be bringing from 200 to 500 employees with them.  On day one, the Hicksville Thought Box could have at least one technology anchor with over 500 employees.

in a letter to the Postmaster General, US Senator Chuck Schumer urged the Post Office to work with the leaders of the Thought Box project to explore selling or leasing the space. Schumer also said that disposing of this run-down facility to the private sector would allow the Hicksville Postal Service workforce to potentially re-locate to a modern facility with better amenities.

“Providing a new home for Accelerate Long Island companies, helping the Post Office cut costs, and locating the Thought Box 1 concept in Downtown Hicksville is a win-win-win," said Senator Schumer, "Long Island could become a new hub for technological innovation – if we commit to fostering and growing start-up tech businesses. By turning this post office into the next state-of-the-art incubator right here in Hicksville, we could demonstrate Long Island’s commitment to being the next home of innovative, cutting-edge entrepreneurs and companies.”

Lionel Chitty, President of Hicksville Chamber of Commerce, noted that “the Hicksville Chamber of Commerce is very supportive of Senator Schumer for recognizing the need to revitalize our downtown with an opportunity for high tech office, retail and housing development.  This initiative will be a part of our ongoing visioning effort that has the support of our local business and community leaders.”

“Kudos to Senator Schumer for supporting the transformation of the local post office facility into productive use through mixed use development," said Vision Long Island's Executive Director Eric Alexander. "This tax positive project will add economic viability and life to the local downtown in partnership with the vision of the local chamber of commerce and community leaders.”

Read more in Senator Schumer’s press release.

 

Riverhead to gain “historic downtown” status

The NYS Historic Preservation Board is recommending downtown Riverhead to be one of 31 places that be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This designation will be a major help to ongoing downtown revitalization efforts in the downtown. The state board said “the concentration of buildings represents Riverhead’s importance as the center of business, culture, entertainment and government on the East End of Long Island.”

According to Richard Wines, chairman of Riverhead’s Landmarks Preservation Commissions, “Getting parts of downtown on the National Historic Register facilitates the availability of restoration tax credits. It should really be valuable for the town board’s revitalization efforts on Main Street.” The creation of a “Riverhead Main Street Historic District” will allow local property owners to get assistance in revitalizing their buildings through programs and services such as matching state grants and historic rehabilitation tax credits.

The historic designation still has to be approved by the state, which is expected by summer. Mr. Wines suggested downtown Riverhead property owners should apply for tax credits now, since just being recommended for the register qualifies the designated area for a 40 percent rehabilitation tax credit.

Read more at LI Business News.

 

LI Smart Growth Working Group hears from Congressman Bishop and Suffolk County Executive Bellone

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and US Congressman Tim Bishop

Sustainability Institute at Molloy College's Neal Lewis, Greenman Pedersen's Mayer Horn, Jobco's Michael Puntillo, LI Business Council's Bob Fonti, Citizens Campaign for the Environment's Adrienne Esposito, US Congressman Tim Bishop, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, Vision Long Island's Eric Alexander, Renaissance Downtowns' Brandon Palanker, Tri-State Transportation Campaign's Ryan Lynch, Uniondale Community Council's Jeannine Maynard, PCAC's Jan Wells and Leadership Huntington's Trudy Fitzsimmons

The Long Island Smart Growth Working Group held its first meeting of the year on February 24th at the Sustainability Institute at Molloy College in Farmingdale. Over 80 participants came to hear from special guest speakers Congressman Tim Bishop and Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, as well as reports from several municipalities and initiatives on the Island.

Congressman Tim Bishop kicked off the meeting by discussing two major issues that he is working on at the federal level: the surface transportation bill and wastewater infrastructure. On transportation, Bishop discussed what he called a crisis in the federal government’s inability to pass a long-term transportation bill because Congress in unable to agree on a funding mechanism. Part of the problem is that the highway trust fund money created by the gas tax has decreased, due to people driving more fuel-efficient vehicles and traveling less frequently. Though Bishop noted this is a good thing, it still creates a funding gap. The “looming crisis” is the House leadership’s current bill that has passed through committees and cuts all dedicated transit revenue as well as the small programs that do traffic calming (Safe Routes to School and Transportation Enhancements). If passed, we could lose 550,000 jobs and 45 of the 50 states would get less money over the next five years. Part of the bill would also eliminate the environmental review process at the federal level. Bishop argued that this process needs to be streamlined, but not eliminated. Bishop quoted Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood saying that this is the most anti-safety bill he has ever seen. The bill, HR 7, may not have the votes to pass the House, which suggests it will be “dead on arrival” in the Senate. Bishop said that we need to find a way to come together and do what we have historically done and pass a transportation bill on a bipartisan basis.

On wastewater infrastructure, Bishop noted that we have a $300 billion backlog on clean water needs, and there has been a major funding dip in past years. He has introduced a bill that would increase the funding level to $13.8 billion over five years—still not what is needed but more than is currently allocated. In addition, this bill would leverage private dollars by creating a wastewater infrastructure bank, as well as allow direct lending to municipalities to assist with local projects. The bill would create many jobs for builders and system suppliers.

Responding to a question from the audience, Bishop mentioned that there is talk about breaking up the transportation bill into three sections and voting on them individually, then if passed, stitching them back together and sending the bill to the Senate. This still likely would not repair the damage that this bill imposes.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone spoke next, noting that his first 7 weeks in office have felt like a year, but that he is optimistic about the changes he will make for the County. His budget and finance task force will release a report next week that highlights the “shocking” and “horrible” financial circumstances of the County. Bellone has already laid off 20% of his management staff, but noted that, despite these circumstances, he is committed to doing more with less, especially in terms of economic development and sustainable growth.

Bellone’s plan to streamline government will work hand-in-hand with the new Economic Development and Planning Department. This new department will have a Commissioner and point people for the areas of downtown revitalization; agriculture, marine and tourism; sustainability; health care; environment and open space; housing; transportation; Innovate Suffolk; and one-stop shop.

The transportation person will focus on changing our land-use planning to focus on transit-oriented development, rather than the unsustainable model of adding more cars. Bellone noted, “Towns and villages are changing the way they do planning.” This local lens is one piece of Bellone’s “Connect Long Island” plan. This plan includes local TOD projects that are already underway, including the Ronkonkoma Hub, Wyandanch Rising and many others. It will also include investing in a second track on the LIRR from Farmingdale to Ronkonkoma and improving North-South transit connections through a Bus Rapid Transit line on the Route 110 corridor.

Innovate Suffolk will be an initiative to help effectively leverage our assets- including education, natural resources, technology and others- to grow our economy and facilitate growth. The one-stop-shop person will provide a place where businesses go to understand all of the opportunities available in our region, such as tax breaks, grants, energy credits and others. This is one way that our Island can become an “economic powerhouse” rather than “bouncing along on the bottom” as we currently are in our region. Bellone noted that “this is not a sprint, it’s a marathon.”

County Executive Bellone stayed to answer nearly a dozen questions. He spoke on the health department and how projects tend to get stuck there, and on this issue suggested that “the natural state of a bureaucracy when it’s not managed well is to stop things, slow things down.” He responded to a question on keeping our young people on LI by reinforcing the importance of the elements of his new economic development department. You must address the things that keep young people in a place, he said, including rental housing, good-paying jobs, entertainment and more. Transportation advocates in the audience praised Bellone for passing a Complete Streets policy in the Town of Babylon when he was Supervisor, which served as a catalyst for other municipalities as well as the passage of the statewide bill last year. Tri-State Transportation Campaign’s Ryan Lynch suggested Bellone consider closing gaps in the state bill by passing a countywide policy or monitor how the towns build roads.

Bellone closed by saying that the County will support local plans, acting “much less academic, and much more focused on implementing.” The County will work to make Smart Growth happen, recognizing that on Long Island planning happens at the local level and that the County should serve in an administrative role only. Spontaneous applause broke out, with audience members thrilled to see such a major reversal in policy at the County level.

After lunch, the meeting continued with several local reports. Jonathan Keyes from the Town of Babylon noted that the Wyandanch sewers will be finished in the spring, and the park will be opened in July. Sal Coco of BHC Architects spoke briefly on the Wyandanch Rising project, noting that they are working on the designs now and are looking at adding an extra development phase to help with financing. Kathy Sefchek of the Town of Hempstead and Jeannine Maynard of the Uniondale Community Council spoke about the Uniondale community visioning project and said that they hope to have a community vision plan in place by this summer. Linda Bianculli and Ralph Healy from Oyster Bay talked about Hicksville, which is proceeding with phase one of a brownfield project and a traffic study on parking resources. There is talk about expanding the centrally-located Kennedy Park, which seemed to be news to Hicksville Chamber of Commerce’s Lionel Chitty and Jim Pavone. The Town is also investing $3.5 million (mostly from Regional Economic Development Council money) in a 350,000 square foot tech facility near the train station called “Thought Box.”

The Town of North Hempstead’s Michael Levine gave several new updates, including one on the $5 million in federal stimulus money for New Cassel and the completion of the community center planned for this spring. Port Washington is also looking to expand mixed-use development to areas around the train station, but have run into some opposition. However they have seen success with a new three-story, 33-unit mixed use building. The Town of Huntington update came from LI Business Council’s Bob Fonti. He discussed the success of the new Paramount Theater for the community and the region. The town is looking at the Route 110 corridor to expand business opportunities and incentives for landlords. There are a number of senior housing projects underway in the town and the Village of Northport is working on sewer infrastructure. Brandon Palanker of Renaissance Downtowns, the officially-designated master developer for the Village of Hempstead, said that labor and zoning agreements are in progress and that local community members can have a voice, starting at the new website, renewhempstead.com. Michael Puntillo of Jobco talked about his Central Islip project which he hopes to start construction on this year. Coram Civic Association’s Erma Gluck talked about the exciting plan to build a new mixed-use town center in Coram.

The updates moved from the local to the regional. Adrienne Esposito of Citizens Campaign for the Environment talked about the recent successful collaboration of 55 organizations for Long Island Lobby Day in Albany, and she and Vision’s Eric Alexander called on additional groups to join the coalition. Greg Watson of NYS Homes and Community Renewal covered the Regional Economic Development Council funding that Long Island recently received and noted that round two of funding is coming soon. Susan Lagville of Housing Help discussed the state budget provision which will end funding to 14 organizations on Long Island that provide on-the-ground counseling to people for housing foreclosures and mortgages. The State would to replace these local groups which reach hundreds of thousands of people with one “mobile van” that served the same function. They hope to fight this provision.

Jobco’s Michael Puntillo mentioned a private-sector solution that he is doing with a project in Central Islip, whereby instead of building the required 20% affordable housing units, the company will purchase and refurbish foreclosed homes in the neighboring community and work to get people back into them. Neal Lewis of the Sustainability Institute at Molloy College mentioned some solar policies and opportunities, which will be explored further at a conference on April 20th. Kathy Wisnewski from National Grid also covered their energy efficiency programs, including one that works with towns to provide rehabilitation grants. National Grid is looking to the next generation of housing projects and they are working with Vision to find ways to get energy efficiency into mixed-use projects. Finally, Paddy Steinschneider of the Congress for the New Urbanism-NY Chapter applauded Vision for moving beyond academia and really accomplishing a great deal. He mentioned an inspiring project by Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk that was recently presented in NYC on her Miami21 plan, which comprehensively rezoned the entire city with community support. Stay tuned for 2014 when the national CNU conference comes to New York in Buffalo.

Read press coverage in LI Business News here. See more pictures and full coverage in SmartTalk.

NICE Bus plans service changes

Veolia Transportation, Nassau County’s new private bus operator, hosted two community meetings last week to announce several changes to their NICE Bus system. The changes appear to be a mixed bag, with some severe service cuts that will hurt riders as well as some seemingly positive additions.

On the plus side, the company will be adding new express routes and will adjust certain bus schedules to align with LIRR trains better. They also reinforced their promise not to raise fares this year. Unfortunately with the good comes the bad: about 30 lines will see service reductions, mostly at midday and weekend hours and some routes will be consolidated. No routes will be completely eliminated. The service changes are scheduled to go into effect on April 8th, though Veolia will listen to the public and insists that the changes are not set in stone yet. Learn more about specific changes on the NICE website here.

The community meetings, which are required to take place before enacting any service cuts, took place Wednesday night in Uniondale and Thursday night in Great Neck. After a short presentation by Veolia’s Vice President for Business Development Rahul Kumar, attendees were sent to talk with various staff to ask them specific questions and give feedback. Staff were receptive, friendly and honest about the difficult position they are in due to a $7.3 million budget deficit.

Newsday’s Joye Brown mentioned in her column that “it's no coincidence that Veolia finds itself almost more than $7 million in the hole so soon. That's close to what the county chose to shortchange the system when officials reduced Nassau's contribution to the MTA-run system from $9 million to $2.62 million.”

Another requirement established in Veolia’s contract is a 5-member Transit Advisory Committee, which would be appointed by the County. Any major service cuts or fare increases must pass through this committee. The committee was finally announced last week (after the community meetings for service changes was announced). Among them is the Vice President of All Island Transportation, a taxi company who would likely benefit from bus cuts. We hope the County will consider giving bus riders a formal voice in this process in the future.

Representatives of the recently-formed LI Bus Riders Union were at the meetings to talk with riders and work to protect their interests. The group held a press conference this week to release some preliminary recommendations for Veolia on behalf of riders, outlined in this report. Priorities include maintaining and expanding service, stabilizing fares for five years and ensuring communication is transparent and multi-lingual. If you are a Nassau County bus rider and want to get involved in the Bus Riders Union, visit this website.

Special thanks to Nassau County Legislators Kevan Abrahams, Judi Bosworth, Judy Jacobs and Wayne Wink for attending the meetings and continuing to monitor the bus transition.

Read Newsday’s front-page coverage from this week here.

Vision Long Island meets with new Suffolk County Exec

Vision Long Island Board and Staff spent an hour and a half meeting with newly-inaugurated Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone in his office in late February and we are happy to report that we have a real Smart Growth advocate in office! Bellone plans to focus on implementation rather than more planning. He recognizes that planning on Long Island happens at the local community level, and rather than serve as an obstacle the County should provide resources and only block projects that are seriously flawed. This is a major reversal and we are eager to work together to implement Smart Growth in Suffolk County. Much of what we discussed Bellone summarized at the LI Smart Growth Working Group meeting last week, so for a full update, check out that write-up. He told us: “Creating great places. If you don’t do that, you’ve failed.”

 

Wyandanch Rising breaks ground

One of Long Island’s most ambitious revitalization projects in decades, Wyandanch Rising, has begun the first of many phases included in its proposed $500 million public-private redevelopment outline. Recently, bulldozers have commenced digging for the new sewer pipe to be installed down the middle of Straight Path, which the town hopes will increase property values. In addition to the new sewer line, Wyandanch’s revitalization plan includes transforming the downtown area by redeveloping it so that it is largely centered around the local Long Island Rail Road station, adding mixed-use commercial and residential buildings and open green space.

The Wyandanch Rising project has received more than $49.9 million in state and federal grant money, including grants for sewer infrastructure and job creation. The town has also gained 50 properties through purchase and eminent domain using $8.5 million in issued bonds and $16.7 million in reserve funds. In addition, officials say that the Town has agreed to a $20 million bond to purchase 17 additional properties.

