Search
Long Island will always be a region of predominantly single-family homes but should it be? For young people who want to live and work here, purchasing a home is usually beyond their means. For older residents whose children are grown and want to remain near family and friends but without the responsibilities for maintaining a home, few options are available.
Long Island has more governmental entities than most regions and each jurisdiction has the right to make land use decisions over the properties they control. There is no overriding entity that has the authority to help orchestrate plans across multiple jurisdictions. So really big ideas about planning for our future become really difficult here.
In and around just our downtowns we have more than 4,000 acres of surface parking lots — that's about 6.5 square miles solely dedicated to parking our cars. Other regions have been reclaiming that land by building multi-tier parking lots in some areas to free up space in others for housing, civic centers, or open space.
What makes some downtowns a desired destination and others best forgotten? It is often a combination of factors including accentuating the physical beauty of the location, great streetscapes, preserved historical locales, walkability, and a vibrant mix of stores. But first and foremost it is a community that has a sense of who they are and what they want to be.
