The #ThinkRegionally Movement
The mission of my writing is to inform the public about the principles of good planning and design on Long Island. Good planning means that plans are based on the best available data-based science and that true community/public participation occurs throughout the...
The Need for Institutional Memory in Planning on Long Island
The following post was published to the NYMuniBlog on October 17th, 2011. You can read the post here: http://nymuniblog.com/?p=1615Local government, in this age of voter anger over the issues of partisan gridlock and increasing costs, must look to the past. Only then...
Historic Water Protection on Long Island, and the "Water Worries" Report
Linked below is a copy of Water Worries, the report issued in June by environmentalists in response to the draft Suffolk County Comprehensive Water Resources Management Plan. I had the pleasure of editing and assembling the document, and was proud to be a part of the...
Suffolk County Drinking Water Protection Program Lawsuit Media Coverage
On September 15th, 2011, environmentalists filed a lawsuit against Suffolk County regarding changes to the 1/4th% Sales Tax for Drinking Water Protection. Since 1987, the Drinking Water Protection Program was modified fifteen (15) times through mandatory referendum....
Islanders Arena Live Chat Questions
On 7/27/11, Newsday's Randi Marshall hosted a live chat Question and Answer session on the Nassau Coliseum Referendum. Below are my questions, along with Randi's answers:Today was the day of the vote, and Newsday retweeted me:
Long Island Still Needs Regional Planning
The following was published in the 7/24/11 edition of Newsday, on Page A39. The online version can be seen here:http://www.newsday.com/opinion/letters/letter-li-still-needs-regional-planning-1.3047992My name is Rich Murdocco, and I am writing concerning the July 16th...
The Brookhaven Town Board Public Hearing on Sandy Hills
On July 19th, 2011, I read a statement advocating for sound environmental planning for the Sandy Hills proposal, a 135 multifamily development proposed for a 39.3 acre parcel. The proposal is in a state-designated Special Groundwater Protection Area (SPGA), and the...
Defining What Exactly is a Community Benefit in Development Proposals
The following is my unedited article for the NYMuniBlog that was published on 7/12/11:Defining What Exactly is a Community Benefit in Development ProposalsBy Rich MurdoccoThe Town of Southampton’s efforts to amend §330-245 in the Town Code is an instance where the...
Letter to the North Shore Sun regarding Mount Sinai Center and Artist Lake Plaza
What follows is a letter that was published in the North Shore Sun in June XX 2011. Originally, the letter was slated to be a series of comments submitted to North Shore Sun Reporter Jennifer Gustavson. Jennifer decided that the comments should be passed to the...
A Response to ABCO
What follows is a selection from my piece "In Response to the Comments, Objections & Questions of the Affiliated Brookhaven Civic Organizations. This document was submitted officially to the Town Board for the public comment section of the Carmans River Watershed...
