Jobco

The JobCo organization has been a strong advocate of Vision and Smart Growth over the past few years. Their efforts to create higher-density housing near downtowns and are the kind of projects that Long Island needs.

Vision Long Island prides itself on having a broad range of supporters.  Become one today. A donation as small as $50 buys outreach materials to help a community build support for their vision. $500 sponsors an entire newsletter.  $5,000 makes you a lead sponsor of our Smart Growth Summit, buying 10 tickets and a key branding opportunity for your organization.
 
Your tax-deductible donation goes directly to Vision and lets you help strengthen efforts to put Smart Growth principles into action.

Gov. Paterson: Busy Week with a New Law and a Veto

Governor Paterson has been very busy this week, signing an Affordable Housing Bill and vetoing the bill that would’ve ended the environmental review process for the Long Island Truck/Rail Intermodal (LITRIM) at Pilgrim State.

The new workforce housing law, which mandates that developments of at least five units include 10 percent affordable housing, will go into effect Jan. 1 2009. It was sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, R-Rockville Centre. “It’s been a long road to get to this point,” LIA President Matt Crosson said in an article from the Long Island Business News. “This is the most significant development to affect Long Island housing for many, many years. It is also only a beginning to what needs to be done.”

At the same time, Governor Paterson vetoed Senate Bill 6728-A, which transfers property from the Pilgrim State Hospital to the Oak Brush Plain State Preserve and would have effectively ended the plan to reduce truck traffic on Long Island, in the Bronx, and in Queens. The DOT has long been planning to use surplus property at Pilgrim for a rail intermodal station, which would switch freight from the road to the rail, removing 156,000 truck trips a year. In a letter to the Senate rejecting the bill, Governor Paterson wrote, “Neither I nor the DOT have made any determinations yet as to whether a LITRIM facility of any size is appropriate on surplus property on Pilgrim. The best way for this determination to be made is to continue with the environmental impact analysis of LITRIM, which is a public process."

Read the Governor's veto message here.

Washington Post Reports on High Gas Prices and Shift Away from Suburbs

On Tuesday, August 5th, the Washington Post reported a story on high gas prices and dwindling suburban migration. Written by Eric M. Weiss, “Gas Prices Apply Brakes to Suburban Migration” points to high gas prices, and soon home heating costs, as a culprit of the demise of the archetypal suburban American Dream. "You get less house and property for the same price, but we're willing to make that sacrifice to save on gas prices and commuting costs," said Dawn Schaefer, a prospective homebuyer. However, as Weiss points out, the even bigger culprit is the Federal government, who, since World War II, has “funded and encouraged the suburban lifestyle, subsidizing highways while starving mass transit and keeping gas taxes much lower than in some other countries.” Development spread farther and farther from the center, requiring the supposed “autonomy” of the automobile, while gas taxes paid for chronic road expansion and maintenance. 

"There is a whole confluence of government policies -- tax, spending, regulatory and administrative -- that have subsidized sprawl," said Bruce Katz, director of the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution, in the article.

Now (as every media source is keen to point out) there is a recent radical shift caused by high gas prices prompting people to drive less, take mass transit, and buy homes in the city and not the suburbs. According to the article, Americans drove 9.6 billion fewer highway miles in May than a year earlier, last year transit trips nationwide topped 10.3 billion (a 50-year high) and home prices in the suburbs have dropped substantially. A true indicator of the changing times will be a shift in government policy, one that supports transportation alternatives and not the oil industry.

Clinton Co-Sponsors Saving Energy Through Public Transportation Act

A few weeks ago, Vision Long Island sent a letter to Senators Clinton and Schumer to sponsor the Saving Energy through Public Transportation Act of 2008. Vision has partnered with others to promote this bill which would authorize federal grants that promote public transportation, reduce the dependence on automobile use nationwide, and greatly contribute to our endeavors for Smart Growth on Long Island. In response to these efforts, Senator Clinton has decided to serve as a sponsor for the bill. According to Ben Fried of www.streetsblog.org, Clinton has introduced a version of the bill to the Senate, which passed the House in June.  If the bill makes it through the Senate and past the reluctant President’s desk, it would provide “$1.7 billion for local transit agencies over the next two years” and greatly benefit our mass transit systems at a time where riders need it most.