The Town of Babylon is set to take its first major steps by completing the sewer line by the end of spring and to begin construction on the first phase of development- which will include 50,000 square feet of commercial space, 150 rental and 90 condo units- by this fall. For more on Wyandanch Rising’s progress, visit the website here.

 

Great Neck adopts Complete Streets

The Village of Great Neck Plaza has become the next Long Island municipality to adopt a local Complete Streets law, with the Village adopting the Complete Streets Policy Guide on February 1st.

According to the guide, “The Village of Great Neck Plaza recognizes the importance of taking a well-balanced approach to transportation planning and providing optimal transportation accessibility and choices for its residents and visitors. The Village believes that the public right-of-way is more than just a conveyor of vehicles and that it instead serves a vital role in shaping a community’s landscape and livability. The present network of roads, in many cases, provides for the needs of motor vehicles to the exclusion of alternative modes of transportation, including cycling and walking. The Village therefore seeks to create a road system that will accommodate the needs of all users and will integrate safety improvements and sustainable practices to reduce congestion, minimize environmental impacts, promote healthier lifestyles, encourage economic growth, and increase overall efficiency. "

February 15th marked the day that the New York State Complete Streets legislation went into effect, with local policies in effect in 5 LI towns. We hope to see more towns, villages and the counties adopt Complete Streets policies and build safer streets this year!

Read the policy guide here.

 

NY Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos keynotes Long Island Business Council event

Last week, NY State Majority Leader Dean Skelos appeared before the Long Island Business Council with a message of what a bipartisan state government can do for small business on Long Island.

Skelos started by recounting a meeting between himself and then-newly elected Governor Andrew Cuomo wherein they agreed that the dysfunctional nature of Albany was doing more harm than good and needed to stop. “We have to start talking to each other instead of shouting,” Skelos said. “When there is shouting, no one hears. We have philosophical differences, but we have to try to resolve those differences to get things done.”

Skelos also drew applause when he spoke about the repeal of the MTA tax for Long Island businesses as one of those bipartisan agreements that was easily attainable. The repeal of the tax had been a major goal for the Long Island Business Council, according to East Meadow Chamber of Commerce Vice President Dolores Rome. Removing the tax allowed the businesses from the chambers to reinvest in themselves. “It allowed them to put money back into their businesses and they really needed that,” said Rome, who also noted that Skelos has a “willingness to always look out for small businesspeople.”

Skelos mentioned another potential bipartisan goal: to keep more existing businesses here on Long Island while also encouraging new businesses to settle here through the reduction of property taxes and mandates and stabilizing utility prices. He pointed out that education may be an area where these savings were possible. “Making it more affordable to live on Long Island is critically important,” he said while also noting that Long Island has lost numerous jobs specifically due to affordability.

Skelos also noted that $101 million in funding is slated for investing in 66 high-tech "economic backbone" business ventures on Long Island including Stony Brook University, Cold Spring Harbor labs and Hofstra University.

Also discussed at the meeting was the recently completed federal study conducted by Dowling College. This study included numerous suggestions for improving small business on a local, state and federal level. The study includes information drawn directly from over 100 local Long Island businesses and will be used to guide legislation aimed directly at bringing relief to small business owners. Once completed, the study will be posted in its entirety on the website of the American Communities Institute, which is located at Dowling College and run by head of their sociology department Dr. Nathalia Rogers.

The Long Island Business Council is chaired by Rich Bivone of RMB Drafting and Bob Fonti of Vincent James Management Company. Joining the group on that day were NYS Assemblyman Andrew Raia, NYS Assemblyman David McDonough, Huntington Councilmembers Mark Mayoka, Eugene Cook and Susan Berland, Islip Councilmember Steve Flotteron, Suffolk County Legislators William “Doc” Spencer and Tom Cilmi, Robert Moore representing US Congressman Steve Israel and NYS Supreme Court Judge Peter Skelos.

You can read more on the meeting in Long Island Herald’s article.

 

Hempstead Turnpike named area's most dangerous road

Hempstead Turnpike (SR 24) in Nassau County has been named the metropolitan area’s deadliest road for pedestrians, as announced in a cover story in Newsday this week. The highly trafficked road runs through a dense commercial area where many individuals travel by foot or bicycle. Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) shows that, in the three year period from 2006 to 2008, 13 pedestrians were killed along the 16-mile stretch of highway. Experts believe that the most likely cause of these frequent deaths can be attributed to a lack of proper roadway infrastructure. “The design of these streets encourages dangerous driving behaviors like speeding and failure to yield”, says Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives. “In a region where many families don’t own cars, that so many streets should be hostile to walking is appalling.”

Newsday asked traffic engineers to recommend modifications that could be made to create a safer turnpike for pedestrian traffic. The engineer’s suggestions included adding more traffic signals, adding red left-turn arrows to prevent cars from turning into pedestrians and putting up fences to prevent pedestrians from crossing at places other than crosswalks and intersections. In addition, engineers proposed moving bus stops closer to intersections, adding pedestrian islands midway across the highway for pedestrians who are unable to make it completely across during the allotted time, extending the sidewalks further into the lanes to decrease the distance pedestrians have to walk (also referred to as a “bulb outs”) and increasing education of both pedestrians and drivers through a safety-information campaign and stricter enforcement of traffic violations.

State and federal funding is usually allotted to speeding traffic up and decreasing delays, but traffic engineer Gary Toth’s redesign vision for Hempstead Turnpike would alter traffic flow by decreasing vehicle speed but moving traffic more steadily so they would still reach their final destination on time. Toth would accomplish this by replacing some traffic lights with roundabouts, adding fencing and increasing enforcement and education. Vision Long Island’s Executive Director Eric Alexander emphasized in Newsday how important it is for the local governments in Suffolk and Nassau County as well as the state transportation department to become involved in this issue. “The governor is looking at investing multiple billions of dollars in infrastructure, so these types of roadways where people are literally dying should move up the list. If tax dollars are available for fixing the roads, let’s at least fix the ones that are broken.”

Following the publishing of Newsday’s investigation, New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Joan McDonald ordered DOT engineers in Albany and Hauppauge to investigate and report in three weeks back on short-term improvements and long-term options to make the turnpike safer for pedestrians. Specific changes McDonald wants considered include adding more red-light cameras, crosswalk countdown signals and high-visibility street signs. In order to fund these changes, McDonald says, we may have to defer some other projects, but because peoples lives are at risk, this takes precedence. Any changes that will be made, however, must be made in conjunction with increased enforcement of traffic laws and a public education campaign.

This new support falls in line with the recently passed Complete Streets legislation. Kudos to NYS Dept of Transportation Commissioner Joan McDonald for taking leadership on these improvements. Watch a video on News 12 for more information here.

The Newsday analysis reinforces what a study by the Tri-State Transportation Campaign has been saying for several years now: Hempstead Turnpike is one of the region’s most dangerous roads in the region for pedestrians. View the study here.

 

Homeless service agencies secure $11 million in HUD funding

Funding secured by the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless and members of the Nassau and Suffolk Continuum of Care groups will help to provide housing and services for Long Island’s homeless. Through the Coalition’s efforts, Long Island homeless housing and service providers were awarded $11 million in funding for over 80 different homeless programs from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Continuum of Care Program. The majority of the monies secured will be used to provide permanent and transitional housing to homeless persons. In addition, Continuum grants fund important services including job training, healthcare, mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment and child care.

“This funding will assist homeless Long Islanders who struggle each day to access safe, permanent housing along with essential services,” commented LICH Executive Director Greta Guarton. These grants reflect HUD’s ongoing commitment to increasing assistance to people who are homeless through its Continuum of Care initiative.

The group held a press conference celebrating the funding on February 3rd. HUD representatives were present along with many local service providers who will benefit from the funding.

Since 1995, The Long Island Coalition for the Homeless (LICH) has been instrumental in assisting Long Island agencies access more than $140 million in funding for homeless programs, resulting in housing for more than 2,700 individuals and families and services for more than 5,000 Long Islanders. The LICH focuses on direct care work with clients and assisting other non-profits in developing affordable housing and programs, while continuing to advocate on behalf of our homeless neighbors and the organizations that serve them.

Watch coverage from News 12 here.

 

Hempstead Village moves forward with master developer

At the end of a public hearing Wednesday night, the Village of Hempstead Board of Trustees voted 5-0 to officially grant master developer status to Renaissance Downtowns / Urban America to redevelop their Main Street area. The $2 billion plan will create a formal agreement between the developers, the Village and the Community Development Agency to move forward with revitalization.

Residents spoke at the hearing, with 23 favorable, 3 opposing and 5 neutral comments. One of the concerns expressed was that the jobs created by this project- more than 3,500 permanent jobs and 10,000 construction jobs- would not go to Hempstead residents, who face a 9.9% unemployment rate. In response, the Village said that the plan would include language that guarantees those jobs to local residents.

The project will include condominiums, co-ops and rental apartments to accommodate various income levels. It will also include a hotel, retail, open space, parking and entertainment and is expected to take about a decade to complete.

Read more at Newsday.

 

Huntington approves 6-unit project

Smart Growth progress happens one small step at a time, so congratulations go out to the Town of Huntington for unanimously approving a 6-unit housing project this week! The project, designed by West Neck Associates, will include 6 rental apartment units on the corner of West Neck Road and Nathan Hale Drive, just off Main Street in Huntington Village. The project is located behind a historic house and next to other multi-family housing and will be designed to fit with the historic character of the area. Parking will be located behind and in the basements of the units.

Vision testified at the public hearing in favor of the project. The project still needs final site plan approval, but we are enthusiastic to see Huntington move forward without delay!

 

Governor Cuomo visits LI

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo visited Long Island on Wednesday morning to deliver a brief on his 2012-2013 Executive Budget. Cuomo spoke to a packed auditorium at Molloy College in Rockville Centre, presenting similar content to last month’s “State of the State” address in Albany and adding some Long Island-specific information. The Governor reviewed his budget goals that included education reform, casino gaming and infrastructure investment in parks, roads, bridges and economic development.

Cuomo's presentation was preceded by speeches from Long Island leaders, including Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano, NYS Assemblyman Chuck Lavine and NYS Senator Jack Martins. Many other elected officials were recognized in the audience. The delegation thanked the Governor for lowering property tax rates and providing a fiscally responsible budget.

Many of Vision's staff and Board members attended, along with members of the LI Smart Growth Working Group. Thanks to Vision Board members Ed Thompson of Molloy College and Neal Lewis of the Sustainability Institute at Molloy College for hosting the event at the new Madison Theatre at the Molloy campus in Rockville Centre.

Read more in LI Business News.

Long Island Green Homes Program introduces on-bill recovery loan program

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is dedicated to fostering clean, sustainable and cost-effective energy throughout the state and is now funding free or reduced cost home energy audits through the Long Island Green Homes program. The audits are available to all New York State homeowners and are conducted by trained and approved home energy professionals who perform a comprehensive home energy assessment and construct a report recommending affordable, energy efficient improvements and upgrades. These low-cost energy improvements pay for themselves in the long-term through the savings you insure on your monthly energy bill by making your home more energy efficient.

Starting on January 30th, the Long Island Green Homes project, which is closely coordinated with LIPA and National Grid, will give homeowners who finance projects through NYSERDA the option to use a special low-rate On-Bill Recovery Loan Program. This program allows homeowners to make payments through their LIPA electric bills. The payments appear as a separate line item on the utility bill and are financed at 2.99% up to $25,000 (if the payback period is less than 15 years). The loan payments are structured to be lower than your monthly savings on your energy bills, so even if your energy costs rise, you will continue to save money. The new On-Bill Recovery Loans save you money, are convenient and are transferrable, so the loans can be transferred to the new homeowner. In addition, no loan payments are due until June 2012.

Long Island Green Homes is administered locally by the Community Development Corporation, Sustainability Institute at Molloy College and 7 Long Island Townships. Over 1,000 Long Island homes have already received energy audits through the Long Island Green Homes program and have begun to save money by implementing energy efficient upgrades. For more information or to sign up for a comprehensive home energy audit, visit the LI Green Homes website.

Thought Box 1 project looks to revitalize Hicksville

In December 2011, the New York State Regional Economic Development Councils awarded $3 million to Accelerate Long Island for a project called Thought Box 1 - Hicksville. The Council report wrote, “Thought Box 1 will merge suburban development and industry cluster focusing on young workers. The 450,000 square foot facility will be an integrated commercial/residential center designed primary for IT companies with affordable housing and amenities to attract employees.” An article in Newsday this week breaks down the jargon and explains the great potential this project could bring to downtown Hicksville:

Thought Box 1 is envisioned to be a 450,000 square foot building located adjacent to the Hicksville LIRR station. It would serve as an information technology hub, including an office for 400 to 500 employees of several companies, a residential component that includes affordable housing and a commercial component. According to the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council’s co-chair Kevin Law in Newsday, "It's Thought Box '1' because we're hoping to have a Thought 2, 3 and so on. It's a way to put a whole bunch of talents under one roof."

Mark Fasciano of Canrock Ventures, the principal backer of the project, said that he hopes to have the site developed and tenants moving in by the end of the year.

Thought Box 1 will blend perfectly with the Hicksville Downtown Revitalization action plan that has been developed with the Hicksville Chamber of Commerce and the local community. The Town of Oyster Bay has not yet received an application, but we are encouraged to see the energy behind this initiative!

 

Town of Hempstead approves Elmont zoning

On Tuesday, the Hempstead Town Board voted unanimously to support a modified rezoning plan for Elmont including mixed-use development in some of the zone set for redevelopment. This comes after community members like the Elmont Coalition for Sustainable Community, expressed concern with last month’s town zoning proposal that excluded mixed-use development.

The hearing began with a statement from Supervisor Kate Murray, who was unable to attend, supporting mixed-use and Smart Growth principles to create a more walkable and vibrant Elmont. Councilman Ambrosino, along with Councilman Darcy supported moving the proposal forward.

The proposed plan includes four sub-districts. The Neighborhood Center, Hempstead Turnpike between Meacham Avenue and Plainfield Avenue/Elmont Road, will promote walkable, transit-oriented and mixed-use development. The other three sub-districts do not include provisions for mixed-use development. The plan also will create a design review board to analyze architectural designs and building ascetics.

A number of community organizations and stakeholders were in attendance and expressed support for the incorporation of mixed-use in the Neighborhood Center sub-district but also recommended the Town Board go further. Julie Marchesella, Elmont Chamber of Commerce member and Vice President of the Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce, promoted mixed-use development along all of Hempstead Turnpike. Marchesella cited the commercial tax rate on mixed-use as a way to increase the Town’s revenue. Elmont business owners and citizens saw this as an opportunity to bring young professionals to the area and emphasized the need for transit oriented communities. Pedestrian safety was also a concern, as Hempstead Turnpike is among the most dangerous roads.

