By Eric Alexander
Smart Growth solutions offer opportunities for developers, civic groups, and municipal governments alike. Vision Long Island, the Island's Smart Growth planning organization, has assisted in these endeavors through education, advocacy, and project-based technical assistance.
Suburban expansion has been hit hard by the current recession and consumer preferences. Across the country, growth rates in outer suburban areas have dropped to an anemic 1.6 percent, the lowest we have seen. The flip side is that 50 percent of folks now want to live near town centers, according to a poll by the National Association of Realtors, the highest in this survey since its inception.
And by a two-to-one margin folks would rather have investments in mass transportation than in road building. In addition, not one new indoor mall has been built in the past two years anywhere in the country, whereas during the '90s an average of 19 were built each year. To put an exclamation point on this, the second largest mall builder in the country has just filed for bankruptcy.
The trend is toward people living in smaller housing, near transit, closer to their jobs, and seeking amenities associated with town and village-style living, versus those of traditional suburbia. On Long Island the drop in building permits for single-family homes, and the increase in applications and plans for multifamily apartments, condos, and new town centers mirror these trends.
Vision Long Island convened a Smart Growth Working Group made up of dozens of civic groups and regional organizations, including Tri-State Transportation Campaign, Neighborhood Network, Regional Plan Association, Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Suffolk Community Council, LI Federation of Labor, AARP LI Chapter, Long Island Progressive Coalition, NY League of Conservation Voters, Empire State Future, and others.
Our meetings have been successful to date, as evidenced by the increased cooperation with the NYS Department of Transportation, the MTA, Empire State Development, NYS DEC and the continued open dialogue with Empire State Future and the Governor's Smart Growth Cabinet.
Vision Long Island and the working group have successfully lobbied Governor David Paterson, who has been to Long Island to announce funding for transportation, energy, infrastructure and housing, including $300 million for road improvements, traffic calming and a ferry operation. State investments in the MTA include $1.2 billion for its overall system and capital budget. And $24.5 million has been put forward in the form of Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants directly to municipalities by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Moving forward we must prepare ourselves to take advantage of these investments. Long Island towns and villages have requested stimulus funding for nearly 300 projects worth over $56 billion. Only a handful of these projects will receive funding in the first round of awards from economic recovery legislation.
Toward that end Vision Long Island and the Smart Growth movement have accomplished a great deal during the past year: approvals of major and minor mixed use, infill, and Transit Oriented Development projects; creation of new funding streams; partnerships with environmental and energy groups; increased Federal and state attention; new civic and chamber support; and engendering bolder local officials. Specific accomplishments include:
- Support and planning for the approval of five projects of mixed income, mixed use, and infill housing in the following communities: Coram, Islandia, Mineola, Bayshore, and Middle Island. Planning, advocacy and technical support for the Lighthouse project, a new Town Center in central Nassau County, is ongoing.
- Coordination and planning of transportation and sewer infrastructure recommendations from more than 40 organizations and elected officials for submission to the Federal government for stimulus funding.
- Reorientation of NYSDOT Region 10 toward safe streets; coordination of land use plans and walkable communities initiatives with the Route 347 Greenway plan as a specific accomplishment.
- Creation of the Smart Growth Cabinet to direct the policies of state agencies towards Smart Growth principles, including MTA, ESDC, DEC, DOT, DOS and others. Founding member of Empire State Future, a statewide Smart Growth advocacy group and convener of Long Island Smart Growth Working Group to keep New York's agenda focused and on track.
- Implementation of more than 10 community visioning programs in Rocky Point, Farmingdale, Middle Island/Coram, Mastic/Shirley, Lake Ronkonkoma, Gordon Heights, Bayshore, and Mastic Beach. Coordination of regional and sub-regional plans, including Brookhaven 2030, Nassau HUB, and Long Island 2035.
- Smart Growth outreach and education to more than 10,000 Long Islanders weekly, and another 3,000 through 40 local and regional planning meetings.
These and a myriad of other local examples prove both a demand for community-enhancing infrastructure, and an ability of our local leaders to seize these opportunities. The road to suburban transformation is a long one. Let's give our municipalities the tools they need to meet the needs of our changing society.
(Eric Alexander is executive director of Vision Long Island. Contact him at ea@visionlongisland.org or www.visionlongisland.org)