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Brookhaven Enacts Landmark Sex Offender Ruling

On Tuesday night, the Town of Brookhaven enacted what many have called a “landmark sex offender ruling”. This ordinance would restrict more than two offenders from living in a single family home, but town officials say they might later tweak the law to include multifamily homes. “This ordinance is the first “saturation statue” in the state of New York”, says Laura Ahern, Executive Director of Parents for Megan’s Law.

The legislation comes just two months after the town passed their Child Protection Act, which increased the distance a sex offender can live from a school, park, playground, or daycare to a quarter mile and included a GPS mapping system for enforcement.

Organization representatives and residents from Coram, Gordon Heights, Mastic, Shirley, and others gave testimony on their fears for their children and how this is effecting their community. The Greater Gordon Heights Civic Association advocated hard for this legislation. President Tawaun Whitty noted, "this is the first legislation of its kind in the Town of Brookhaven and it's a great step in the fight to keep our children and our communities safe."

At the conclusion of the hearing, the Town Board unanimously voted to enact this ordinance.

For more details, visit Newsday's or News 12 Long Island's websites.

Garden City Hotel Deal Falls Apart?

According to an article in this week's Long Island Business News, a $91 million bid made by Allen Rosenberg and Alrose GCH, a South Shore developer to purchase the iconic Garden City Hotel has fallen apart. The deal fell apart when the proposed developer missed contract deadlines in February, March, and April. Rosenberg maintains that he still has the capital to make the purchase, but with the economy heading for a deeper recession, some have expressed doubts about the validity of his intentions.

The deal went further sour when the developer claimed that the Hempstead IDA held back $10 million in tax breaks. In return, the Garden City School District and Village of Garden City sued the IDA for failing to provide proper notification, which caused the developer to sue the school district and Village for causing delays.

The hotel remains in the Nelkin family for now, though there are still bids coming in from around the world.

DOT Region 10 Still Trying to Expand Rt 347

Unbeknownst to many, the New York State Department of Transportation has taken a shining to Smart Growth in the past several months. They recently launched a Smart Growth website and have met several times with Vision, Tri-State Transportation Campaign, Long Island Progressive Coalition, Neighborhood Network, and other advocates in the region to discuss incorporating land-use and transportation plans.

Few know of this due to the nature of the Region 10 office, most notably because of their ubiquitous road widening plans. In Tri-State Transportation’s latest edition of “Mobilizing the Region,” Ryan Lynch points to DOT Region 10’s plans for Route 347 as the epitome of their conflict between progress and the “business as usual” model. Despite their meetings with local advocates and elected officials, and strong community opposition to project, the DOT continues to push for the $400 million proposal to widen a 15-mile stretch of Route 347 through the towns of Smithtown, Islip, and Brookhaven.

According to Lynch’s article, the proposed expansion includes “adding a lane in each direction for the entire stretch of the project, as well as increasing turn radii at several intersections along the affected corridor.” The flaws of this plan are apparent to transportation experts and local residents alike. Nick Klissas of Setauket, who is also the chairman of the Committee for a New 347, published a letter in Newsday on August 5th, saying that “current plans are to make the treacherous highway even wider-the equivalent of 10 lanes.” Mr. Klissas recommends clearly delineating and separating pedestrian, bicycle and vehicular paths. These Smart Growth practices are emphasized by the DOT on their new website and here is a prime opportunity for NYS DOT to talk the talk and walk the walk.  Smart Growth actions on Route 347 will speak much clearer to Long Islanders than a website ever could.

