Changing Long Island’s mind — and building codes

The Long Island Index — an independent, non-partisan group that compiles data every year about different aspects of Long Island — has spent the past few years working on analyzing the area’s downtowns and their potential for development.

The organization’s 2011 report, released on Jan. 20, continues that trend. Titled “Getting it Done,” the report focuses on how Long Island can change its building and zoning codes to improve the desirability of downtowns for development.

“So with all of that work, we said, well, do we have the laws in place to make this happen?” said Ann Golob, director of the Long Island Index. “If we are in agreement that our downtowns are really an asset, if we know that the land is potentially there, if we know there are great ideas for what could be done, do we have the infrastructure in terms of our zoning laws and in terms of our building revue processes to actually get it done?”

The report combines two main surveys: one was a telephone survey conducted with people on Long Island, in northern New York suburbs, and in New Jersey suburbs. The other was a questionnaire sent out to all 13 towns on Long Island, along with both cities in Nassau County and 29 of Long Island’s 100 villages (Malverne and Rockville Centre were among the villages that received questionnaires but did not respond).

The conclusion the Index came to is that the building review process is much more complicated on Long Island than it should be, with developers having to work with multiple municipalities to get the required permits. For developers to propose and start building Smart Growth buildings and multi-family housing — the kind of buildings that Golob says Long Island needs — they have to go through so many processes that it can deter them from trying.

“We don’t really have the kinds of rules and processes and zoning laws in our books that would facilitate this kind of development,” said Golob. “And if we had comprehensive plans that were up to date, if we had zoning laws that had been updated and that were embracing this type of development, it would go a very long way in easing the process to create this kind of development.”

Golob said the key to attracting development that is good for Long Island and for communities is community involvement. She said that communities that create a plan for what they want development in their area to be like tend to have more success attracting development that fits their plan.

“It tends to be true that when a community starts by outlining what it wants, you get much better results than if a developer comes in there and says, ‘Oh, I bought this land and I want to build X, Y and Z. Why won’t you support me?’”

The other key part of the report was the resident survey, which Golob says shows that Long Island is ready for change. According to the survey, 60 percent of residents say the lack of affordable housing on Long Island is a very or an extremely serious problem, 50 percent say they have trouble paying their rent or mortgage and 81 percent consider high property taxes to be a very or an extremely serious problem.

Of the 807 people surveyed from Long Island, 76 percent said it was an excellent or good place to live, but 44 percent said they would be very or somewhat likely to move off of the Island in the next five years to an area with lower housing costs and property taxes.

The sense that Golob got from the report is that, on the whole, Long Island is ready for change.

“What I really do believe is that there are more people on Long Island that actually support these kind of ideas than get heard in some of these raucous meetings that are held,” Golob said. “And then what carries the day is the loudest person screaming, rather than the other voices that may be speaking at a more moderate level. And I’ve witnessed this first-hand at town meetings I’ve gone to. So I think there is more support, but it really is going to take some braver leaders to be willing to buck the naysayers who may truly be few in number.”

The 2011 Long Island Index report — along with all past reports and the surveys used for this year’s report — are available online at www.longislandindex.org.