Vision Long Island spoke at the hearing about and offered ways to expand the mixed-use components of the plan to include expanded radii around the proposed centers for housing. Alexander supported reducing speeds to ensure pedestrian safety, as quoted in Newsday, saying "If we are going to encourage mixed-use, we need to make it safe for the people who would live there." Alexander is quoted in the Long Island Herald talking about the planning board, saying “I was so glad when this was mentioned.” He added that the board should include local business owners, residents and architects who can collaborate on what the community needs and its costs.

The Elmont Chamber of Commerce is planning a meeting to bring the proposal to the community and has invited the Town Board to attend. Councilman Ambrosino called the project “One small step for Elmont, one giant leap for Long Island.”

Read more in the Long Island Herald and Newsday.

 

President Obama delivers State of the Union address, calls for increased infrastructure and clean energy spending

This past Tuesday, January 24th, President Obama appeared before a joint session of Congress to deliver his annual State of the Union address. Within the speech, the President laid out a blueprint for the country going forward, including some ideas that have long found homes in the Smart Growth community.

Obama talked about the need for shoring up and improving our clean energy industry and setting a new clean energy standard. During his pitch for an improved clean energy sector, the President noted a recent commitment by the Department of Defense, the world’s largest consumer of energy, to purchase enough solar energy capacity to power a quarter of a million homes a year. Part of this clean energy push would also include wasting less energy by incentivizing manufacturers to upgrade older, out-of-date buildings and equipment.

The President also spoke on the need to upgrade our crumbling infrastructure, touching on our legacy as a country that faces challenging economic times with public works such as the Golden Gate Bridge, the Hoover Dam and nation’s highway system. As part of a new initiative to spur infrastructure products, Obama has pledged to sign an executive order that will clear “away the red tape that slows down too many construction projects.” He also proposed spending up to half of the money gained from winding down the two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on funding these projects.

All in all, President Obama laid out ambitious but attainable plans to help the country gain the upper hand in the global race for clean energy while also providing for infrastructure and jobs here at home. Though the temerity of such proposals can be somewhat unpredictable in an election year, Vision Long Island hopes that clean energy and infrastructure will move to the forefront of our national conversation as possible solutions to our country’s economic woes.

You can find the full text of the State of the Union on USA Today’s site.

 

Pop-up urbanism trend showing planning opportunities

Current budget constraints are not stopping planners, architects and community activists from efforts to make more sustainable and efficient use of space in urban environments. Temporary, inexpensive and unofficial projects are popping up in urban areas across the country. With little resources they are showing better uses of space that could hopefully be permanently implemented.

Better Block, a Dallas group, transformed an unsafe block into a complete street, with a bike lane, greenery and prospective tenants in vacant storefronts. The cost was under $1,000 to show the benefits of a complete approach to planning. This past year, Better Block expanded to three more cities. Events such as (Park)ing Day have gained national exposure and shown better ways to use urban space. New York City has seen dumpsters retrofitted to become pools, temporally.

This DIY or guerrilla approach to urbanism has been recognized by influential Street Plans Collaborative planner Mike Lydon. He is quoted, saying “the experimental approach is local and low risk, with low expectations. You can try things out at a small scale and see what works.” There is little risk and high rewards in pop-up urbanism.

From planning community potlucks in parking lots in highways from art events in vacant shops, pop-up urbanism is showing what could be. When store owners offer up space for events, it often brings in possible businesses to move into the space. The inexpensive and fast planning gives a quick view into what longer term practices could and should do.

Read more here.

 

Smart Growth gaining ground across Long Island

Multifamily, mixed-use projects have been seen a growing demand in the past year, as new single-family home construction has declined. Vision Long Island Executive Director Eric Alexander is quoted in a recent New York Times article, explaining the sites in highest demand are “in downtowns, near transit and other amenities.” With 12 projects including 1,588 units approved last year and a possible 15 projects including over 2,000 units in 2012, development focusing on Smart Growth principles are on the rise.

Among the highlighted developments are the Metro 303 in Hempstead Village, Summer Wind Square in downtown Riverhead and the Glen Cove Waterfront Revitalization Project. The Metro 303 project featuring on infill design near two railroad stations will spur redevelopment projects on Main Street in Hempstead and is expected to have occupants by fall. The Summer Wind Square in downtown Riverhead is a mixed-use four-story complex that will hold 52 units available for rental, a restaurant, cafes, retail and possibly a market. According to Town of Riverhead Councilwoman Jodi Giglio, this is meeting a large demand for mixed-use in the Town and County. The Waterfront Revitalization Project in Glen Cove which has been in the works since 2003 has recently been approved, is in the process of site plans and construction and could be shovel-ready in late 2012.

Many great projects are being developed to meet Long Island’s growing demand for mixed use development focused on Smart Growth principles. Read more here.

 

New York-Connecticut Sustainable Communities Consortium issues RFP for Infill Redevelopment Feasibility Study in Nassau

The New York-Connecticut Sustainable Communities Consortium is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFPs) that seeks a consultant or teams of consultants to conduct a feasibility study of sustainable infill development and opportunities to promote transit-orientated development around up to three (3) Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) stations in the Preliminary Regional Nassau Hub Study Area. The deadline is February 8th.

The RFP is available online here.

 

LI Index released with focus on the "innovation economy"

The Rauch Foundation released their 9th annual Long Island Index study on Wednesday with an event at Farmingdale State College. This year’s theme is the Innovation Economy, concentrating on biotech, clean energy, higher education and advanced manufacturing sectors. The presentation also promoted the concept of building up our downtown centers and adding more affordable housing in order to keep young people on the Island. A short video covered some of these ideas and stressed their urgency. A report on LI’s demographic trends was released following the presentation.

The event drew a large crowd from various sectors. Nancy Rauch Douzinas began and introduced the keynote speaker,Mary Walshok, Associate Vice Chancellor of the University of California and Co-founder of CONNECT, San Diego’s Innovation Cluster Development Organization. Walshok described the history of San Diego and how it transformed itself into an innovation hub, relating its story to Long Island’s potential to grow certain sectors. She provided some valuable lessons, including the “power of place,” the necessity to collaborate and the need to make good land use and infrastructure decisions.

A panel discussion closed the event, moderated by Howard Schneider of Stony Brook University. Panelists included Marck Fasciano of Canrock Ventures, Jeffrey Kraut of North Shore-LIJ Health System, Thomas Rogers of Nassau BOCES, and Anne D. Shybunko-Moore of GSE Dynamics. Panelists were cautiously optimistic about LI’s future, citing initiatives like $1 billion that the healthcare/IT industries are investing to collaborate on patient care, rather than compete against one another. Cuomo’s Regional Economic Development Council and its grants were cited as an example of the risk-taking leadership that Long Island needs. This money will fund Accelerate LI, which will create an industry hub in Hicksville and bring together talent, capital and research. Some challenges the panelists cited included the tendency to be complacent and fall into the same old routine, as well as the need for rental housing and possibly magnet schools.

Read more in Newsday, with this opinion piece featuring the Accelerate LI program and Joye Brown’s column that laments LI’s slow progress and inertia, with the notable exception of small villages such as Patchogue and Mineola which have “welcomed change enough to reinvigorate their downtowns."

Watch the video and read the report here. Get a one page summary of the report here. The demographic report is available here. Findings from the video were taken from this Innovation Index report. A report on residential satisfaction is available here.

 

Glen Isle gets the go-ahead for Glen Cove Waterfront

The Glen Cove Planning Board has approved a Special Use Permit for the Glen Cove Waterfront Redevelopment. RXR Glen Isle’s project received a Smart Growth Award in 2010 for creating a mix of uses. It is expected to break ground after over 9 years of efforts towards the end of 2012, according to Mayor Ralph Suozzi. The project will transform 56 acres of a brownfield site into a vibrant, walkable community, consisting of 860 housing units, a 250 suite hotel and conference center, 50,000 sq. ft. office building and 25,000 sq. ft. of retail and cultural space.

Glen Cove Mayor Ralph Suozzi said, "the successful conclusion of the SEQRA process yielded a 140 page findings statement that concluded the Environmental Review Process and served as the predicate for the approval of the master development plan. This has brought the redevelopment of the Glen Cove Waterfront a major step forward. I am pleased that the City’s Planning Board and consultant’s took the appropriate amount of time to thoroughly review and incorporate the information gathered from the many different streams of input including the public comments, the regulatory agencies, and the IDA and CDA Board members. The City looks forward to having all of the sites remediated and in buildable condition later this year and shovels in the ground shortly thereafter.”

Read more in Glen Cove Patch here and here or learn more about RXR Glen Cove and the project here.

 

New York shifting from sprawl to Smart Growth

The state is shifting the way it thinks about development from the decades-old, post-war, sprawl policies to sustainable, long term, Smart Growth principles. Developers and elected officials are promoting mixed-use development, open space preservation and transit-oriented developments. Legislation such as the 2010 Smart Growth Public Infrastructure Act and 2011 Safe and Complete Streets Act signal a shift from policies which incentivized sprawl to ones which offers grants and tax incentives to Smart Growth development. Local governments in suburbs are revising zoning codes and making land preservation and mixed-use projects possible.

Sprawl is becoming an increasing financial burden to the state and, according to Sam Hoyt, of the Empire State Development Corporation, the high costs of expanding services is partially to blame, while Peter Fleischer, of Empire State Future, noted the high energy costs of sprawl development. High gas prices and heating costs are also making sustainable Smart Growth developments more appealing.

Development which reuses and maintains existing infrastructure is important in the shift to sustainable practices. Using vacant space and maintaining current infrastructure help to avoid overdevelopment and preserve open space in suburbia. Promoting new development while preventing decay of older spaces in the suburbs must be balanced.

The Town of Pittsford, in Monroe County, is approving developments and projects on a case-by-case based on its effect to the individual neighborhood. The Town of Victor, New York, is creating a master plan to determine the areas of development and open space preservation. The state, especially the suburbs, are avoiding unsustainable and unplanned development and adopting smart growth principles.

Read more here.

 

A NICE update

It has been a month since the Nassau County Legislature passed a contract that allows Veolia Transportation to operate the Nassau County Bus system. The Nassau Inter County Exchange (NICE) has been operational since New Year's Day.

There was a fear that the transit employees would strike come January 1st, since the Taylor law preventing public employees from striking would no longer apply. No strike occurred, as the Transportation Workers Union approved a 5-year contract with Veolia. TWU President Patricia Bowden called the deal a win for everyone as experience TWU drivers could continue to provide service to the riders.

The new system had an eventful start: the holiday schedule, for the 1st and 2nd, was not well communicated to riders and left some confused. NICE CEO Michael Setzer said the company should have informed riders by posting signs or some other method. He admitted the company “dropped the ball on that somewhat.” The first day of operation also included an incident as a journalist in a wheelchair boarding the bus fell at a Garden City news conference.

Aside from a few drawbacks from the first day, the transition has been relatively smooth. Despite a new logo and driver’s uniform, riders saw no change in the service and were hopeful the buses would operate closer to scheduled times. The riders will still be able to use MTA’s MetroCard for fares and transfers between MTA buses and subways.

County Executive Mangano has supported the transition saying that “this public-private partnership brings fare stability, preservation of the Able-Ride Service Area, an increase in public transparence and accountability, 100 percent local resident transit board, the preservation of hundreds of local jobs, and saving taxpayers $32 million annually.”

The NICE website is now up and operational here and the system even has its own Wikipedia page here. Read more in the Long Island Press here and here, Mass Transit Magazine and ABC.

 

Long Islanders call for ban on pesticides in drinking water

A number of Long Island groups have joined together, calling on the Department of Environmental Conservation to have zero tolerance on some of the most prevalent and harmful pesticides in drinking water. The ban on the three most prevalent pesticides, atrazine, metalaxyl and imidacloprid, comes after the DEC compiled alarming information on the presence of the chemicals in its Long Island Pesticide Use Management Plan. These substances cause health effects such as high cholesterol, endocrine disruption, nerve damage and cancer.

Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, described the current plan as poisonous to Long Island water and noted that Long Island’s groundwater will continue to be contaminated without the DEC adopting a zero-tolerance plan for the pesticides. Vision Executive Director, Eric Alexander, was at the press release and called on government agencies that serve the public to not allow toxic contaminants in the community’s drinking water citing safer options such as organic pesticides which have been produced in the past decade.

The importance of water quality goes beyond drinking water on Long Island, as noted by Friends of the Bay Executive Director, Pat Aitken, who highlighted the Island’s multi-million dollar fishing and shellfishing industry and recreational tourism. Harmful impacts on water quality from pesticide use will adversely affect those industries and marine ecosystem health as well as human health. Long Islanders are calling for state action to prevent the use of pesticides which will harm the community’s health, both now and for years to come.

For more information, email Adrienne Esposito or Maureen Dolan Murphy.

 

Residents rally against proposed Wal-Mart in E. Patchogue

Supporters of Smart Growth turned up Monday night to protest a proposed Wal-Mart at a Brookhaven Town Board Meeting. The proposed site, at the corner of Sunrise Highway and Hospital Road in the Patchogue-Medford area has drawn concerns that the big box development would kill jobs, impede traffic to nearby Brookhaven Hospital and necessitate widening the one lane Hospital Rd.

Representatives from Wal-Mart argued that the proposed project would create 100 construction jobs and 200 to 250 in store jobs. Studies have shown that for every job Wal-Mart creates, three local jobs are eradicated. With most Wal-Mart employees working part-time for minimum wage and little to no benefits and the average rent on Long Island for a studio apartment being a little over $1,000/month, the jobs being “created” are not sustainable or prosperous by any means.

Other proponents claimed Wal-Mart would inject money into the local economy. However, studies show that only 16% of revenue from big box stores such as Wal-Mart and Target stays in the local community whereas 32% of revenue from local business stays in the community. Big boxes tend to funnel revenue away from the local communities.

Residents worry that the newly created traffic would impede ambulances and other emergency vehicles and would necessitate the widening of an already congested bridge on Hospital Rd.

Considering the way Wal-Mart treats its workers, the environment and the local economy, Vision Long Island does not think it is a smart addition to the East Patchogue landscape. The Village of Patchogue is vibrant and includes places to shop, eat, work and live. The money that is spent there is likely to stay in the local economy and further enrich the quality of life.

Read more here.

 

Cuomo delivers State of the State

On Wednesday, Governor Cuomo delivered his second State of the State address in Albany. Vision spent the day in Albany, along with members of the Long Island Lobby Coalition, and met with various elected officials throughout the day.

Before the Governor spoke, Assembly Leader Sheldon Silver and Senate Leader Dean Skelos gave some introductory remarks. Both commented on Cuomo’s success in bringing together the state government, which no longer finds itself buried in dysfunction. They also hailed new tax cuts and tax structure. In addition, Silver asked the Legislature to raise the minimum wage, which is currently $7.25 or $15,000 a year. He also called for an increase in state support for community colleges. Skelos mentioned a state transportation and infrastructure plan and noted the importance of job creation in the private sector. Lieutenant Governor Bob Duffy then introduced the Governor. Duffy fired up the crowd by hailing Cuomo’s historic successes over the last year.

Governor Andrew Cuomo, once again using a colorful powerpoint presentation, opened with his 10-point checklist of successes in 2011, ranging from the Regional Economic Development Councils to scaling back the MTA payroll tax. He hailed new tax code reforms, noting that our tax rates haven’t been this low in 58 years. Cuomo proceeded to show pictures of things that were going on 58 years ago, including baby Cuomo and children Silver and Skelos who were “already working together back then.”