Energystar Legislation Sweeps Long Island

Newsday reporter Eden Laikin wrote on August 2nd that two more towns have joined the number of Long Island municipalities enacting Energy Star Laws. On Friday, August 1st, The Towns of Hempstead and Oyster Bay agreed to adhere to energy efficient building standards. Nine of the 13 towns have changed their building codes, including Brookhaven, Babylon, Riverhead, Huntington, Southampton, Islip and Smithtown. According to Neal Lewis, Executive Director of the Neighborhood Network, which led this initiative, the other East End towns are looking into Energy Star and the program sponsored by the Long Island Power Authority.

“We have a new green-collar industry on Long Island,” says Lewis in the article. “There’s a revolution in how we build houses here on Long Island, a quiet revolution, a revolution without bloodshed.” Lewis and the Neighborhood Network have been at the front lines of this revolution for several years, encouraging municipalities and individuals to reduce their carbon footprint through stricter guidelines and reforming building codes. The success of the Villas at Oceanside, an Energy Star development, is indicative of the potential for this green-collar revolution. With the Energy Star Law, the average owner of an Energy Star standard home could be $1,200 a year, or more than $23,000 in avoided fuel costs over a 20-year mortgage time period. More than two tons of carbon dioxide will be reduced per home per year from energy-efficient home products and appliances.  On Long Island, where homes and transportation are major contributors to greenhouse gases, this is an important step towards reducing our regional carbon footprint.

For the complete Newsday article, visit their website or check out Neighborhood Network's website for more information.

Nassau 2007 Financial Condition Report- Bad News that's Easy to Read!

The Nassau County Office of the Comptroller recently released the Nassau County 2007 Financial Condition Report. The report is the first ‘plain language’, informal document to be released on the County’s financial status since 1973. “This 2007 Financial Condition Report represents the first of its kind in over three decades,” said Comptroller Howard Weitzman in a press release from the office. “It combines readability with accountability and represents a snap shot of Nassau County’s fiscal health as of December 31, 2007.”

According to the press release, the Financial Condition Report is being issued in conjunction with the annual Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR). Nassau County’s CAFR, which has received national recognition annually from the Government Finance Officers Association for excellence in financial reporting, is prepared under the regulations of the Government Accounting Standards Board and is audited by the County’s independent outside auditors. The report also explains the challenges facing the County, such as balancing recurring revenue and recurring expenditures. In addition, it provides information about the County’s revenues, sales tax, property tax, expenditures, year-end results and structural balance, along with statistics on the economics and demographics of Nassau County.

For more information on the report and to download copies, visit Nassau County's website.

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Weed and Seed Applications Due

United States Senator Charles E Schumer recently released a letter to community leaders to participate in the 2009 Weed and Seed Communities Competitive Program.  Created by the United States Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs and Community Capacity Development Office (CCDO), the program provides funding to prevent, control, and reduce violent crime in communities. The comprehensive, multi-agency approach is composed of law enforcement, community policing, prevention and intervention, and neighborhood restoration. A Weed and Seed Community (WSC) must be developed in partnership with a variety of key local organizations and the local United States Attorney’s Office (USAO). WSCs must work to reduce crime and improve the quality of life for residents in a community primarily through the redeployment of existing public and private resources, addressing both crime and social related problems that without proper intervention often lead to violent crime, drug abuse, and gang activity.

WSC applicants must provide all the information requested in the formats indicated or provided, and meet all requirements as set forth herein to be competitively considered.  Applications for the Weed and Seed Program will be accepted until September 9, 2008 but draft application materials must be sent to the applicant’s local U.S. Attorney by Tuesday, August 19, 2008.  The application must be completed online at www.grants.gov, where you can download a copy of the application package, complete it offline and upload to submit. To register and get started on the grant, visit www.grants.gov/GetStarted. For more information on this program, please call the CCDO at 202-616-1152 and for technical support to submit the application call 1-800-518-4726.

Help Find the Carbon Footprint Average for Long Island!

WLIW 21 is producing an hour-long special in September entitled, "Going Green Long Island." In order to acquire an average individual carbon foot print for Long Island, they need as many individuals as they can to compare it to the national average.

