The Need For High-Density Housing

Some people who oppose the Lighthouse Project say that high-density housing does not work on Long Island. Those people are, increasingly, on the wrong side of history.

In the Fall of 2007, the Long Island Index conducted a public survey (available here) gauging Long Islanders' opinions of the housing situation. The results were shocking (though not to me): 61% of those surveyed support apartment-style housing in downtown areas, shattering the myth that the single-family home is sacrosanct in suburbia.

As I said, I'm not surprised by this, because I see it every day. I've already told you in my profile that I'm a 20-something single person living on Long Island, and I don't feel welcome here. Most of my friends, who went to school thanks to the school taxes (and in some cases, private school tuitions) of citizens, took that education and bolted around the country and the world to places that provide better opportunities. I believe I will have to leave the area soon; regardless of my opinion of Long Island, I feel this decision was made for me years if not decades ago. I look at all those kids who made the finals in the Intel Science Fair thanks to our tax dollars, and I can't help but wonder how many of them will move out of the area in search of better opportunity. How many millions in tax revenue will they pay to other communities? How many jobs will they not create on Long Island? How many innovations and families will take root somewhere else? (More on this at a later point - you can tell this is close to my heart)

Communities on Long Island pay choking property taxes, and this heavy burden has resulted in, for the first time, property values in QUEENS being comparable to those of the supposedly idyllic suburbia. The lack of high-density housing has resulted in a veritable epidemic of illegal apartments and subdivisions that are a risk to both local communities and those who live in illegal units. Communities all over the US, from Glendale, Arizona (whose arena/stadium complex is a great blueprint for the Lighthouse) to Ballston, within the Washington, DC, suburb of Arlington, VA, are embracing the walkable, mixed-use community as "new suburbia."

What does this mean for the Lighthouse? Everything. We've all discussed the benefits of this project, and we will continue to do so. However, in addition to the benefits, the time is right to do this and embrace our future. This is not 1959 anymore; the era of car-driven sprawl is over. Long Island is in decline largely because of its inability to embrace this fact. Local leaders will need to embrace principles of new suburbia and smart growth in order to ensure the economic viability of Long Island for generations to come.

The world is changing, and it will not wait for us to catch up. The Lighthouse should be in the vanguard of this renewal of the Long Island spirit.

As always, thanks for reading. Don't forget to sign the petition and pass it on. I welcome your feedback at lettherebelighthouse@gmail.com.

Go Big Or Go Home

Compromise is not inherently a bad thing. In many instances, a compromise could create a better solution than either original option. However, on Long Island, compromise can be death to many well-intentioned building projects, and we need to make sure the same does not happen with the Lighthouse.

Nassau Coliseum could have been much more than it is. When the arena was originally on the drawing board, the Nickerson administration proposed a 20,000 seat arena to compete directly with Madison Square Garden, that arena that had the grace to declare itself "The World's Most Famous Arena." In fact, former Islanders PR man Chris Botta revealed on his weekly radio show just yesterday that there were also plans to extend the Long Island Rail Road from Westbury to an underground station on the Coliseum site. The "secret stairs" between the Coliseum and the Marriott, thought to be a superfluous entrance to the Coliseum Expo Hall, were actually meant to be the entrance to that train station.

This plan was loaded with vision and foresight, but sadly it was not meant to be. Nassau Coliseum was constructed as a "compromise" between the large arena advocates and those who thought it was too "City" and wanted a 10,000 seat arena instead. The LIRR spur was also killed, since in the 1970's the train was considered the transportation of the past.

As a result of this compromise and this failure to make a bold decision, we stand here today with a decaying anachronism that does not have the modern facilities or transportation access that is now expected in a multipurpose arena. It is not difficult to imagine how radically different this discussion would be if the facility was larger with more amenities and mass transit access.

Hopefully, leaders in the Town of Hempstead can follow Nassau County's lead in taking the proper lessons from history. The Lighthouse Project seeks to correct many of the mistakes made almost 40 years ago, and it must be allowed to go forward without major concessions. Failure to capitalize on this momentum could lead to another half-baked "solution" that must be re-addressed in 10-15 years rather than 30-40.

The title of this post says it all, and it should be a blueprint for the Town of Hempstead with the Lighthouse Project: Go Big or Go Home. A watered-down development will only create more issues down the road; you must allow this project to unlock its true potential and bring Long Island into a new generation.

As always, don't forget to Sign the Petition and pass it on to your friends and family.