Cuomo presented a three-part plan for the State in 2012: economic growth, government reorganization and a progressive future.

The main focus of the speech was on economic development and Cuomo put forth some bold new ideas. The plan relies on using state dollars to leverage additional investments from the private sector. In total, this component of Cuomo’s plan would bring in $25 billion total for economic development, with $15 billion just for infrastructure.

He proposed revitalizing the Jacob Javits convention center in NYC, which is currently the 12th largest convention center in the country. He hopes to build the largest convention center in the country at Aqueduct Racetrack, then redevelop the West Side of Manhattan in connection with existing plans there. He anticipates being able to leverage $4 billion in private funds to do this, in addition to $2 billion for the Javits site.

As anticipated, the Regional Economic Development Council program will likely get another round this year, this time for $200 million statewide. Buffalo got a surprise, as Cuomo announced a $1 billion gift for economic development in light of Buffalo’s status as the third most economically-distressed city in the country, after Detroit and Cleveland.

Cuomo talked about casino gambling, noting that we already have 29,000 electronic gaming machines throughout the state- more than Atlantic City- but we have failed to regulate or capitalize on the asset. He alluded to the idea that of amending the state constitution to allow casinos.

A major announcement was Cuomo’s intention to consolidate all of state agency capital plans into one statewide master plan, including those of the MTA, Port Authority, Department of Transportation, SUNY system, Empire State Development Corporation and Homes and Community Renewal. Again, he hopes to leverage private dollars for these projects and accelerate them. He plans to repair and improve 100 bridges, 2,000 miles of roadway along with 48 parks and historic districts and offer low-cost loans to municipalities to repair 90 waste water treatment plants. He intends to fast-track the much-needed Tappan Zee Bridge project, though some transit advocates have been unhappy with his decision to build the project without a previously planned bus-rapid transit component. Another piece of this would be the creation of an Energy Highway System that would bring renewable sources of energy from upstate New York to downstate. The State would create the master plan and then put out an RFP.

Cuomo envisioned a ground-up reorganization of government, including pension reform, creating new councils to help local government with mandate relief, coordinating emergency responders and fighting for students in public education.

In the final section of the speech, Cuomo focused on reforms like foreclosure protection, protecting tenants from corrupt landlords, the SUNY 2020 program, reforming food stamps to reduce stigma and expanding the DNA databank for all crimes.

Groups from the LI Lobby Coalition that were present included Vision LI, LI Business Council, Tri-State Transportation Campaign, LI Federation of Labor, Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce, Sustainability Institute at Molloy College and Dowling College.

In addition to attending the State of the State address, Vision had a very productive day connecting with our elected officials. We met with: NYS Senators Chuck Fuschillo, John Flanagan, Jack Martins, Majority Leader Dean Skelos and Minority Leader John Sampson, NYS Assembly Members Phil Boyle, Jim Conte, Steve Engelbright, Chuck Lavine, Michael Montesano, Dean Murray, Andrew Raia, Phil Ramos, Joe Saladino, Michelle Schimel, Bob Sweeney, Fred Thiele, Harvey Weisenberg, NYS Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos, Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice, Empire State Development Corporation’s Sam Hoyt, MTA chief Joseph Lhota, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jon Kaiman and Shinnecock Nation’s Randy King.

Read the text of Cuomo’s speech here. Watch the video here. See a summary in a press release here.

See more pictures from Vision's trip to the event here...

 

Newly elected officials inaugurated across Long Island

Over the past weeks, new officials across Long Island were inaugurated. In Nassau County, Carrié Solages in the 3rd Legislature District and Delia DeRiggi-Whitton in the 18th Legislature District were inaugurated on Monday in Mineola. In Suffolk County, Steve Bellone was inaugurated as County Executive on December 30th in Sagtikos Theater on Suffolk Community College’s Western Campus in Brentwood. The Suffolk Legislature inaugurated new members Kara Hahn in District 5, Sarah Anker in District 6, Robert Calarco in District 7 and William Spencer in District 18 on Tuesday.

Long Island towns also saw newly elected officials sworn into office. Tom Croci was inaugurated as Town of Islip Supervisor along with new Council members John Cochrane Jr. and Anthony Senft, on the 2nd. Richard Schaffer returned to the position of Supervisor in the Town of Babylon, after 10 years, as his protégé Steve Bellone was elected County Executive. Tom Donnelley was sworn in as a Council member. LTC Gordon has deployed to Afghanistan and in result, Councilwoman Ellen McVeety will serve in her place during deployment before McVeety retires. Town of North Hempstead welcomed two new Council members, Anna Kaplan in the 4th District and Dina DeGiogio in the 6th District. The City of Glen Cove inaugurated two new Council members, Reginald Spinello and Anthony Gallo Jr. on the 2nd. Newly elected Councilwoman Christine Preston Scalera was inaugurated in the Town of Southampton. The Town of East Hampton welcomed new Town Board members Sylvia Overby and Peter Van Scoyoc in an inauguration on the 3rd. In the City of Long Beach, Council President Fran Adelson, Vice President Len Torres and member Scott Mandel were inaugurated. The Council appointed Jack Schnirman as the City Manager. Jill Doherty was inaugurated as Councilwoman in the Town of Southold on the 3rd. The Town of Huntington will inaugurate new Councilman Gene Cook new week. The Towns of Hempstead, Oyster Bay, Smithtown, Brookhaven and Riverhead saw no new officials inaugurated.

Vision would like to congratulate all the new local officials and looks forward to working with them to expand Smart Growth development in Long Island communities.

 

Thanks for an amazing 2011

2011 has been one of the most productive years yet for Vision. For our final installment of SmartTalk for the year, we thought we’d highlight the biggest stories that demonstrate the great progress and challenges that Long Island has experienced this year.

We wish you a happy New Year and look forward to an even better 2012!

Check out the year-end wrap-up here.

 

Coventry Gardens approved in Central Islip

Last Wednesday night, the Islip Town Board unanimously voted to approve Coventry Gardens, a 284-unit housing development in Central Islip, along with an exciting public benefits package.

Coventry Gardens, developed by Jobco, redevelops the old Central Islip Psychiatric Hospital site into 100 rental and 184 for-sale townhouse units, with buildings standing at two stories tall. The project has a unique and robust public benefits package which includes over $1 million to fund downtown improvements, parks, a new firehouse and restoring the historic firehouse into a community center. An additional fund, of $500,000 to $2 million, will support the acquisition and rehabilitation of neighboring foreclosed homes to stabilize the existing community, which would be run through the LI Housing Partnership. These benefits will be offered in exchange for the higher number of rentals and lack of usually-required the 20% affordable housing component, as community members previously expressed concerns about an overabundance of new affordable housing in their neighborhood while existing homes went into foreclosure.

During the public hearing, comments were predominately supportive, with residents running 10 in favor, 4 opposed and 2 with questions. Vision testified in support of the project, as well. Public input from the first hearing made the project better. Job well done to the Town's Planning Department, members of the Town Board, Jobco, the Central Islip Civic Council and many others for shaping this plan.

Read more in NYTimes, Newsday, and LI Business News.

 

Forge River update

The Forge River has been polluted over the last few decades by a combination of residential septic systems close to the river, agricultural uses such as duck farms and other stormwater runoff. The pollution has caused serious harm to the ecosystem of the river. In addition, lack of wastewater infrastructure has stymied economic development for the area. Several years ago, citizen groups brought attention to the issue and asked for something to be done to save the river.

The Town of Brookhaven hired Cameron Engineering to do a study for watershed management in order to improve the quality of the water and ecosystem of the river. This study was submitted to the Town for public comment and a hearing was held on December 6. The 325-page plan analyzes the sources of pollution impacting the Forge River and proposes different solutions that are also evaluated by cost.

Last Thursday, the Town of Brookhaven held a meeting to gather public comment and questions about the draft Forge River Watershed Management Plan. It being the holiday season, not many were able to attend, so more public input time is needed. The plan will be open for public comment until January 5, 2012. The link to the management plan is below; please take a look and submit any comments or questions to the Town of Brookhaven, Division of Environmental Protection.

Read the management plan here.

Vision Long Island encouages the Town of Brookhaven to extend the public comment period another 30 days. This extension has the support of Citizens Campaign for the Environment and prominent civic leaders such as John Cicignano and Bob Debona.

See more in today's Newsday.

 

Vision receives grant from LICF for transit-oriented development

Vision Long Island has received a $15,000 grant from the Long Island Community Foundation to support our ongoing transit-oriented development work in communities across the Island. The grant will go towards our advocacy and coalition-building efforts to direct public investments to support TOD projects.

Under the grant we plan to: continue a community organizing and advocacy campaign to direct transportation and wastewater infrastructure into appropriate downtown centers and ensure that public investment is aligned with the NYS Smart Growth Public Infrastructure Policy Act and Complete Streets criteria; continue to build local support for TOD projects through education and advocacy; and continue to act as a watchdog and public informant for the various medium- and large-scale infill and town center projects.

Eric Alexander, Executive Director at Vision Long Island, said "Vision Long Island appreciates the ongoing support from the Long Island Community Foundation. Resources directed at bringing investments into our downtowns will only help our local communities, provide housing and transit opportunities and grow great places on Long Island."

Visit the LICF website to learn more!

 

 

Metro 303 project bringing new housing to Hempstead Village

Mill Creek Residential Trust, the developer who led the West Hempstead Courtesy Hotel renovation/TOD project, has unveiled a new housing project currently under construction in Hempstead. Metro 303 is located on a 1.8-acre infill parcel located at the northern end of the Village of Hempstead, bordering Garden City. The transit-oriented site is within easy walking distance to two Long Island Rail Road stations. The site is also within walking distance to two Village downtowns - Hempstead and Garden City.

The Metro 303 development will include 166 upscale apartment rental homes in one five-story podium-style building, including four residential levels over two levels of garage parking (one level on-grade and one level located below-grade). The building design will include a combination of masonry and siding facades, decorative panels and railings, large windows, balconies and gabled asphalt shingle roofs. There will also be sidewalks with new street lighting and landscaping. Developers are confident that the project will achieve LEED Silver certification.

The building will also feature approximately 4,500 square feet of amenity and administrative space, including two landscaped courtyards, resort-style swimming pool with sun-deck and clubhouse including virtual sales room, state-of-the-art fitness center and resident clubroom with i-lounge, café /coffee bar, video game area and pool table/shuffleboard. The building will offer a choice of one-, two- and three bedroom floorplans. Each apartment home will feature fully applianced gourmet kitchens with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops, full-size washer and dryer, walk-in closets, wall-to-wall carpeting, nine-foot ceilings and many other amenities.

Read more on Mill Creek Residential Trust’s website here.

Summer Wind Square holds groundbreaking ceremony

Pictured, left to right, among the developers, RD Development, and Suffolk County Officials: Riverhead Town Councilman James Wooten, Vision Long Island Executive Director Eric Alexander, Riverhead Supervisor Sean Walter, County Exec Steve Levy, Town of Riverhead Councilwoman Jodi Giglio, Councilman Jim Dunleavy, Councilman George Gabrielson

After clearing the site of derelict properties over the last several weeks, Summer Wind Square in Riverhead officially broke ground last week. A ceremony was held on December 8th, with county and town officials present as well as local business owners and Vision.

Summer Wind Square, a 2010 Smart Growth Award winning project for housing located on Peconic Avenue, is a 52-unit mixed use rental community that will include a 100 seat restaurant and 5,700 square feet of retail/commercial space on the first floor of the four-story complex. The project will include workforce housing, and the four-story building is expected to take 10 months to complete. One-bedroom apartments will rent for $850 to $900 a month, and two-bedroom apartments will rent for $1,100 to $1,300 a month.

The 8,600 square-foot development was made possible, and affordable, through a $1.96 million land acquisition by Suffolk, as well as $313,000 in nearby infrastructure improvements. Of those infrastructure improvements, there will be: $50,000 for a pedestrian crosswalk to Grangabel Park, across Peconic Avenue from the new apartments; $87,350 for a new walkway, driveway and renovations to the East End Arts property a short walk from Summer Wind Square; $90,000 for floating docks and a boat storage facility on the Peconic River waterfront; and $99,500 to help build an all-season ice skating rink in the municipal parking lot just east of the property.

Read more in Newsday and Patch.

 

Welcome, Veolia: Nassau bus contract passes

On Monday evening, the Nassau County Legislature voted to pass a contract that will allow Veolia Transportation to run the Nassau County Bus system beginning in 2012. The unanimous vote came after the Minority leadership proposed and passed some amendments that will strengthen the contract, including no fare increases guaranteed for the first year, a reduction in the number of routes that can be cut in the first year from 6 to 5, two mandated public hearings and approval from the transit advisory committee before any major service cuts and a 45-day waiting period after the hearings before cuts can take effect, taking out the wording that the County Executive can weaken the powers of the transit advisory committee, AbleRide service levels guaranteed for 3 years rather than 2, and a 90 day notice to opt-out of the contract.

A deal with the MTA to continue MetroCard use is also expected to be signed. Since there is still no labor contract, some anticipate a strike come January 1st as the workers would no longer be bound by the Taylor law, which forbids public employees from striking. The Legislature reassured those in attendance that Veolia’s global financial troubles would not have an impact on Nassau operations.

County Executive Ed Mangano, Presiding Officer Peter Schmitt and incoming Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams held a joint press conference following the vote to celebrate the deal. The LI Press reports that: “Schmitt said he ‘wouldn’t sing Kum-ba-yah’ but he was ‘delighted’ that the contract passed ‘with bipartisan cooperation.’”

Though this is far from a great deal, we are glad to know that the buses will keep running come January 1st and the amendments prove that advocacy makes a difference. Our Legislators worked hard, knowing that the public was watching carefully. In the end all sides had to compromise. Given the difficult economic environment, and the reality that the MTA was planning to cut over 50% of service, we can be glad that we have an agreement that will keep the system alive. Advocates and riders will be watching Veolia carefully over the coming months.

Special thanks goes to all the riders, drivers, elected officials, religious groups, chamber leaders, students and advocates who have been involved and engaged in this progress over the last several months, especially Tri-State Transportation Campaign, LI Jobs With Justice, LI Federation of Labor, TWU Local 252, NY Communities for Change and NYPIRG.

Read some press coverage in Newsday, LI Business News, LI Press and News12.

 

LI projects receive funding, Hub left out

Last week, Long Island was awarded over $101 million in funds for projects ranging from roads at Heartland Town Square in Islip to sewer improvements for Hempstead Village. However, a major project was left out of the announcement, one that has been discussed seemingly endlessly for over two decades: The Nassau Hub.

The Hub, which includes Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale and the 77 acres surrounding it, has been the subject of an occasionally contentious effort to revitalize the area and make improvements to both the arena itself and the land around it. The Coliseum is home to Long Island’s sole top-tier professional sports franchise the New York Islanders whose owner, Charles Wang, has indicated that he will begin looking for a new home for the team if Nassau fails to provide a new arena by 2015.

