Tag: planning

According to studies, people living in Nassau and Suffolk counties pay a higher share of their income for housing than other suburbs in the New York region, and new housing coming on the market costs too much for a majority of residents, especially young adults just starting their careers.

Why is the Suffolk County IDA hiring an outside, New York City-centric organization to conduct planning work that could easily be done through the county’s myriad in-house professional departments including Planning and Economic Development, the Department of Public Works, and the Department of Health Services?

The Ronkonkoma Hub, the darling project for many-a-smart growth advocates, may be one of the few projects on Long Island worth the praise it has received. It offers the opportunity for true intermodal access spanning the automobile, bus, train and airplane. Unlike other ambitious projects its size, this $538 million Hub has faced minimal NIMBY outcry from the surrounding area.

At least Suffolk policy-makers talk about land-use issues--Nassau officials toss tax breaks at political insiders and hope for the best.

Other factors are the culprit for making the cost of living on the Island so high.