Retrofitting Long Island
Its Time to Amend the Comprehensive Plan
Here in New York, we have a shortage of affordable housing and a situation that many islands face, the limited resources of land, water, and infrastructure. But really is that true? We hear from politicians and community leaders that we need more housing. This is true, we do. Then we hear from the environmentalists that our island cannot physically afford more new buildings. This is also true. So, where is the balance?
I am a born and raised Long Island girl. When I drive around this beautiful island of ours, I see increasingly more empty big box stores and their encompassing strip malls. I see towns still suffering from the financial tragedy of the housing collapse and Covid-19 pandemic. I see the effects of natural disasters. Yet on the flip side, I am amazed at all the new construction on the limited number of empty lots and available green space. So, I ask, what has happened to the Comprehensive Plan?
Yes, the Comprehensive Plan. For those unfamiliar with this term, it is the plan that each municipality creates to designate areas of residential property, commercial property, and multipurpose property. It is the plan that designates where parks are located, agriculture grows, and manufacturing happens. The Comprehensive Plan helps the planning board make the best use of the land and resources available to it. The town planning board should revise the Comprehensive Plan every 20 years to keep up with the change in economy, demographics, population, and environmental concerns.
The zoning rules and ordinances support the comprehensive plan, and they are used by the planning board to amend that plan when needed.[1]
So, imagine this. What if we could take an empty mall or office park zoned as commercial and rezone it for a multi-use property and “retrofit” the buildings and parking lots to be a community? Think about it. The buildings already have electricity, plumbing, telephone, cable, internet, etc. The parking lots already have electricity and drainage. With some imagination and architectural intervention, the buildings can be redesigned into apartments, parks, a movie theater, restaurants, coffee shops, dry cleaners, a deli, boutiques, a community center, open space, a farmer’s market, live-work spaces, and more. Many of these abandoned malls have an additional advantage, they are close to major thoroughfares making them convenient for commuters. Also, many locations are on local bus routes, again making them convenient for commuters. In this utopia I envision, the housing would attract a multigenerational demographic where there is affordable housing for young people just starting out in their careers and adult lives, and the 55+ crowd looking to downsize and simplify their lives. I envision a walkable community with indoor and outdoor shops and recreational opportunities like walking trails and bike lanes.
You may be thinking this is a crazy idea, but I assure you it has been done all over the world with great success, including here in the United States. Don’t believe me, check out Retrofitting Suburbia.[2] This company specializes in this topic.
Yet we have another hurdle to jump. What if the property owners don’t want to explore this opportunity for redevelopment? Can the municipality obtain the property through the process of eminent domain? I think it is possible. The abandoned and dilapidated properties are an attractive nuisance inviting criminal activity, not to mention the unsightliness of these empty buildings diminishing property values. The government could make the case to obtain these properties by the process of eminent domain. I can almost hear the yelling now. Many of you are screaming at me about the government taking citizens’ property. I ask you to remember, the property owner gets paid the fair market value for the property, the government doesn’t just take it. What is better for the property owner? An empty property with bills for insurance, utilities, and property taxes, or money from the sale of the property. What would be even better? The property owners working with developers and municipalities to improve the overall welfare of our Long Island communities.
So how do we get the Nassau and Suffolk County legislators on board? The governor’s office? I know I would like to be on the committee to effect positive change in the landscape of Long Island preserving our environment and property values simultaneously.
[1] Town Law §272-a; Village Law §7-722; General City Law §28-a