Of the $101 million awarded, around $40 million has yet to be allocated and will see distribution next March. Additionally, the state has announced that there will be a second competition for funding in 2012. However several members of the Regional Economic Development Council, who was very influential in the awarding the latest round of funds, have indicated that the Hub currently falls short of being shovel-ready, a requirement for qualification.

“We really wanted to include the Hub as one of the transformative projects,” said Mr. Law in reference to a list of projects on Long Island with the potential to transform the region and improve the local economy. “We just wish they were further along like the Ronkonkoma Hub.”

Vision Long Island’s Executive Director Eric Alexander noted that though there were numerous projects that did not fall under the state’s guidelines for funding they can still move forward in helping the region’s economy. “There are a lot of great projects under way on Long Island,” he said. “Some projects are on a timetable for state assistance now, and some will need it later.”

Advocates and council members alike have sworn that this will not be the end of pursuit for funding for the Hub with Mr. Law in agreement.

“I think it’s going to be at the top of our wish list in future years,” he said.

For more information on the recent round of funding and the hub, check out Newsday’s original article here.

 

 

 

The 10th Annual Smart Growth Summit

Over 100 presenters and 1000 regional business & community leaders convene to advance placemaking & economic development
on Long Island

The 10th Annual Smart Growth Summit took place on Friday, November 18th at the Melville Marriott. With 1000 attendees, 110 speakers, nearly 50 elected officials, 15 breakout sessions, a youth component, productive networking and excellent remarks by both federal and local leaders, the Summit was a clear demonstration of the tremendous support in our region for Smart Growth solutions. The crowd included elected officials, chambers of commerce, civic leaders, developers, architects, planners, not-for-profits and concerned citizens.

The Summit’s 15 breakout panels, youth summit and elected officials session were intelligent, thought-provoking, energetic and inspirational for the attendees. This year’s Summit theme, “Crisis and Opportunity: Placemaking in a Time of Economic Uncertainty,” seemed to focus more on progress than on challenges, though we still have a great deal of work to do to create a truly sustainable region.

 

Read our extensive coverage of the day's events in our post-event e-blast here.

 

Special Thanks to all of our sponsors and supporters

 

Save the Date!

 

The 11th Annual Smart Growth Summit

is taking place on November 16th, 2012

at the Melville Marriott

 

Stay tuned for more!

 

Small businesses rejoice: Governor Cuomo and State Legislature reach landmark agreement on infrastructure and taxes

The New York State Legislature and Governor Andrew Cuomo came to an agreement this week that would see the rollback of the universally-despised MTA payroll tax and the creation of an infrastructure bank.

The agreement, which passed the State Senate late Wednesday night and the Assembly early Thursday, will create four new tax brackets in the state in an effort to address “tax fairness” and clearly note the line between wealthy and average taxpayers. Couples earning more than $2 million a year will see a rise in taxes while those making between $40,000 and $300,000 will see savings of $200 to $400 annually. Residents in other brackets will see no change.

This reform will allow for New York to repeal the MTA payroll tax for 290,000 employers whose payrolls are less than $1.25 million, 415,000 self-employed business owners and all public and non-public schools. Companies that exceed the payroll amount will see a reduction in their taxes as opposed to a full repeal. The announcement was met with enthusiasm by the Long Island business community that has been seeking repeal of the payroll tax since its inception.

“We still have a lot of work to do to spur our Island economy and create jobs,” NYS Senator Carl Marcellino said about the repeal. “That being said, this is a significant victory for our community and a huge step in the right direction.”

The other major piece of the tax reform includes the creation of an infrastructure bank that will raise $1 billion in private capital dedicated solely to infrastructure improvement projects. The program will also give the state’s various principal transportation agencies flexibility in utilizing design-build procurement methods designed to expedite critical infrastructure projects. The bill will also create funds for an urban youth jobs program and one for upstate communities that were hard hit by flooding earlier this year.

“These are all positive steps in the right direction for New York State which build upon the successes of this past year,” NYS Senator Charles Fuschillo said about the various funds being created. “I look forward to continuing that work in the coming year.”

 

Dan Burden leads Smithtown walking tour

Monday marked the return of nationally-recognized walkability expert Dan Burden to Long Island, and what better place for him to go but the epicenter of traffic calming debates over the last few years - downtown Smithtown.

Three pedestrians have been struck by a car and killed at the same intersection -- Main Street and Lawrence Avenue -- since 2009. Balancing the desires of the community and the plans of the DOT have been contentious, with notable changes to date including a long fence along a stretch of Main Street to separate cars and pedestrians, as well as audible crosswalks.

Burden, the Executive Director of Walkable and Livable Communities Institute in Port Townsend, Washington, recommended adding a raised median, reducing the 4-lane stretch of Main Street to 2 lanes, adding a two-lane roundabout at the intersection of Main Street and 111 and a mini-roundabout at Main Street and Lawrence Ave, bike lanes and on-street parking on the north side of the street. The unique land use of Main Street has typical walkable neighborhood retail stores on the north side of the street (in the Town of Smithtown), with a strip shopping center and large parking lot on the south side (Village of The Branch). Burden recommended a long-term strategy of adding liner buildings on the south side of the street, so that stores, rather than a parking lot, would be adjacent to the sidewalk. This strategy would make the road seem more narrow, which naturally slows down traffic. Burden also recommended lowering the speed limit from 30 to 25mph in this area.

According to Newsday, “After the tour, Burden said state officials seemed 'dubious... but interested' in his proposals.”

A full day of activities on Monday began as Burden met local DOT officials to do a preliminary walk-through and debriefing on the needs and potential for the area. Later that afternoon, a large group of elected officials, advocates, residents and press took part in a walk-through and presentation of the recommendations. Vision helped organize and participated in the full day along with AARP, Tri-State Transportation Campaign and the Greater Smithtown Chamber of Commerce.

Read more in Newsday and the Smithtown Patch, quoting Vision’s Eric Alexander and Elissa Ward.

 

Regional Councils Announce Awards; Long Island wins big

Governor Andrew Cuomo’s plan to create ten regions that compete for new economic development funds has turned out tremendously well for Long Island. The awards for the Regional Economic Development Councils were announced on Thursday. Long Island was selected as one of four regions with the “best plan,” and our funding will amount to $101.6 million.

Of that funding, $61.6 million will go toward individual projects that were submitted through the state’s new consolidated funding application, while $40 million will go toward implementing the LI Council’s strategic plan (which includes $25 million for the plan’s “transformative projects” and $15 million toward businesses looking to expand Excelsior tax credits).

A number of Smart Growth and downtown revitalization projects made the list, with innovative programs funded including job training efforts, energy efficiency research, expanding the IT industry, open space preservation and more. Funding includes: $6 million for the Wyandanch Rising project, $5 million for sewer improvements to accompany Village of Hempstead’s revitalization, $4 million for the Ronkonkoma Hub, $3 million for a program to promote high-tech business to relocate to downtown Hicksville, $2.5 million for road improvements to facilitate the future construction of Heartland Town Square, $2.6 million to construct 36 affordable rental units in New Cassel, $1.3 million for Concern for Independent Living’s Concern Amityville project to build 61 units of affordable housing for homeless people, $885,000 to build or rehabilitate 25 affordable homes for Habitat for Humanity of Suffolk, $500,000 to revitalize over 30 buildings and make streetscape improvements in downtown Oyster Bay and $100,000 to complete the Port Jefferson Village Harborwalk project for pedestrian access to the waterfront.

The full list of awardees is available in this report, pages 83-90 for Long Island. Overall, 720 projects received a total of $785.5 million from the state. Other regions received: Western New York (best plan winner) - $100.3 million; Central New York (best plan winner) - $103.7 million; North Country (best plan winner) - $103.2 million; Southern Tier – $49.4 million; Finger Lakes – $68.8 million; Mohawk Valley – $60.2 million; Capital Region – $62.7 million; Mid-Hudson Region – $67 million; and New York City – 66.2 million.

"Regional collaborations and planning is a roadmap to get New Yorkers back to work," Governor Cuomo said. "The plans submitted by all ten regions were truly extraordinary. For the first time, we are putting the power of the State Government behind the innovation of our people, giving them the tools to rebuild our economy."

The Governor plans to provide another $1 billion for a second competitive process in 2012. LI Business News wrote that “[Hofstra President and LI Council co-chair Stuart] Rabinowitz said the council would be ready for next year’s round of funding as well. Projects that weren’t far enough along to be included for funding in this year’s plan, like a new Nassau Coliseum and the redevelopment of Belmont, would hopefully be able to receive funding through next year’s competition, Rabinowitz said.”

Vision board member and LI Council member John Durso of the LI Federation of Labor added, “We are absolutely thrilled [with today’s outcome]. We knew Long Island had a lot to offer and it’s great to know the governor and the rest of the state is aware of that too. This is going to put a lot of our folks [in the labor unions] back to work.”

Read the Governor’s press release, with a link to the full list of projects, here.

 

Nassau reminds residents to shop local this holiday season

On Tuesday, the Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce held a press conference with County Executive Ed Mangano to remind residents of the importance of shopping locally this holiday season. Held outside of Umberto’s Pizza in New Hyde Park, the event covered many of the benefits of shopping in your downtown, including keeping local dollars in the local economy, supporting local jobs and wages, building a stronger tax base, supporting business owners who invest back in the community, convenience and proximity, which reduces gas consumption. And, as Newsday coverage noted, “small storefronts often don't have the marketing budget to compete with national chains.”

“I encourage all residents to support their hometown businesses this holiday season, and year-round, as local businesses are the heartbeat of Nassau County’s economy and make our communities stronger and better places to live, work and raise a family,” said County Executive Mangano. “Statistics indicate that small businesses employ over half of all private sector employees and that two out of every three new jobs over the past 15 years have been generated by small businesses. With local employers contributing to the economic base and connectivity of our local communities, we must help raise awareness about the role they play and promote a business-friendly Nassau that attracts suppliers and distributors in similar industries.”

“The holiday season is a great time to support your local merchants, and one way of doing so is to buy a gift certificate for someone on your holiday shopping list,” said E. Christopher Murray, President of the Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce.

According to NCCC, Long Island is home to over 90,000 businesses grossing over $100 billion a year. The vast majority of these businesses employ 50 people or less. Recently, Nassau County participated in the national Small Business Saturday movement, which marked a day to support local businesses that create jobs, boost the local economy and preserve neighborhoods around the nation.

Vision attended the press conference and consistently supports shop local efforts across the Island and beyond.

 

Farmingdale Village Board votes unanimously on proposed zoning revisions

On Monday November 7th, the Village of Farmingdale Board of Trustees voted unanimously to accept and approve the Village of Farmingdale Master Plan, GEIS and code revisions. The new local zoning codes will create a mixed-use district and will allow residential units to be built over stores on Main Street.

"The downtown area in Farmingdale is ripe for jobs and business," said Chuck Gosline, a Farmingdale resident and President of Concerned Citizens Association of Farmingdale. "This is an opportunity for us to improve the area and make it better than it is now." The Nassau County Planning Commission approved the documents for local determination so the pending downtown projects can advance without further study.

Farmingdale's visioning process started in 2006, and since then, only a handful of projects have moved forward in light of three years of reviews. Hopefully, some of the long awaited downtown improvements will now move forward!

Vision’s Director Eric Alexanderwass quoted saying "it's precisely the type of planning that we need to grow our downtowns."

Read more in Newsday here.

 

Westbury Theatre project nearing completion

The blighted movie theater in downtown Westbury has gone under the proverbial knife and is set to reveal its new facade come mid-March 2012. The plans to convert the theater, that once featured Vaudeville acts, include a two-screen art cinema, restaurant, multipurpose event space and live/work space for artists. The completed theater would create 28 full-time jobs with an annual payroll of more than $1 million.

When the project was presented to the the Town Planning Board, it was noted that the project lacked 100 parking spots necessary for approval. Drawing inspiration from projects such as The John Engeman Theater in Northport Village and The Paramount theater in Huntington, owner and real estate developer Cyrus Hakakian took a creative approach to a solution. Realizing that several municipal parking lots were empty at night, he cut a deal with the Town to lease the parking spaces to the theater for use after normal business hours.

Huntington has seen an influx of people visiting the Paramount Theater and then staying after the show and visiting the shops and restaurants. "I have seen some increase in business when the shows let out" says Jack Palladino, owner of Christopher's Pub and Restaurant, on Huntington's Wall Street, "It's a nice crowd of people, too." The addition of entertainment venues to business districts turns the area into a destination, something downtown Westbury hopes to achieve.

Eric Alexander, executive director of Vision Long Island, said live theaters are becoming anchors of downtown business areas, helping to fill restaurants and cafés. “It brings economic life to local communities,” he said.

Hakakian, owner of the Westbury theater, estimates that construction alone has injected at least $3 million into Westbury's economy. The Westbury Theatre was a 2011 Smart Growth Award winner.

For more information, see Long Island Business News.

 

Summerwind Square breaks ground

This past Monday marked the beginning of construction on the new Summerwind Square in Riverhead, a project meant to compliment the recently completed Hyatt Hotel, according to local Councilwoman Jody Giglio.

"We started at one end with the Hyatt Hotel, this is the other bookend," Giglio said. "We're going to fill everything in between."

Summerwind Square, recent recipient of a Smart Growth Award, will be a private $4 million complex with 52 affordable housing apartments and a restaurant on the the first floor. The 8,000 square foot building will will also include space on the first floor that can be divided for businesses. The project is expected to take about 10 months to complete.

Town Supervisor Sean Walter was also on hand for the event and even donned a hard hat to get behind the wheel of an excavator in order to rip down a wall of the building formerly standing on the site. The Supervisor was quick to thank County Executive Steve Levy, the Suffolk County Legislature and Legislator Ed Romaine (R – Center Moriches) in particular for all their hard work in getting the project built.

"I was down in Patchogue last week and I looked at 80 units of affordable housing down there and it just added a vibrancy to the downtown,” said Supervisor Walter, “This project ... [is] really going to add something to this community that we haven't had in a long time."

For more information on this project, check out the full story in Riverhead’s Patch.

 

 

LIREDC releases five-year plan

The Long Island Regional Economic Development Council has created a five-year plan with transformative strategies that will promote innovative, collaborative initiatives for growth. Although Long Island has had a long history of innovation and resilience, there are current economic problems that must be addressed. "Having set a national example of rising middle-class opportunity as America's first suburbs, Long Island now demonstrates significant challenges as they mature." The report highlights four key areas of concern: national assets, innovation, infrastructure and workforce and education.

Some of the challenges Long Island has faced include: loss of young workers, slow overall population growth, inadequate transportation and waste disposal infrastructure, growing poverty, continued racial segregation and a decline in high-paying defense manufacturing jobs. The LIREDEC calls for a plan that enables long-term growth, keeps a balance between economic and environmental concerns, recognizes the connectivity between all sectors and communities and a takes a holistic approach when considering local projects.

In the proposed plan, the LIREDC has laid out four working groups that focus on the critical issues and the potential opportunities and strategies that will help move Long Island towards long-term economic growth. The first is Long Island workforce and education. A skilled and educated workforce attracts new investments, retains existing business and spurs innovation. The LIREDC plans to bridge skill gaps through significant improvements in education and ensuring that all communities benefit from economic growth. By doing this, Long Island's workforce will meet the needs of growth in key industry clusters such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics, advanced manufacturing and information technology, healthcare and life sciences and green technologies.

