Manorhaven Mayor John Popeleski made three good calls about development in his village last week.
The first was to announce that he planned to listen to residents and enact a building moratorium in response to their complaints about overdevelopment and strained infrastructure.
Nassau municipalities that have been successfully developed or redeveloped have required buy-in from the community, including residents, businesses, government officials and not-for-profits.
The goal is to build a consensus that may not be everything one group wants, but that all the groups can agree on.
Mineola developed this consensus with all these stakeholders to develop a plan that has been reshaping the village ever since. The village of Farmingdale did the same.
The many heated meetings held over a 49-unit, mixed-use building at 30 Sagamore Hill Drive are ample proof that Manorhaven does not have that buy-in or a plan for the village, one of the most densely populated in Nassau County.
The mixed-use project, which includes retail space, is located on Manhasset Isle, a quarter-square-mile peninsula that extends into Manhasset Bay and is surrounded by marinas. The land is too attractive and full of possibilities not to thoroughly consider its best use.
But that does not mean Manorhaven should delay development indefinitely.
Long Island has a great shortage of housing. The village should urgently pursue a development plan to see what part Manorhaven can play in addressing the housing shortfall.
Popeleski’s second good call was to schedule meetings with two consultants with long experience in development in Nassau County – Vision Long Island and D&B Engineers.
Many residents expressed deep frustration over the board’s slow response, lack of transparency, and recent adoption of a controversial three-minute limit on public comment.
Bringing in two experienced consulting groups familiar with development in Nassau County to be heard at a public meeting is a good start to the village’s planning process.
Popeleski’s third good decision was to announce that the moratorium will only halt new construction projects, but will not stop the previously approved site plans for the 49-unit Sagamore Hill building that sparked calls for a moratorium.
The development, owned by Red Rock Homes LLC, had already undergone an extensive review process that included assessing its impact on the environment, parking, and traffic at no small expense. It had also been approved.
Reversing that decision now seems likely to result in a lawsuit that would cost the village, win or lose.
Better to move ahead with a planning process that addresses the residents’ legitimate concerns with a comprehensive plan.
The same could be said for municipalities across Nassau County, including the town governments and Nassau County.
The towns and the county have more resources and are better positioned than individual municipalities to develop a comprehensive plan that would address traffic, parking, overcrowding, environmental concerns and schools. These are issues that often cross village and town lines.
They need to step up to help support development.
Business groups contend the shortage of housing in Nassau is hurting economic growth and point to the number of New Yorkers who have left the state for places seen as low-cost states like Florida and Texas, as well as New Jersey and Connecticut, where there is less restrictive zoning and fewer obstacles to building.
Economists say the lack of housing, not taxes, is the main reason behind the high cost of living in Nassau.
In some cases, the lack of planning and restrictive zoning in many Nassau County municipalities is by design. A shortage of housing boosts home values, so many residents see this as a good thing for what may be their biggest asset.
But the concerns of those living here should not be the only concern when addressing development. Local government should also consider what’s best for the county and its future residents.
Until then, places like Manorhaven are on their own.
So far, the village is off to a good start.
