A Message from Vision Long Island

What a whirlwind of a week. Three communities we are involved in have had meetings to tackle their future growth and development.

Without much fanfare, the Village of Farmingdale finished its visioning process with a number of accomplishments, including a revitalized public park/village green and fountain, traffic calming road projects, and four new development projects including market rate and affordable housing mixed with retail use. We will be updating you with more detailed results of these accomplishments. In this case, the community was positive but cautious and the Village took the lead, working hard for implementation.

In Rocky Point, the community kicked off a visioning project to revitalize its downtown through zoning changes, realigned parking, investments in sewer infrastructure, and a new mix of retail, along with additional housing, in the downtown. At this time, the driving force behind this vision is the civic community, but the local property owners and Town of Brookhaven, the sponsor of the planning process, are not far behind.

In Shoreham, the Tallgrass proposal for a PDD of 352 units of housing, 125,000 square feet of commercial space, ballfields, a village center, village green, and farmers market was approved 5-2 by the Brookhaven Town Board. This project showed the developers, Ornstein Leyton Companies, accepting an alternative to a 283 unit residential subdivision. Clearly, this was the longest and most contentious of the three projects, taking over 3.5 years, with the last 1.5 years being a visioning process that honed down some of the alternatives for a plan acceptable to the community. Of the endless letters, web posts, flyers, and e-mail blasts over the last few months with strong emotions and arguments, an anonymous message from a Shoreham resident on the Newsday blog sums it up:

We as residents spoke loudly and essentially brought down the # of units from over 700(Day 1) to now 352. The system worked. The input of all was heard. Everyone had a seat at the table over 3.5 years.. Now - lets all get over it and paint the canvas with the best community on Long Island. I remain greatly positive of the future of Shoreham, It's Schools and this new community. Shoreham - Time to heal and go forward in a positive manner.

After ten years of proposing different medium to large scale mixed use projects, this is the first time a new town center has been approved on Long Island. The developer took the lead in this case, but the Town of Brookhaven should be credited for taking on a very difficult decision in a highly charged political environment.

I suppose the message we are sending here is that these three communities (as well as many others) have worked hard at planning their future. If they can work through difficult issues, we all can make better land use and planning decisions. The system is not broken; we just need to work together, roll up our sleeves, and work harder and more effectively.

Eric Alexander
Executive Director

SMART GROWTH NEWS

Newsletter Editor:
Michelle Dutchen, Communications Director

Contributors:
Juliana Roberts, Planning Coordinator
Eric Alexander, Executive Director

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6th Annual Smart Growth Summit Coming November 16th - Register Today!

Join Vision Long Island for the 6th Annual Smart Growth Summit to be held on Friday, November 16th from 8:00am to 3:00pm at the Melville Marriott. This comprehensive land-use conference brings Long Island's leaders and experts together to address issues of Smart Growth and Livability.

Workshop topics include: Transportation & Congestion Pricing, Clean Energy & Green Building, Sewers & Infrastructure, Codes & Regulations, Commercial Corridor Redevelopment, Community Planning & Public Process, Regional Planning, Housing & Gentrification, Downtown Revitalization, and Projects of Regional Significance.

Town Supervisors, from left: Brookhaven's Brian Foley, North Hempstead's John Kaiman, Islip's
Phil Nolan, Oyster Bay's John Venditto, Riverhead's Phil Cardinale, and Hempstead's Kate Murray.

Sponsorships are available. Register today! Click here for the full brochure about the event or here for the registration form.

Rocky Point Visioning Concludes

A public participation workshop, sponsored by the Town of Brookhaven and the Rocky Point Civic Association, will work on revitalizing the downtown business district. The visioning process is expected to result in conceptual plans and renderings that will guide redevelopment. Importantly, all stakeholders will be involved and will work together with civic leaders, Town officials, local businesses, residents, and the community at large. The event is being held this week. The first session took place on Wednesday evening, October 10th at the Rocky Point VFW Hall.