The second working group is natural assets. This plan includes improvements in sustainable agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture through infrastructure development and the better marketing of Long Island seafood. Long Island's natural beauty is a perfect gateway for ecotourism - an industry that needs support from improved infrastructure.

The third working group is infrastructure, which is essential for Long Island's growth and will be a key factor to its revitalization. This working group focuses on updating the aging and outdated infrastructure, revitalizing downtowns and commercial centers, creating affordable housing, promoting new government policies to foster economic growth and redeveloping the Nassau Hub.

The fourth working group is innovation and industry cluster, where the goal is to erase the critical shortages of engineering professionals, strengthen the shrinking but still powerful advanced manufacturing sector and exploit the concentration of federal, state and private research institutions to commercialize new technologies.

Read the draft of the plan here.

 

Smart Growth principles part of New York State development plans

The Regional Economic Development Councils were launched by Governor Cuomo with the goal of redesigning the relationship between the state government and businesses to stimulate regional economic development and create jobs statewide. Each regional council is instructed to develop a plan for their region. The State will work with the region to eliminate barriers to growth and prosperity. The goal of the Councils is to shift the State's approach to economic development from a top-down development model to a community-based approach. There are ten Regional Councils throughout New York State: Capital Region, Central New York, Fingerlakes, Long Island, Mid-Hudson, Mohawk Valley, New York City, North Country, Southern Tier and Western New York. As New York State is seeking applications for projects, they will have up to $1 billion of infrastructure funds to give to the regional councils. The plans are due November 14th, with project submissions being accepted through October 31st.

According to a recent article in The Times Union, the Capital Region Economic Development Council is moving forward on a five-year strategic plan for the Hudson Valley region. As part of the proposed the plan, new projects will be required to follow Smart Growth criteria. "We want to talk about sustaining and enhancing the natural environment while optimizing the use of the assets that already exist," said Shirley Ann Jackson, the president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the council's co-chair. "There can be things that are lying fallow that can be revitalized, and used as a platform for economic growth."

During a meeting at the Saratoga Springs City Center, an application was presented for a new co-generation plant which would be located on the southern portion of the Watervilet Arsenal. The plan is proposing the use of a pre-existing infrastructure while opening up 60 unused acres for private development. Peter Gannon, president of the Arsenal Business and Technology Partnership has stated that they are seeking funding to renovate the existing steam plant and turn it into a facility that would provide electrical power to tenants. The Capital-area council released a list of the region's assets and goals which all of the plans will be based on. Those goals included: technological innovation, access to quality health care, engineering and other technical fields and the area's natural beauty selling point.

Read more from Empire State Future, our statewide Smart Growth advocates.

 

Market indicates demand for transit choices

Whether it be a carsharing service such as ZipCar or a demand for walkable and bikable communities, a new market report indicates that more people prefer public transit as a result of growing environmental concerns and an increasing population. William Millar, president of the American Public Transportation Association, announced at the organization’s annual “Rail-Volution” conference in Washington DC last week that in addition to the 1,200 people in attendance, there are billions who would benefit from public transportation who might not be aware of the fact.

John Martin, CEO of the Southeastern Institute of Research, agrees with him. During a panel discussion on “The Shifting Paradigm of the City” he revealed that there were a number of factors including a growing population and a demographic sea change that would make the demand for public transit rise.

With the U.S population set to rise to 341 million by 2020 and most of them expected to settle into metropolitan areas, the need for public transit will come from a practical standpoint. “What ultimately will happen is we’ll have these urban villages everywhere,” Martin said. More cars, combined with tight highway budgets spell out congestion, lack of access and pollution. An obvious solution is public transit for new citydwellers.

A generational shift also fairs well for public transport. Ninety percent of the 76 million baby boomers would prefer to age in place as opposed to moving into retirement communities. “The question isn’t going to be, ‘Are boomers ready for transit?’” Martin said. “The real question is ‘Is transit ready for boomers.’” Baby boomers are not known for being passive. “If you look at boomers, when we were growing up it was a time of plenty.” explained Martin. ”We transformed society as we passed through it and we’re going to transform transit. We’re going to demand the things we want it to do."

Younger generations benefit from public transit, as well. Compared to older generations, people born between 1982 and 1994 are less eager to own a car, get a drivers license or see driving as a rite of passage. Some attribute this to the lack of jobs and rising student debt, but Martin explains it differently “Gen Y is hyper-connected. They are literally digital natives… Eighty-eight percent want to live in urban settings because they can be hyper-connected.”

Many young people are eschewing car ownership in favor of car sharing services such as ZipCar, an hourly car rental service. This trend is rising on college campuses and urban areas. "Instead of paying monthly payments, gas, insurance, parking and maintenance, with ZipCar I only pay when I use the service." says Josh Churgin, a 27-year-old web developer living in Chelsea. "It's way less of a commitment." It is also has the appeal of less congestion and carbon output than individual personal vehicles. Transit serves a similar model, serving a large amount of people while cutting down on congestion and pollution.

 

Cuomo selects Lhota as new MTA chief

Governor Cuomo has announced his choice to replace Jay Walder as MTA Chairman & CEO: Joseph J. Lhota. The Senate will have to approve the nomination in the coming weeks.

Lhota has a range of experience in the public and private sector. He served in the Giuliani administration as NYC Deputy Mayor for Operations, as well as Budget Director and Commissioner of Finance, where he has managed multi-billion capital and operating budgets as well as day-to-day City operations. He currently serves as Executive Vice President of Administration for The Madison Square Garden Company. He has also been a Board Member of the MTA.

"I am pleased to accept the recommendation of the extraordinary search committee and nominate Joe Lhota to be the next chairman and CEO of the MTA," Governor Cuomo said. "Joe Lhota brings one-of-a-kind managerial, government, and private sector experience to the job and a lifelong commitment to public service that will benefit all straphangers. I look forward to working together as we continue to reform the MTA, reduce costs, and improve service for New Yorkers. I thank the members of the MTA Search Advisory Committee for their diligent work and thorough review."

Joseph Lhota said, "Millions of New Yorkers depend on the MTA every day and they deserve the most efficient and effective service. Throughout my career in both the public and private sectors, I have initiated reforms that are performance-based and that cut costs, and I look forward to bringing this same approach to the MTA. I thank Governor Cuomo for this exciting opportunity to serve the people of New York."

The Governor is expected to recommend reducing Mr. Lhota’s compensation by 5 percent from the previous level. Good luck to Mr. Lhota as he inherits a difficult budget. We hope this native Long Islander will help us save LI Bus, too!

Read the Governor’s press release here.

 

Mangano unveils ambitious Nassau Hub plan

Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano unveiled his latest plan for revitalization at the Nassau Hub on Monday. The new proposal, which was submitted to the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council, calls for a completely rebuilt Nassau Coliseum, a bioscience innovation center, a research and development expo center, office space above retail stores and residential housing options, all on a 77-acre site.

The plan, his most ambitious yet, also includes other attractions such as a minor league ballpark, multi-purpose exposition center and a track and field facility. Parking for the entire facility will be located in a multi-story garage located behind the current site of the Long Island Marriott.

This plan comes on the heels of a failed referendum vote to pay for construction of a new Coliseum, but will instead rely on funds from the state government and private developers. Submission of the plan to the Regional Economic Development Council paves the way for the appropriation of some of the $800 million in state funds for regionally significant projects. The County is seeking $253 million in total funding from the state for infrastructure improvements as well as $7 million from the state for the construction of the research and development expo center.

In addition to this, Mangano’s Accelerate Nassau Now plan will call for the increase of manufacturing options at the former Grumman property in Bethpage and the Belmont Raceway in Elmont. A number of serious developers have shown interest in construction of a soccer stadium in conjunction with mixed-use development at the raceway. This is all in addition to Mangano’s continued support for a casino at Belmont, a measure aimed at creating thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in investments for local schools, the state, county and local community.

For more information on this project, check out Long Island Business News’ original article.

 

Nassau Hub gone but not forgotten: A new Coliseum at Belmont?

On October 4th, the Governor's Regional Economic Development Council met to discuss the fate of the Nassau Coliseum. This has been a hot debate in the County since the New York Islanders said that once their lease expires in 2015, they will not continue to play at Nassau Coliseum unless it is either updated or relocated. Stuart Rabinowitz, President of Hofstra University and Co-Chair of the Regional Economic Development Council, proposed a new idea to relocate and reconstruct the Nassau Coliseum at Belmont Park in Elmont. This new idea has already drawn a lot of support from local leaders and is now being seriously considered by Nassau County officials.

The proposed plan will create an entertainment-complex which will include a hockey arena, an Indian casino and Belmont's existing racetrack. Sandra Smith, chair of the Elmont Coalition for Sustainable Development, said that the coalition supports the possibility of the Coliseum coming to Belmont. "The Coliseum, a hotel, a casino, and/or a walkable mall at Belmont are all great ideas to give us what we want, but more importantly, what we need in our community," Smith said. "We are looking for economic development that will create jobs, help our tax base and revitalize the area. All of this or parts of this, we believe, will help us achieve that goal."

Brian Nevin, a spokesman for Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano, has stated that although the County is considering this plan, they are still open to other proposals. Town of Hempstead Councilman Ed Ambrosino has said that he supports the plan to relocate and that it would provide leverage for the Long Island Rail Road and Cross Island Parkway connections where the Hub area currently fails to do so. The potential for job creation and the development of a mixed-use center has many County and local leaders excited.

Tell us what you think about this new plan for the Nassau Coliseum: should the Coliseum be relocated?

 

 

Connect Long Island plan unveiled

“I’m shocked,” said Vision’s Eric Alexander, speaking at a press conference on Thursday at the unveiling of “Connect Long Island: A Regional Transportation and Development Plan” spearheaded by Town of Babylon Supervisor Steve Bellone and supported by a large group of local and regional leaders. Elected officials in attendance included Supervisor Bellone, Town of Huntington Supervisor Frank Petrone, Town of Islip Supervisor Phil Nolan, Town of Brookhaven Supervisor Mark Lesko, NYS Senator Charles Fuschillo, Village of Farmingdale Mayor George “Butch” Starkie, Village of Patchogue Mayor Paul Pontieri and Town of Babylon Councilman Tony Martinez. LIRR’s Elisa Picca and LI Regional Planning Council’s John Cameron also spoke.

The plan has several components, many which emphasize Smart Growth principles. It focuses on Route 110, Suffolk County’s major workforce hub with 135,000 (or 20%) of the County’s jobs. 110 is also infamous for traffic congestion, giant parking lots, sprawling office parks and big box stores.

Thursday’s press conference was held at the Multiplex Cinema on Route 110 and Conklin Street. While re-opening the nearby Republic Airport LIRR station has long been a goal of Supervisor Bellone, it had previously failed to gain traction or funding. Now, re-opening the station will be paired with several new components, including a new mixed-use center on the giant asphalt lot that currently surrounds the Multiplex. This site will become a walkable town center with a blend of retail, residential, and entertainment uses. Another central piece of the plan is a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route along the Route 110 corridor, which will provide a much-needed North-South connection for LI’s transit network. The BRT proposal was recently analyzed in a study that was supported by Senator Fuschillo. Funding for large-scale transit projects are key to the plan, including adding a second LIRR track from Farmingdale to Ronkonkoma and to the East Side Access.

Not only are these leaders working together and thinking big, but there is a sincere integration of local communities and their revitalization initiatives. The plan focuses on supporting existing and proposed transit-oriented developments and revitalization efforts in Mineola, Farmingdale, East Farmingdale, Wyandanch, Brentwood, Ronkonkoma, Copiague, Bay Shore and Patchogue. The press release for the event states, “As standalone developments these efforts are important to our region because they help address regional challenges by creating new job opportunities, strengthening small businesses, creating vibrant places attractive to young people and diversifying our housing stock. But taken together, each TOD adds to the values of the TODs to which it connects, forming a whole greater than the sum of its parts.”

It was tremendous for Vision to listen to so many of our elected leaders discussing in unison the importance of TOD and mixed-use developments and the need to move away from an auto-centric Long Island. There is broad market and community support for these types of initiatives and we are thrilled to see our leaders on board.

Here are some supporting quotes:

Town of Babylon Supervisor Steve Bellone said, “Long Island faces many challenges moving forward, and we need to take a regional approach to deal with them. By developing along rail lines and connecting these developments to major job centers, we are opening up new opportunities for people to live and work on Long Island without getting in their cars for everything.”

Town of Huntington Supervisor Frank Petrone said, “Two years ago, we commissioned a feasibility study on a bus rapid transit system because we saw its potential as the crucial link among the many developing commercial, educational and residential facilities along Route 110. Now that the study has confirmed our belief, it is time to move ahead with this project, which will spur job creation and improve the environment by reducing automobile traffic along Route 110, the area we call Long Island’s epicenter.”

Town of Islip Supervisor Phil Nolan said, “By coordinating efforts among Town and State representatives, this plan will help create a more cohesive and extensive transportation network, to support the growth of downtowns across Long Island. I am excited about the job-growth potential that will come from linking downtowns to growing job centers and new mixed-use developments.”

Town of Brookhaven Supervisor Mark Lesko said, “I look forward to working with my colleagues to Connect Long Island and create vibrant centers of economic growth around mass transit. Suffolk County’s economy will benefit from municipal leaders thinking regionally about projects that will create jobs. Brookhaven is closely collaborating with the Town of Islip on the Ronkonkoma Hub, a new live-work-play transit-oriented development that will be connected not only to the busiest Long Island Rail Road station, but also the Islip’s MacArthur Airport.”

NYS Senator Charles Fuschillo said, “In today’s economy, we need to do everything we can to create jobs, help businesses grow, and promote economic development. That’s exactly what these projects would do. Transit Oriented Development will help attract people to live, work, and shop in our downtowns, creating a huge boost to local small businesses. Expanding mass transit will improve access to these developments, as well as the vitally important Route 110 Corridor, while easing congestion and taking cars off the road. These are exactly the type of smart growth initiatives we should be exploring to help ensure that Long Island’s economy can grow and create jobs.”

Village of Farmingdale Mayor George “Butch” Starkie said, “It is incredibly important that we erase the boundary lines between towns, villages and counties when doing comprehensive planning. We need to work together on these transformative projects like the 110 Corridor...This game changing plan will be a huge benefit to the Village of Farmingdale and surrounding communities in the years to come.”

Village of Patchogue Mayor Paul Pontieri said, “Across the island around our train stations there is much blighted property. If we redevelop that property into affordable housing, we allow our young kids to stay on the island, work in the city, and save money on gas. This will allow young people to have opportunities they otherwise would not have to live and work in communities where they want to be.”

John Cameron, Chairman of the LI Regional Planning Council, said, “Connect Long Island clearly addresses many of Long Island’s economic, infrastructure and transportation challenges as identified in LI 2035, LIRPC’s 25-year Sustainability Plan, while seizing on the opportunities presented by the Island’s existing assets.”