Calculate your carbon footprint on the Nature Conservancy's website.  Please take the individual test, not the household one, and send the results to: Charlotte Coté, Producer at WLIW21 New York Public Television via telephone at (516) 367-2100 x8485, FAX (516) 692-7629, or email at cotec@wliw.org.

These results will be in the strictest of confidence. In addition, please send this along to friends and family who live on Long Island to get more results.  Again the individual results will be only viewed by Ms. Coté and not Vision, so please do not send them to us!

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Ocean Parkway Shared-Use Path Information Session August 12th

On Tuesday, August 12th, the New York State Department of Transportation is offering a public hearing on the proposed Ocean Parkway Shared-Use Path. Residents, businesses, local organizations and public officials are encouraged to attend the open forum and offer their concerns and input on the final design stage of the plan. It will be held at the Theodore Roosevelt Nature Center at Jones Beach State Park from 3pm-8pm with a Formal Comment Session from 6-8pm. The facility is handicapped accessible. 

According to a press release from the DOT, the public information session will provide preliminary plans, visuals, and other information on the planned construction for the public to review. The 14.4 mile project would cost approximately $12.6 million and would be built entirely on State property between the existing Wantagh State Parkway Path and Captree State Park, just east of Robert Moses Causeway.   The path, which would be approximately 13-feet wide, would be buffered from and would not provide direct access to the local Ocean Parkway residential communities.  Other important features of the project include various environmental and economical enhancements, such as new bird nesting boxes, plantings, and wetland protections.

Any person who has questions about the proposed Ocean Parkway Shared-Use Path but is unable to attend the Public Information Center should mail their comments to: The Ocean Parkway Shared-Use Path Project Team- NYS Department of Transportation Region 10 Long Island, 250 Veterans Memorial Highway, Hauppauge, New York 11788; Project Identification Number: 0006.11

This public information meeting is part of the DOT's continuing efforts to actively seek and encourage the public's input in the development of transportation projects. The DOT maintains that all comments, written or oral, will be reviewed and considered for the project's final design. Please help to develop a project to meet the needs of the community and improve transportation options and safety along this historic road.

Green Community of Practice Comes to Nassau Starting August 12th

Following the recent successful launch of the Green Community of Practice at Kingston, NY, greenformes  brings to the Nassau County, NY trading area the County's first Green Community of Practice. Monthly networking events will bring together community leaders, civic organizations, green businesses, professionals, entrepreneurs, and eco-minded residents to discuss the importance of and bring visibility to sustainable building and living philosophy, commerce, and education. The first free eco-business networking event promotes a sustainable Nassau County. It will be held in the beautiful, historic and waterfront City of Glen Cove on Tuesday, August 12th from 6-9pm at The Wharf @ Steamboat Landing at 76 Shore Road in Glen Cove.  

Contact Alexandra Zafra at greenformes for more information. To register for the event, call (646) 712-2108  or email alex@greenformes.com.

Back Pack Pirates at Fire Island On August 13th

On August 13th, the Nassau-Suffolk Coalition for the Homeless will have their  2nd Annual “Back Pack Pirates” event on Fire Island. In collaboration with Every Child’s Dream, it is a fun-filled day for children ages 8 – 15, complete with breakfast, lunch, a free t-shirt, pirate eye patch, bandana, and a range of activities from a ferry ride to Fire Island to a treasure hunt, music, and a theatrical performance.  The event is limited to 500 children so please register before the deadline of August 1. 

For more information, along with a permission slip, please see the attachment.  

NSCH is also seeking volunteers to help with this event, including registration, clean up, etc., and collection of back-to-school supplies.  NSCH is holding its annual “S.O.S:  Supply Our Students” drive in connection with the Pirates event, and expect to collect enough supplies to provide additional items for children in shelters, foster care, and our member agencies. Start a school supplies collection at your office, house of worship or school!

If you are interested in helping out with this event, please Greta Guarton, Associate Director of NSCH at 516-742-7700 x 15 or email gguarton@nsch.org or visit their website.