A rainy autumn night didn’t deter the throngs of people coming to the opening session; a line of people streamed out the door of the VFW Hall and soon grew into a standing room only audience. In addition to the packed house of business leaders and residents, several elected officials made an appearance at the meeting and spoke on the importance of the visioning process. Brookhaven Town Supervisor Brian Foley, Legislator Dan Losquadro, and Councilman Kevin McCarrick spoke in support of the project and its process, emphasizing the potential for existing and new partnerships to improve the quality of life in Rocky Point.

Rocky Point Civic Association President Diane Burke opened the meeting with a warm welcome and handed it off to Eric Alexander of Vision Long Island, who began with a presentation on the downtown area, past projects, and future possibilities. Alex Latham, Principal of ADL III Architecture, presented on the technical design aspects of downtown revitalization and provided examples of downtown revitalizations with successful implementation of Smart Codes and Master Plans. Following these introductory slide shows, the community offered their “Hopes and Horrors” for their downtown.

A colorful board of drawings and wishes, made by the local Girl Scout troop suggested their own hopes, such as an ice cream parlor, puppy store, park, bookstore, and movie theatre. Adults from the community echoed some of the younger generations’ hopes, such as much needed downtown housing, a community center, bus shelters, and many other places and amenities that would create a renewed sense of place. The town produced pages of hopes to draw from and only a small number of horrors, such as the need for proper sewage treatment, parking, and the present neglect of several existing properties downtown. From these hopes and horrors, the community voted on locations that they would like to see preserved and those that they would like to change to achieve their vision.

On Saturday, October 13th, about 100 residents spent a beautiful fall day designing plans for the future of Rocky Point. The day kicked off with an informative presentation on retail prospects for Rocky Point by retail expert Seth Harry. That was followed by a walking tour of the business district. After lunch, provided by Tommy’s Place, residents broke down into small groups and worked together to design what they would like to see happen for the future of downtown Rocky Point. Each group presented their ‘visions’ at the end of the session. With this information, the design team worked tirelessly over the next few days to create renderings and plans from the community’s visions.

Eric Alexander and Rocky Point Civic Association President Diane Burke kicked off the final presentation meeting on Wednesday, October 17th at the Edgar School. Brookhaven Town Councilman Kevin McCarrick spoke on the enormous progress of the Vision since the last meeting and delivered energy-saving lightbulbs to all of the community residents in attendance. ADL III Architecture, led by Alex Latham and design team Elissa Ward, Ela Dokonal, and Catie Ferraris, worked with retail and Smart Growth expert Seth Harry to create the renderings and design guidelines that were mapped out by the community the week before. Those plans were revealed during the presentation.

All renderings by Seth Harry and ADL III Architecture.

After the presentations, there was another period of questions, answers, and comments. The community residents in attendance were enthusiastic, offering suggestions for improvement and refinement of the plans. Town of Brookhaven Councilman Kevin McCarrick commented that he would be pushing to get the first stages of the Vision implemented by the end of the year.

Be sure to visit Vision Long Island's new YouTube channel on the web to view exclusive clips from Wednesday's opening session.

Click here to see comments from Brookhaven Town Supervisor Brian Foley, Councilman Kevin McCarrick, Councilman Dan Losquadro, and civic and community leaders from Rocky Point.

For local press on the Visioning, visit the North Shore Sun and the Times Beacon Record.

Brookhaven Town Board Approves Tallgrass PDD

In what could be considered one of the most significant land use decisions in recent memory on Long Island, the Brookhaven Town Board approved the Tallgrass PDD (Planned Development District) on Tuesday night. The proposal, calls for the conversion of 321 grassy acres into a mixed-use development, including 125,000 square feet of commercial space, 352 residential units, a 1 1/2-acre village green, and almost 18 acres of ballfields.

The Board approved the change of zone from A-1 residential to Planned Development District by a margin of 5-2. The most recent revision of the project - recommended by Brookhaven town planners - differs from the final proposal in its embrace and acceptance of the project’s regional impact. The approval is being hailed as one of the biggest and toughest land use decisions in the Town of Brookhaven for the last twenty years.