Elisa Picca, Chief Planning Officer for the LIRR, said, “The LIRR is pleased to be a part of this cooperative regional effort. We support TOD opportunities and funding to expand mass transit investments, like the Double Track project from Farmingdale to Ronkonkoma. East Side Access will be the biggest expansion of LIRR service in 100 years and we must be ready to capitalize on it.”

Eric Alexander, Executive Director of Vision Long Island, said, “Making the connection between transit oriented development projects and relevant infrastructure investments has been an often overlooked part of our planning as a region. Kudos to Supervisor Bellone and the other supportive municipal leaders for placing these projects at the forefront of our region’s priorities.”

Vision was also quoted in Newsday. “Eric Alexander of Vision Long Island, a smart-growth advocacy group, said with demand for housing with mass transit access growing rapidly, a plan for regional transit infrastructure was ‘visionary and logical.’” Read more in Newsday and in LI Business News.

 

LI Bus update: Groups call on Legislators to stand up for bus riders, urge County to get back to negotiating table with MTA

Long Island Bus continues to be surrounded by controversy and a lack of transparency. On Monday, Vision participated in a press conference in front of the Nassau Legislature, along with Tri-State Transportation Campaign, LI Jobs With Justice, LI Federation of Labor, NY Communities for Change, LI Progressive Coalition, NY Public Interest Research Group, several local churches, bus riders, AbleRide users, business and civic leaders and bus workers s to speak out on upcoming plans for the system.

The press event called on the County Legislature to increase its LI Bus contribution in the budget and also urged County Executive Mangano to go back to the negotiating table with the MTA to find an alternative to the bus privatization proposal with Veolia Transportation, which is scheduled to go into effect on January 1st, 2012. Whatever happens, riders and advocates are asking for a 5-year freeze on service levels and fares. This process has not been sufficiently transparent; riders and residents deserve to see a comparison of what Veolia will provide versus the current MTA system.

While we recognize the County’s difficult financial circumstances, that does not excuse the fact that Long Island Bus needs to be properly funded. Only $2.5 million is allocated in this year’s budget, representing a 73% decrease from 2011. This is far too low, whether there is a private system or not. In Suffolk and Westchester Counties, buses are run by effective public-private partnerships, but County contributions are far higher ($24 million and $33 million, respectively). On the difference that needs to be made up from the lack of MTA funding and Nassau’s low contribution, Veolia Transportation representative Michael Setzer has said that “you can’t save $35 million by turning out the lights.” Service cuts seem imminent.

There is new leadership in place at the MTA. This presents a unique opportunity for County Executive Mangano to get back to the table and re-enter negotiations. There is the possibility of a fresh start without the rocky history of the last few years. A public bus system may not be perfect, but it is transparent, safe and reliable.

At Monday afternoon’s Legislature committee hearings, the Rules Committee discussion on the budget- which would include LI Bus- was tabled until Thursday, when discussions ran late into the evening.

Read on for an action alert and check out some coverage in Tri-State Transportation Campaign's Mobilizing the Region, Verizon Fios1, Newsday, LI Jobs With Justice.

 

Huntington’s Paramount Theater opens

Long Island’s newest major concert venue has arrived, and it has arrived in style.

The Paramount Theater is located on New York Avenue in the heart of Huntington Village, at the former site of the IMAC. Some Vision staffers had the opportunity to attend the launch party on Monday night and were thoroughly impressed! The interior was gritty and stylish, with an industrial feel mixed with clean, modern amenities and technology. The main level has an open floor plan and the balcony level has seats wrapping around, all making for a capacity of about 1,500. There are 4 bars, some accessible from the main floor. For the elite crowd, there is the Founder’s Club VIP room. The bathrooms were painted by local graffiti artists, and the walls in the stairwells have song lyrics written all over them.

The Town of Huntington is enthusiastic about the potential for the theater to bring more people into the downtown who can visit local shops for pre-show dinner or shopping. A parking management plan is also in place to ease downtown traffic: 344 spaces at the Huntington LIRR station will be available concert-goers, with two 30-passenger trolleys making a 4-minute loop from 5pm until at least 2am on concert nights. Additional spaces have been secured at Town Hall and on upper Elm Street.

More upcoming acts and information are on the Paramount’s website, check out the photo gallery!

A job well done to the Paramount team, including Hoffman Grayson Architects and the Town of Huntington, for putting together a great project.

Check out some press coverage in LI Press, Newsday, Newsday/Explore LI and Huntington Patch

 

Riverhead revitalization continues as Vintage returns

On Tuesday, John Burke of the Vintage Group revealed plans for two new developments in downtown Riverhead. The first is a mixed-use project between the train station and the courthouse that includes 150 residential units, a 750 car multi-level parking structure, a movie theater and ground level retail. Vision gave this project a Smart Growth Award several years ago, but the project had been stalled due to economic constraints. The second project is a 250 residential unit building with ground level retail on Main Street, near the Suffolk Theater.

At this week's presentation were representatives from the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust and Love Funding, a 130-year-old investment bank, who are working with the Vintage Group to finance the projects. Also in attendance were County Legislator Ed Romaine, Town Councilmembers John Dunleavy, James Wooten and Jodi Giglio, members of the local trade unions and the Long Island Housing Partnership. The projects are estimated to create up to 750 jobs and provide 80 units of workforce housing to the area.

These two projects will piggyback on a plethora of revitalization efforts taking place in downtown Riverhead already. Several Smart Growth Award winning projects are also involved, including the new Hyatt Place Hotel and LI Aquarium relaunch and the Suffolk County Community College Culinary Arts Center. The Hyatt and Aquarium were featured as a multi-page spread in Newsday this week. Other housing projects are underway including Summer Wind Square and Concern Riverhead.

Town Supervisor Sean Walter led a ribbon-cutting tour on Monday to highlight the overall success of the town. Walter, along with the full town board and other elected officials, visited 12 local businesses that recently opened, expanded or renovated and cut ribbons at all 12 sites!

For more information visit Riverheadlocal.com and Riverhead News Review.

 

Schumer supports Ronkonkoma Hub

At a tour of the future site of the Ronkonkoma Hub this week, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced a major effort to secure funding to help jumpstart the massive project that will change the face of the community and serve as an example of successful transit-oriented development. Schumer called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) through the Federal Partnership for Sustainable Communities, to meet with and help identify federal funding sources to help secure funding for three key foundational ingredients to the success of this project of regional importance: sewer infrastructure, roundabout construction at the LIRR station and rehabilitation of existing, blighted properties around the train station.

Schumer made the case that public investment in infrastructure and federal recognition for the project will provide an added incentive for developers to invest private capital in this massive economic development project. His push for federal support for the Ronkonkoma Hub project is part of an overall effort he has led to have federal agencies work with local officials to identify funding opportunities, cut through bureaucratic red tape and navigate local officials through regulatory obstacles.

Last August, Vision Long Island co-hosted a conference with Senator Schumer and representatives from the EPA, the office of Sustainable Communities, HUD and USDOT to assist local officials in mapping out areas of coordination between affordable housing, environmental and transportation planning to promote sustainable development methods to revitalize local economies in the area. Nearly twenty municipalities presented their downtown projects to the federal officials. Schumer is pressing for a similar coordinated effort to jumpstart the Ronkokoma Hub development project and calling on the Partnership to lead an effort to identify and help coordinate a federal assistance package to help fund major components of the project.

Schumer identified three key targets for potential funding for the project and noted that his office will work with local officials and the Partnership for Sustainable Communities to help should work secure funding. Specifically, Schumer identified the following agencies and funding opportunities: federally-funded Clean Water State Revolving Fund, Economic Development Agency and Federal Highway Administration.

Read more in LI Business News and on Senator Schumer’s website.

 

FEIS accepted for Mt. Sinai Village Centre plan; mixed responses from residents

The Brookhaven Town Board adopted the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Mt. Sinai Village Centre project last week, in a 6-1 vote, with Councilwoman Jane Bonner casting the sole dissenting vote.

The project, first proposed in 2005, is located east of the King Kullen shopping center in Mt. Sinai, covering about 30 acres with retail and a community center. It will include a new clock tower, benches, gardens and other beautification efforts. Developer Paul Elliot of Soundview Realty has said that the project will connect with the King Kullen center, “allowing shoppers to walk, shop, eat, conduct banking and make office visits.”

The project’s website explains,

“Imagine turning off Route 25A and entering Mt. Sinai Village Centre — a beautiful retail-professional office center grounded by a magnificent clock tower and park-like green spaces. You might feel as though you had entered a New England hamlet, complete with gardens, benches, and a walk-able downtown main street. Mt. Sinai Village Centre will be the centerpiece of a revitalized and well-planned corridor that serves as a gateway to Mt. Sinai…a shining example of intelligent design and meticulous attention to detail, shaped by members of the community it will serve.”

According to the Village Beacon Record, residents are divided over the potential impact of the project. While some have been waiting patiently for years to see this redevelopment take place, others have expressed concerns over the impact on local businesses, residents and traffic.

Some feel the project will be a beautiful addition to the community, which would add about 300 new permanent jobs. Resident Bruce Madonna has spoken out in favor of the project for two years. “Why is this becoming a marathon?” he asked the Town Board.

Meanwhile, Councilwoman Bonner has said she wants to wait until the Town’s environmental study for the Route 25A corridor is completed before considering the project. Some suggest the study will make different recommendations for zoning and land use in the area.

Ann Becker of the Mount Sinai Civic Association explained that the plans have changed significantly over the years: “The project itself started in 2005 and they designed a beautiful project...but then it has gone through so many changes - and so many things have been taken out that people really wanted and things put in that people really don’t want - that it doesn’t really resemble the original project,” she said. The civic has yet to take an official position on the project.

Elliot must still get zone change approval from the Town. If approved, construction could begin next spring and completed in 2014.

Vision Long Island conducted the original public meeting and resulting plan for mixed-use development at the site which included housing. The housing component was removed and additional commerical space was added after objections from local residents.

Read more at the Times Beacon Record and on the project’s website.

 

Coram to build mixed-use center on old theater site

On September 20th, Brookhaven Town Councilwoman Connie Kepert and Supervisor Mark Lesko announced a new plan for a $59 million redevelopment of the former United Artists (UA) Movie Theatre in Coram. This project will eliminate the blight that has attracted vandals and homeless people since the theater shut down in 2004 and create an affordable housing and retail complex. The new development will feature 160 apartments and almost 50,000 square feet of retail space. The expected rents on the apartments will range from $1,173 for a one-bedroom unit, $1,406 for two bedrooms, and $1,620 for three bedrooms. Not only will this project provide very affordable housing and shopping for the community, but it is also projected to generate 319 construction jobs and 112 permanent jobs.

The developers for the project, Conifer Realty LLC and Community Development Corporation of Long Island (CDC), have been partners for over 12 years and share the same mission of providing affordable housing. Marianne Garvin, President and CEO of the CDC said, "CDC of Long Island targeted this site for redevelopment because of Connie Kepert and Mark Lesko's clarion call for removing blight and uplifting the Coram community, which resonate with CDC'S mission." CDC of Long Island is a not-for-profit organization that supports Long Islanders pursuing their housing and small business dreams.

The UA Movie Theater property was one of the first included in Supervisor Lesko's "Blight to Light" initiative. The "Blight to Light" program is an initiative to eliminate suburban blight in the Town of Brookhaven and redevelop these sites into mixed use, community friendly areas. "This redevelopment of the UA Movie Theater in Coram will remove an eyesore from the community and create jobs. An abandoned shell of a building and sea of cracking asphalt will be turned into a vibrant community center," said Supervisor Lesko. The intent of this project is to create a convenient town center with retail that will support the needs of the surrounding community while also being an attractive stopping destination.

This project was planned with the guidance of the Middle Country Road Land Use Plan, which was adopted in 2006 with Vision's help and support. Vision Long Island conducted a visioning process in the Coram and Middle Island communities in 2002 in coordination with local civics, business leaders and the Town of Brookhaven.

Vision's Eric Alexander was interviewed outside of the press event this week. Check out the video here. Read more in Newsday hereand the North Shore Sun here.

Glen Isle makes changes; City of Glen Cove hears from residents

The number of new town center proposals on Long Island continues to grow, and over the last few weeks one has taken some significant steps forward. Glen Isle, the large-scale redevelopment of the Glen Cove waterfront, was the subject of a public hearing held by the City of Glen Cove on Tuesday evening. Earlier this month, RXR Glen Isle Partners announced there would be several changes to the original design, including lower building heights and a higher ratio of rental units. The majority of speakers at the hearing were positive, which bodes well for the pending approval of this project.

The project will still have 860 units of housing. The 2008 version of the plan called for 21% rentals and 79% for-sale condominiums. Now, that mix has shifted to 35% rentals (271 units) and 65% condos (531 units). A significant number of these will be workforce or affordable units, targeting young professionals, amongst others. The 10-12 story buildings will be split into several 4-story buildings with parking underneath, making the pedestrian experience more typical of other walkable residential neighborhoods throughout the country.

The new plan incorporates green roofs as part of its stormwater management plan, which is a great, ecologically friendly way to absorb rainfall during storms, help reduce the heat island effect and provide food and habitat for birds, bees and other beneficial insects. Another change is the addition of a roundabout at the project’s main intersection, which will improve traffic flow and improve pedestrian safety. The development will still include a 250-room hotel, 19 acres of parks and open space and ample office and retail space.

The recently revised FEIS was presented at a standing-room only hearing. RXR’s Scott Rechler presented, followed by members of his team, describing some of the changes. A major reason for revising the plan was the changing economic climate since the project was initially proposed. Residents and other stakeholders spoke, and by Vision’s tally we heard 21 comments in support, 13 against, and 6 neutral with outstanding questions. Supportive comments included the new housing mix which follows market demand, the positive effects for young people on LI, new tax revenues and jobs, responsible developers that have listened to the public and the economic climate and downsized their plans, the City’s $140 million infrastructure investment to accommodate the project and the revitalization that this will bring to a vacant eyesore at the waterfront. Some of the questions raised were on the balance of the mix of uses and their economic viability, the project’s density and character and the impact on traffic. Vision testified in support.

Vision Long Island honored Glen Isle with a Smart Growth Award in 2010 for “Creating a Mix of Uses.” We are pleased to see the project advance through the FEIS stage and hope it receives its final approvals. View our video from the 2010 Smart Growth Awards here (the project is still in the earlier form in the video).

The FEIS is available on Glen Cove’s website. Read more in Newsday here.

Nassau HUB: Gone but not forgotten?

The fate of plans for the Nassau HUB looked grim after the defeat of the Nassau Coliseum referendum this summer. Fortunately, activity persists to attempt to come to consensus for redevelopment in the area with Nassau County, the Town of Hempstead and individual developers working on varying seperate conceptual plans. Stay tuned, as there is much more to come in the future months.

Nassau County develops transportation plan

On Wednesday evening, Nassau County held an open house to show progress on their study of transit options for the Nassau Hub area. About fifty people came to the open house to learn about the study. The planning team, lead by Jacobs Engineering, has looked at fourteen different potential transit routes through the Hub area. Six of them were determined to be fatally flawed and the remaining eight routes were on display, along with an estimate of ridership and length of routes. The eight routes will be narrowed down with further study to a few short list alternatives and eventually the locally preferred alternative will be selected and funding will be sought for its implementation. What form of transit will be used for the route has not yet been determined.