Canvas Gallery Open Mic Night on August 14th

On August 14th, come to the Canvas Gallery at 7:00 p.m. for another great edition of Open Mic Night, hosted by Joe Iadanza. Refreshments will be provided by Whole Foods Market with only a $5 cover charge for an evening of great local entertainment. To sign up to perform, send an email to openmic@canvasli.com. Come down and support the arts in your community!

Long Island Somos el Futoro, "Investing in Long Island's Future" Event to be held August 29th-30th

From Friday, August 29th to Saturday, August 30th, New York State Assemblyman Philip Ramos, the Long Island Elected Officials Association and the Long Island Hispanic Coalition invite Long Islanders to attend the 2008 Long Island Somos el Futoro, or "Investing in Long Island's Future" conference at the Sheraton Long Island Hotel at 110 Motor Parkway in Hauppague. The Long Island Somos el Futuro conference is an annual legislative gathering focused on addressing the needs and challenges of the growing Hispanic community on Long Island. A principal goal of this conference is to increase the participation of Hispanics in the public policy-making progress and develop local and state legislative initiatives that address issues of concern for Hispanic Long Islanders. It will convene some of the most distinguished civic, community, business, and labor leaders from across New York State to discuss issues pertinent to Hispanic social, economic, and political empowerment.

For general information and registration, please call 212-233-8955.

LIPC Leadership Conference Comes to Brentwood September 13th

On Saturday, September 13th, the Long Island Progressive Coalition will hold their 2008 Leadership Conference at the Academy of Saint Joseph at 1725 Brentwood Road in Brentwood. From 9:30-5pm, this free event will bring Long Islanders together to work for collective change while building bridges across racial lines, generations, and within communities. The conference offers hands-on training in practical, successful organizing skills with inspiring workshops and networking opportunities.

Change LI! Change NY! Change America! For more information or to register for this great event, please call 516.541.1006 ext.16 or email maurice@lipc.org.

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Paumanauke Pow Wow and Native American Living Arts Festival

This weekend, make the trip out to Tanner Park in Copiague for the 28th Annual Paumanauke Pow Wow and Native American Living Arts festival. The 2-day event features traditional dancers and drums, audience participation, native food, craft vendors, contests, and more.

The Festival runs from 10am-10pm on Saturday and 10am-5pm on Sunday, rain or shine. Tanner Park is located on Wilson Ave. off Montauk Highway in Copiague. Admission is $8, or $4 for students, kids between 5-12, and seniors over 60. Call 631-661-7558 for more information.

LI Jazz Festival with Dave Coz and Lizz Wright

Enjoy a beautiful summer evening this Saturday with an outdoor jazz concert at Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay. The show starts at 7pm and tickets start at $35, with kids sitting free on the lawn when accompanied by an adult.

The event is being hosted by the Friends of the Arts Long Island Jazz Festival and features Dave Coz and Lizz Wright. See Ticketmaster for more information.

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We close this week with YouTube footage from bike advocate group, Critical Mass. During one of their recent mass-riding demonstrations through Times Square, a police officer, apparently unprovoked, knocked a rider off his bike in front of a crowd of horrified onlookers.

This is not an indictment of the thousands of public servants who maintain peace and public safety. Bike riders, like drivers and pedestrians, need to feel safe while respecting the law.

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SMART GROWTH NEWS

Newsletter Editor: Michelle Dutchen, Communications Director
Contributors: Juliana Roberts, Planning Coordinator; Eric Alexander, Executive Director;
Katheryn Laible, Assistant Director; Tawaun Whitty, Director of Special Projects

We strive to provide continued quality publications such as this each week. If you are interested in becoming a newsletter or news blast sponsor, please call the office at 631-261-0242 for rates and opportunities. If you have any news or events that you would like to add to our newsletter, submit them to info@visionlongisland.org for consideration.

For more information about Vision Long Island, visit http://www.visionlongisland.org or contact us at:
24 Woodbine Ave. Suite One Northport, NY 11768. Phone: (631) 261-0242. Fax: (631) 754-4452.
Email: info@visionlongisland.org