The plan calls for an increase in the development’s affordable housing component from 10 percent to 20 percent; a move that provides much needed housing to a county clamoring for it. In addition, 26 houses have been cut from the plan, along with 50,000 square feet of retail space. This move will generate 10 fewer schoolchildren than projected in the original proposal. This simultaneously reduces the impact on a school district already bulging at the seams by reducing Tallgrass' projected yearly school tax surplus. A 45,000-square-foot limit on the size of retail outlets, also aims to eliminate so-called "big box" stores from locating in the development, curbing the eastward expansion of sprawl in Suffolk County. This latest version of the project confronts regional issues, such as the lack of affordable housing, sprawl, and the poorly structured economics of our school districts. By creating a village center that addresses these topics, Tallgrass has the potential to mobilize a county that will not be rescued by one progressive and monumental project.

The combination of community support and a design that recognizes regional issues is vital for the future of Long Island’s growth and as it will grow, it is essential that it does in the right direction.

For more information, see the week's Long Island Business News editorial.

Oyster Bay Promotes Environmental Bond Act

Tuesday, October 16th found a gathering of supporters, elected officials, and press at the Town Hall in Oyster Bay. It was the first in a series of press conferences for the Town of Oyster Bay’s Environmental Bond Act. The $60 million bond aims to preserve open space, parks, and keep Long Island’s water clean. Town Supervisor John Venditto made an appearance to show his encouragement for the bond act which will go on the ballot for November 6th. Other leaders in the field of environmental conservation such as Neil Lewis of the Neighborhood Network spoke, as did members of the Sierra Club, the Nature Conservancy, the North Shore Land Alliance and other groups advocating for responsible land use.

Brookhaven Community Preservation Fund Up For Vote On November 6th

The Town of Brookhaven also has a land conservation proposal to be considered on Election Day, November 6th. The Community Preservation Fund, already a successful program in place in the five East End townships, is intended to raise money to fund open space and farmland preservation without raising general property taxes. According to Brookhaven Supervisor Brian Foley, "Brookhaven's CPF will be an important tool that will preserve thousands of acres of land and precious resources, redevelop blighted areas of the town and will promote affordable housing."

The Brookhaven CPF would work similarly to the programs in the eastern towns: A two percent real estate transfer fee is assessed on the buyer each time a property is bought in the town. Under Brookhaven's plan the first $250,000 of developed properties and the first $150,000 of vacant lots would be exempt. The proceeds from the tax would be earmarked for open space preservation in the town. To help promote affordable housing and to encourage young families to settle or remain in the area, the Brookhaven plan, includes a feature that exempts qualified first-time home buyers from the 2 percent transfer fee.

The CPF would also institute a development rights transfer program. Under the program, 25 percent of the development rights on land purchased with CPF monies will be available for developers to purchase for use across the town and across different zoning classifications. Any money from the sales of development rights will be rolled back into the CPF to purchase more open space and farmland. This progressive vote addresses key concerns for Suffolk and the region of Long Island; its passage will help to preserve the best aspects of LI and encourage practices that will sustain its vitality.

For more information, visit brookhaven.org or ABCO's website.

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Action Alert

Input Needed on Traffic Congestion Mitigation

Below, please see the Notice for Public Hearing and Request for Comments and Testimony.

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Upcoming Events

Hofstra University To Host "Safer Homes, More LIvable Communities: Design Strategies for Aging In Place" Conference

Hofstra University's School of Education and Allied Human Services, Department of Counseling, Research, Special Education, and Rehabilitation - Gerontology Center will be holding a conference, Safer Homes, More Livable Communities: Design Strategies for Aging in Place, on Thursday, October 25th from 8:00am to 1:00pm at the Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center. The conference is designed for professionals concerned with making homes and communities safer for older people, including architects, urban planners, interior designers, builders and contractors, geriatric care managers, home heath workers, and geriatric social workers.

Speakers include Howard Foster, director of adult services at the Mid-Island Y JCC and adjunct professor of social work at Adelphi University; Elissa Friedman, assistant director of adult services at the Mid-Island Y JCC; Edward M. Hennessey, Suffolk County Executive’s Office for the Aging; Joseph D. Monticciolo, regional administrator/regional housing commissioner for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Region II, New York (1981-88); Michael O’Neal, former Minneapolis Empowerment Zoning Executive Board; Ron Stein, Vision Long Island; and William Stoner, Associate State Director, AARP.