For more information go to the Nassau Hub's website.

Town of Hempstead holds Uniondale visioning meeting

The Uniondale Vision Plan kicked off Thursday night with its first official community meeting at Uniondale High School. About 80 residents attended the program, which gave an introduction to the process, explored some of the troubling existing conditions in the community and gave residents a forum to share their initial ideas for revitalization.

The visioning will focus on revitalization of the commercial areas along Jerusalem Ave., Front St., Nassau Rd. and Uniondale Ave. It will cover residential rehabilitation in Uniondale’s neighborhoods and seek to spur economic development in Uniondale overall. The goal is to build consensus in the community through the creation and implementation of a common agenda to serve as a roadmap for the future of Uniondale.

A group called the Greater Uniondale Area Action Coalition has put together what they are calling “Points of Unity” to present during the visioning process. As Jeannine Maynard of the Uniondale Community Council explained in an email, “the paper is intended to facilitate a strong, productive and aligned neighborhood voice as grassroots stakeholders as our area visioning gets underway.” The two-page paper covers issues like beautification (including cleanup, uniform business signage, the use of quality construction materials), transportation (maintain the bus lines, link to the Hub, commuter shelters, safe sidewalks), business improvements (no more strip malls, more family-based businesses and local businesses), housing (build on vacant properties first, work with lenders), a community center, environmental improvements, walkability, bikeability, traffic abatement and a community survey.

If you live or work in Uniondale and want to plug in to the visioning process, contact Kathy Sefchek from the Town of Hempstead at 516-538-7100 ext 311 or ksefchek@toh.li. You can also attend the next GUAAC meeting on Saturday, October 22nd at 10am in the Uniondale Public Library--contact Jeannine Maynard at 516-810-9306 or jgmaynard486@msn.com.

Read the Points of Unity here and see the brochure from the event here.

Developers put forward proposals

Nassau County has received number of proposals for redevelopment of the County-owned 77 acre parcel surrounding Nassau Coliseum. According to Newsday, one that emerged last week from ABLI and prepared by Town of Oyster Bay Planning Commissioner Fred Ipollito, architect Angelo Corvo and local engineers Sidney Bowne calls for a Coliseum renovation, a minor league ballpark and retail space.

Reaction from the Town of Hempstead and Islanders owner Charles Wang said they would look at all proposals that come forward. Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano also stated they would hold an open and transparent process to support development in the area that would benefit Nassau County residents. An RFP from the County should go forward on the property in the coming months.

For more information see the Newsday article here.

 

Federal update: T-bill extension passes House and Senate, awaits President Obama's signature; Jobs bill delivered

In a somewhat surprising move this week, the U.S. House of Representatives easily passed a 6-month clean extension of SAFETEA-LU, the federal transportation bill on Tuesday. The fund expires at the end of September, at which point many construction projects would be halted and workers furloughed. The rapid approval is likely because the transportation funding was coupled with extending FAA funding, which expires today.

Last night, it didn’t seem as if the Senate would be able to get agree on any extension of both the FAA authorization and the surface transportation authorization before today's deadline. Strong opponents finally caved and the bill was passed with 92 “yes” votes. President Obama is expected to sign the bill later today.

Though transportation advocates are still hoping for a long-term reauthorization, the 6-month extension is a welcome announcement. The small Transportation Enhancements fund, which covers many bike and pedestrian safety projects, remains intact. This is especially encouraging in light of the 2011 House budget which made major cuts to TIGER grants, New Starts and other Smart Growth-friendly programs.

Meanwhile, President Obama delivered his infrastructure-heavy American Jobs Act to Congress on Monday and though administration officials are optimistic, the proposal has already fallen into some messy politicization. Fortunately, the bill includes things like funding for high speed rail, Amtrak and TIGER grants, which had been cut in the 2011 House budget. $9 billion will be set aside for the Federal Transit Administration. The bill also allows some flexibility for local transit agencies to use capital funds for operating assistance, a major point that advocates have been pushing for as systems across the country struggle to stay afloat. These allocations make a big statement on the administration’s transportation priorities.

 

Vision highlights Complete Streets in LIBN

Vision’s Eric Alexander recently had an op-ed published in Long Island Business News. “Coming to a roadway near you,” covers the recent passage of the NYS Complete Streets law. Seeing as though Long Island has some of the most dangerous roads in the region and New York State some of the most dangerous in the nation, this law will go a long way in promoting safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, drivers, transit users and more.

“New York is not the first state to adopt a Complete Streets policy," the piece states. "In fact, we’re the 26th. And the five LI towns that have passed their own local ordinances (Babylon, Brookhaven, Islip, North Hempstead and Southampton) join a nationwide list of more than 250. This trend suggests a growing concern not only for road safety but for alternative, sustainable modes of transportation. Passage of Complete Streets legislation will hopefully begin the process of making our roadways more humane, improve our communities and, most importantly, save lives.”

Read the full op-ed here.

 

LI Smart Growth Working Group: Complete Streets, LI Bus, Nassau Hub, Infrastructure and more

The Long Island Smart Growth Working Group held a vibrant and informative meeting on Wednesday, September 7th at the RXR building in Melville. Nearly 70 individuals gathered to hear from NYS Senator Charles Fuschillo, along with NYS Assemblyman Tom McKevitt, on the recently passed Complete Streets legislation. The group also heard over a dozen updates from local elected officials, developers, planners and others.

Complete Streets

NYS Sen. Charles Fuschillo / NYS Assemblyman Tom McKeviltt / Sen. Fuschillo with Vision's Eric Alexander

Senator Fuschillo gave a heartfelt thank you to everyone in the room who worked to get the Complete Streets bill passed. It was a big challenge, spanning several years, but the bill was eventually voted through the legislature unanimously. In fact, never in ten years had Fuschillo seen so much support on one measure. Complete Streets is long overdue for New York. It will include benefits for pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles, the environment, health, public transportation and more. It’s unfortunate that we have to legislate things like this, Fuschillo said. A true advocate for his cause, the Senator described his drive to the meeting, where he looked at the roads differently and worried about the lack of pedestrian facilities.

Assemblyman McKevitt added that he was very glad to support this bill. He noted that many municipalities had economic concerns, but the local and state elected officials communicated effectively and worked through any issues. The law will take effect in February, 2012, six months after Gov. Cuomo signed the historic legislation.

Greenman-Pedersen’s Mayer Horn posed a question on performance measures, wondering if there is a plan for any reporting back on the law. Fuschillo noted that there is currently no plan, but that it would be a good idea to conduct future studies on the reduction in fatalities and other impacts of the law. There was also a question on the status of the federal Complete Streets policy, which is moving slowly. More information is available here.

Ryan Lynch, Tri-State Transportation Campaign / Peter Fleischer, Empire State Future / John Durso, LI Federation of Labor

LI Bus

Fresh from last week’s People’s Hearing for Long Island Bus, where 200 bus riders spoke out on their concerns in the absence of an official County hearing, Tri-State Transportation Campaign’s Ryan Lynch discussed the future of the soon-to-be-privatized bus system. Folks should reach out to elected officials and demand that service levels remain the same and fares are not increased over the next five years. We are also hoping that the County will reopen negotiations with the MTA when a new CEO is named. Senator Fuschillo, who helped save the bus system through the end of 2011, noted that State funds could still be used for a private system, as they are in other counties. Assemblyman McKevitt underscored the importance of the bus as it ties into economic development in the county. Hempstead Town Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby reiterated the detrimental impacts of service cuts and fare increases on her district, and thanked the Senator for providing the additional funding.

A sub-committee was formed to follow up with Nassau County officials on this issue.

Priority Infrastructure

A major priority for the Working Group is the implementation of the new NYS Smart Growth Public Infrastructure Policy law. We must ensure that state resources go into downtowns. Peter Fleischer of Empire State Future explained the progress coming from Albany, and unfortunately noted that there is “no indication that the administration is going out of their way to implement the Infrastructure Act.” Any progress has not been publicized, so folks will have to stay vigilant in the coming months.

Fleischer also noted that his group will serve as a watchdog for the Governor’s Regional Economic Development Councils. A member of the LI Council, LI Federation of Labor’s John Durso said that the group is trying to simplify the process to apply for funds. He also explained that out of the 10 councils, the two with the best job-creating plans will get a higher amount of money. Any ideas for projects would be welcome.

Vision has convened a committee that is identifying downtowns where there should be growth. These priority infrastructure locations and projects will be assembled and presented to elected officials so they can identify funding priorities in alignment with the new infrastructure law. Senator Fuschillo said he would be happy to meet with the committee once we have the final list. After all, infrastructure will drive the economic engine of the state. Fuschillo also discussed the potential for public-private-partnerships (or P3s) in order to pay for our underfunded infrastructure needs, as well as the potential for a state infrastructure bank.

Nassau Hub

There was some discussion over the future of the Nassau Hub, which has seen 4 failed plans since the mid-90s. Some argued that the failure was a result of political football with little regard for the community, while others suggested that community groups and residents are holding up the project due to unrealistic expectations. The group agreed that something needs to get done at the Hub, and whatever it is must address housing and job opportunities for young people, must include a strong infrastructure package, and must truly engage the community throughout the redevelopment process. An upcoming visioning meeting in Uniondale will address some of these issues.

A sub-committee of the Working Group was formed to review future projects proposed for the Nassau Hub.

Local and Regional Planning Updates

Town of Hempstead Councilwoman Dot Goosby / Michael Levine, North Hempstead Planning Commissioner / Lionel Chitty of the Hicksville Chamber of Commerce

There were updates from various Town and Village elected officials, along with private sector representatives working with municipalities. Hempstead Town Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby spoke about the various clean energy initiatives underway there, ranging from a recycling program to rebates for old mercury thermostats. She noted the land use controversy surrounding Elmont redevelopment which has not yet found a conclusion, and spoke about the Town’s redevelopment plans at the Nassau Hub.

In North Hempstead, Planning Commissioner Michael Levine discussed the various traffic calming initiatives in New Cassel, Port Washington and Manhasset. The Town has a new local Complete Streets policy, so several streets will get makeovers that will include bike lanes, wider sidewalks, fewer driving lanes and more. Manhasset will make use of a Safe Routes to Schools grant, which includes many pedestrian safety improvements. Several mixed-use properties are also in development stages throughout the Town, as is a 60,000 square foot community center. Though much is happening in North Hempstead, Levine noted a “logistical nightmare” in reconciling the requirements of various grants.

Oyster Bay’s Economic Development representative Linda Bianculli passed the floor to Lionel Chitty of the Hicksville Chamber of Commerce, who noted the partnership with the Town and other agencies including the DOT in Hicksville’s downtown revitalization process. Many streets are being worked on, beautification efforts are underway, there is a new farmers market and community garden and things are moving in accordance with the vision plan.

Jonathan Keyes, Town of Babylon Office of Downtown Revitalization / Joy Squires, NYS Association of Conservation Commissions / Steven Hearl, H2M / David Berg, American Planning Association - LI Chapter

Jonathan Keyes of the Town of Babylon’s Office of Downtown Revitalization noted that the Wyandanch Rising project is finishing up the final RFP process, which selected LI-based developer the Albanese Organzation. The project will include 200 housing units that are mostly residential and 50,000 square feet of retail. He hopes to see construction begin this time next year.

The Town of Islip sent in a report on several revitalization projects. Most notably, the ball is currently in developer Jerry Wolkoff’s court on the Heartland project. The Town and developer are moving closer to an agreement, with the infrastructure public benefits package currently a major issue to resolve. There are also many local projects in Bay Shore, including the completed marina development and many mixed use buildings on Main Street.

A great deal is happening in Huntington Station, with the approval of the 390-unit Avalon Bay project as well as Renaissance Downtowns being selected as Master Developer for the area. Renaissance’s Brandon Palanker emphasized the extensive public outreach that will be done in the community as the plan develops. He anticipated the plan to be “SEQRA-ready” in one year. Joy Squires of NYS Association of Conservation Commissions also noted the beautiful and successful community garden in Huntington Station that was created using town bond funds.

Heather Sporn, NYS Department of Transportation / Larry McAuliffe, NYMTC / Dr. Nathalia Rogers, Dowling College / Mayer Horn, Greenman-Pedersen

Will Stoner, AARP / Beth Fiteni, Sustainability Institute at Molloy College / Greg Watson, NYS Home & Community Renewal / Rich Bivone, Long Island Business Council

David Berg of the APA-LI Chapter noted that the Village of Port Jefferson is working on a major redevelopment plan for the area surrounding the train station, which will be done in “TOD style.” Hempstead Village will also be working with Renaissance Downtowns on a major redevelopment plan that should be shovel-ready next year. The Glen Cove Piazza project passed last month, which will include 142 units of housing and ample public space.

Larry McAuliffe of NYMTC gave an update on regional transportation and sustainability initiatives. Using a $3.5 million grant from the Partnership for Sustainable Communities (which includes HUD, EPA and US DOT), NYMTC will be working with other groups to regionally look at issues like transit-oriented development, transfer of development rights and pedestrian access. A “gap analysis” will be completed to make existing planning efforts more unified and sustainable. The consortium of groups is currently advancing a workplan which builds upon existing projects. Comments from the group included the need for the Federal agencies to not necessarily plan for the region, as there are numerous regional planning studies underway. More importantly, the agencies involved in this study can assist by breaking down regulatory barriers to funding Smart Growth projects in the communities that are ready for growth.

Beth Fiteni of the Sustainability Institute at Molloy College gave an update on some green homes and clean energy initiatives. The Clean Energy Leadership Task Force is scheduled to meet on September 30th and will feature LIPA COO Michael Hervey. The group will discuss a uniform solar code, lighting, home energy ratings and more. In addition, a growing campaign called Long Island Green Homes enables Long Islanders to be get free or low-cost home energy audits. Working under a federal NYSERDA grant, the program will also be run under a coalition of towns. More information is available on the LI Green Homes website and outreach assistance is needed.

Dowling College’s Dr. Nathalia Rogers reported on a federal small business study that will have economic development implications at all levels of government. The charge of the study is to tell Congress and the President how to improve the small business climate in the nation. Long Island’s instruments to conduct the study included a questionnaire that was distributed to many small business owners, focus groups in local communities that heard from businesses and chambers of commerce and a technical symposium that was held in June to brainstorm ideas. A report is expected to be ready by the end of October, but preliminary findings in the questionnaire found that roughly 95% of respondants stress that development of downtowns is a major way to encourage small business development. Even businesses that were not located in downtowns felt this way. Long Island Business Council’s Nassau Chair Richard Bivone commented on the importance of the study for small businesses across LI.

Also on the day's packed agenda were brief updates from AARP’s Will Stoner on livable communities, NYS Office of Homes and Community Renewal’s Greg Watson and NYSDOT’s Heather Sporn and Phyllis Elgut on pedestrian improvements in Smithtown as well as the upcoming DOT Capital Plan.

For more information on the LI Smart Growth Working Group please contact Vision at 631-261-0242 or info@visionlongisland.org.