The following is both an interview conducted by Shari Einhorn for NewsdayTV, and the accompanying Newsday article by Jonathan LaMantia that was published on Monday, December 1st, 2023. You can read the entire original piece here, and watch the segment here.
…While the map identifies areas of opportunity, it doesn’t address some of the key obstacles to housing development, including zoning rules that prohibit multifamily housing or require large lot sizes. Other areas lack the needed sewers to accommodate development or have been preserved because of environmental concerns, said Richard Murdocco, an adjunct professor of economic development and planning at Stony Brook University.
“Tools like this are not a three-dimensional solution to a three-dimensional problem,” Murdocco said. “… What it lacks is the nuance of why denser housing wasn’t put there in the first place.”
Murdocco noted that areas such as Bay Shore, which are in high-risk flood zones, are described as opportunity areas, while areas that include shopping malls that could be redeveloped for housing, including Lake Grove and Hicksville, aren’t highlighted.
