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Overcast Nassau County: model for the nation?
Master plan hinges on Lighthouse, mega-projects, ‘cool downtowns’
High property taxes, traffic congestion and the flight of young professionals are serious challenges facing Nassau County. To address these problems, County Executive Tom Suozzi has proposed "New Suburbia: the 90/10 Solution," in which 90 percent of the county would remain the same while the other 10 percent is "reimagined" and "revisioned" through a number of mega-projects and the revitalization of downtowns across the county.
"We've stopped growing — we are suburban sprawled," Suozzi said at a forum at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Sept. 23, at which he discussed details of his vision for the future of the county. He said that while Nassau was the fastest-growing county in the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s, it is now built to capacity, and has nowhere else to expand. “It's time for us to stop playing defense ... stop trying to hang on to the way it was in the good old days, and start playing offense,” Suozzi said. “Let's make it better than it is today. Let's make Nassau County a model for the entire nation under the sign of new suburbia."
Seeing a link between Suozzi's vision for revitalizing the county and his own vision for Island Park, Mayor Jim Ruzicka has joined Suozzi's 90-10 Coalition, making Island Park one of only eight villages in the county to do so. "We're on board to see what we can do for our village," said Ruzicka. "I don't look at it as a Republican or Democrat — it's strictly what's the best thing for Island Park. It's about our residents."
Cool downtowns
One of the concepts of new suburbia Suozzi is pushing is the creation of "cool downtowns," in which residents can live, work and play. These would comprise multi-story buildings for both commercial and residential purposes, have a walkable downtown with eateries and shops, and be located near railroad stations.
The idea is in line with Island Park's plan for revitalizing its own downtown. As developers come into the village to build housing, they have realized that a good downtown would benefit them when trying to sell their condos.
