The Lesser of Two Evils in Plainview?
Development is coming to Plainview. Given the current zoning, what’s on the table may be the lesser of two evils. The proposal being set forth by the Beechwood Organization, called Country Pointe at Plainview, calls for an 890-unit, gated community along with 118,450...
Bellone’s Water Quality Agenda
When I first heard that Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone was making Long Island’s water quality the number one priority of his administration, I was skeptical. And rightfully so. In the past I’ve argued that Long Island is entering the “age of the mega-project.”...
Can New York Think Big Again?
Recently, the New York Times wrote a piece on the construction of the new Tappan Zee Bridge, which, as the Times says, is the “first new colossal steel bridge in the New York area since the Verrazano.” The fact that New York State was finally able to start...
Remembering Pearl Kamer
This past weekend, Long Island lost a leader. Pearl Kamer spent her career tracking Long Island’s regional economy, charting our ever-climbing suburban rise in the late ’60s, the decline of defense industry in the late 1980s and the rise of the low-wage retail growth...
In Defense of Suburbia
The American suburb is dead. There would be a memorial service, but it seems like these days few writers, planners or millennials would attend it. Besides, with the rate the “brain drain” is going, there will soon be nobody to attend the event. Why mourn the loss when...
Newsday Letter to the Editor: Housing and the Market
The following was published in Newsday on 1/5/14: Affordable housing on Long Island is, and always will be, a hot-button issue ["Rental housing sorely needed," Editorial, Dec. 30]. The Town of Huntington's views on the subject are reflective of those in most areas...
2013: The Year The Song Remained the Same
Just because it keeps on being repeated, doesn’t mean it’s true. Multiple groups frequently call for more apartments to be built on Long Island, claiming that the creation of these units will plug the hemorrhaging tide of young professionals packing their bags for...
Going Beyond the Buzzwords
The following was published in the Times Beacon Record Newspapers on December 19th, 2013: Kudos should be given to the editorial board of the Village Times Herald in their recent editorial on Affordable Housing in the region. As a young professional on LI who writes...
Building As-of-Right
There seems to be a development controversy being covered in the newspaper every other day now. The coverage of these hearings essentially goes as follows: Residents Raise Concern over Proposal in Anytown Residents from Anytown voiced their concerns at a Town Hall...
The Age of the Mega-Project
The Age of the Mega-Project The times, they are a’ changing. Long-stalled projects within the Town of Islip (and across Long Island) are getting new life thanks to pro-growth government incentives, focused implementation and the perceived growing acceptance of...
