An Insider’s Game
For decades, the pattern was the same: Find a plot of vacant land, raze it and put up a new subdivision of pristine single-family homes. Rinse, repeat ad infinitum. Then suddenly, the recession hit. The housing market bombed. Construction-starts in both Nassau and...
Circling the Brain Drain
It seems that Destination LI, “a nonprofit community building and educational organization dedicated to helping people create and sustain vibrant centers” on Long Island, has been quietly busy in recent months. Recently, the group released a survey, which, to nobody’s...
An Open Letter to Ann Golob of the Long Island Index
The following is a response to a letter to the editor published in Long Island Business News, written by Ann Golob, who is executive director of the Rauch Foundation's Long Island Index. Golob wrote in response to a piece written by me entitled "Building for the Day...
Building For The Day That May Never Come
Long Island’s policymakers are betting on an uncertain future – one we may never see. With the increased pressure to build transit-oriented developments around Long Island’s train stations we are building to accommodate the demand that will be created by the MTA’s...
Tackling the Region’s Water Issues
The following was written on the day of the third and final public hearing of the Long Island Water Quality Task Force, held at Suffolk Community College's Brentwood Campus. Today is the third and final public meeting of the Long Island Water Quality Task Force,...
An Open Letter to Governor Cuomo & The Long Island Water Quality Task Force
The following is an open letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo, and the Long Island Water Quality Task Force. The letter will be submitted as a public comment at the third, and final public hearing on the region's water quality at Suffolk Community College in Brentwood. May...
The Foggiest Five: David Calone, Chairman of the Suffolk County Planning Commission
The following are answers to The Foggiest Five, a set of questions asked to influential Long Islanders on the future of the region. This round features answers from David Calone, who is the chairman of the Suffolk County Planning Commission. Like Andrew Freleng's...
Featured in an Article: Can Sewers Help the Mastic-Shirley Community?
The following was published on May 16th, 2014. It was written by Steven Rossin, a journalism student from SUNY Stony Brook who was conducting research regarding the development of sewers for the Mastic-Shirley area. You can view the original piece online here. Could...
Suburbia itself isn’t the problem. We are.
From shameful illegal dumping in Islip to land deals that reek of cronyism in Bethpage, it’s just embarrassing at this point. Time and time again we see well-meaning reports that tout we need more development to fix our regional woes, but our problem isn’t the brain...
Letter to the Editor in Riverhead News-Review May 1st, 2014
The following was published in the Riverhead News-Review on May 1st, 2014. The letter can be read here. Re: Jason Hill’s recent letter to the editor regarding Long Island’s affordable housing. I write regularly on Long Island’s land use issues, with my work appearing...