Register before October 10th to Martin Blum. Click here for the flyer and registration form.

It Takes a Village: Intergenerational Programs That Work Conference

Whether in the workplace or the community in general, relationships among different generations are more important today than ever before. As life expectancies continue to rise dramatically, generations depend on one another for much longer periods of time. Not only are middle-aged individuals providing shelter, food, clothing and education for those under 25, many of these same families are also caring for and providing support for relatives over age 75.

While many young people are leaving Long Island in pursuit of affordable housing elsewhere, many older people are leaving for southern retirement communities or choosing to remain on the island, but moving into age-restricted communities. The unfortunate result is a separation of the generations. These circumstances pose real challenges to the normal balance, and urgently call for new and creative ways to encourage generational groups to communicate with one another, care for one another, and support public policies that don't divide them by age.

It Takes a Village: Intergenerational Strategies That Work is designed to bring together Long Island's community organizations and its business community to create effective intergenerational programs and promote public policy that meets the needs of all generations. The conference takes place on Monday, November 12, 2007 from 9:00am to 4:00pm at the Charles B. Wang Center at Stony Brook University. Click here for a registration form, or visit Intergenerational Strategies' website here.

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Smart Growth Weekend Planner

Bellport Playcrafters Present "Man of La Mancha" This Weekend And NExt

Bellport Playcrafters Playcrafters of Bellport, Bellport's other live theatre presents "Man of La Mancha" on Friday, October 19, Saturday, October 20, Friday, October 26 and Saturday, October 27. The play, written by Dale Wasserman with words and music by Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion, is produced by special arrangement with Tams-Witmark Music Library Inc. The play is being directed by Phil Gellis; Frank Nelson is the musical director and Judy Perfido and Bill Rudock are producing the play. Singles night will be held on Friday, Oct. 19 at 8 p.m. for $3 off the general admission price.

All shows begin at 8 p.m. and will be held at the Bellport Middle School located at Kreamer Street and Station Road in Bellport Village. Tickets are $15 or $12 for students and seniors. Special group rates available. For tickets or additional information, call 631-286-0962. Tickets must be purchased in advance for singles grouping and singles ticket price at $12.00. Plan to join our singles coordinator two hours before the show at the Old Inlet Inn in Bellport to meet and greet other "singles" in your theatre party. Refreshments are not included in ticket price! For more information: Call 631-924-8516 or Email: info@bellport-playcrafters.com. (Submitted by Genevieve Benjamin, Publicity Chairperson). Please visit www.bellport-playcrafters.com for details.

Landmark on Main St. in Port Washington To Host Barry Levitt's Got Rhythm On October 20th

Barry Levitt, the former Artistic Director of the 92nd Street Y's Lyrics and Lyricists Series kicks off his Standard Fair Series on Saturday, October 20th at 8 PM. "Rhythm is Our Business" is a brand new show filled with well-known songs by lesser known African-American writers. Many jazz classics came from north of 125th Street - Ain't Misbehavin', Honeysuckle Rose, Sweet Georgia Brown and so many more.

Rhythm is Our Business is the first of three shows in the Barry Levitt Standard Fair Series - the other two shows include "Songs of Rodgers and Hart" on Saturday, May 10th and Broadway Today on June 21st. The Barry Levitt Standard Fair Series is sponsored by Dot & Ed Slade with additional sponsorship by Fern and Hersh Cohen for Rhythm is Our Business.

Click here to purchase tickets for this show or call the box office Monday through Friday, 10am to 4pm at 516-767-6444. Check out clips from a past Barry Levitt Standard Fair show by clicking here.

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For more information about Vision Long Island, visit http://www.visionlongisland.org or contact us at:
24 Woodbine Ave. Suite One Northport, NY 11768. Phone: (631) 261-0242. Fax: (631) 754-4452.
Email: info@visionlongisland.org