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This in a nutshell highlights one of the most severe problems that Long Island is facing. I have often commented that the reason So many younger persons are leaving this place is because of housing issues and I will explain why:
Intermediate housing:
there are basically 3 options young adults have when it comes to housing.
1. Live in your parents basement until your late 20's or 30's
2. Buy a house or condo- unrealistic
3. Move to another state
Seriously...it isn't healthy
I will use Texas as an example although there are many many other states that see a need for these Apt. communities
In Texas these luxury apartment communities are plentiful. Many are gated and affordably priced to cater to young adults who leave the home and enter the workforce or are attending college. They have amenities to include pools, spas, fitness centers and clubhouses. Usually they will share apartments with friends who are also stepping out on their own. This kind of activity is healthy. It instills responsibilty and freedom so that they can learn valuable lessons and experience on the road to adulthood and live comfortably. These communities also enhance higher retention rates. I will say that it is a fact that people that get out of the house at an earlier age are more mature and confidant than those that don't. I'm not being cruel but think about it. They are making it and striving on their own. Over here it has to suck being stuck with your parents unable to move except perhaps to some moldy illegal basement apt or a 1 bedroom place that you share a house with. It's depressing.I have found Long Island teens are much more immature than other parts of the U.S, they need mommy and daddy late into life. I lived in a few communities like avalon bay when I was younger and it was a great experience. Weekends at the pool. BBQ'ing, Lounging in a hot tub. Fireplace in the winter. They were really nice and had a great vibe.
The presence of these communities also increases town revenues and revitalizes the areas that they are situated in.
In addition in this particular situation access to mass transit is a definite plus to all parties involved. I understand that Huntington station has had more than its share of problems but this development would only serve to eliminate it. The construction of a development like this would attract many young people that can only serve to revitalize that area and downtown and would probably modernize the area and make it a fun place to be. It would probably attract more businesses and industry.
One naive person in the snoozeday article exclaimed" we need to solve our problems before we do something like this" or something to that effect.
The Avalon bay project does just that. Those against the project just killed the town.
This was a great opportunity to solve a lot of problems It's too bad Long Island still lives in the stone age. So while you all are scratching your heads in the future asking yourselves what happened and why is everyone leaving it is because Long Island is doesn't have a clue.
I find it quite interesting that many people on this forum are/were pro-Avalon in Huntington Station... yet whenever someone brings up buying a house in Huntington Station or renting in Huntington Station, it's "you don't want to buy/live there". You can't have it both ways (though you may try ).
If the neighborhood really is that bad, and nobody wants to live there, why encourage more rentals (after all, it was designed to be 80% rental and 20% owner occupied).
Would those of you who feel Huntington Station has a bad reputation/is a bad place to live, rent or buy on E. 5th Street if Avalon had been successful? Without cleaning up the problem(s), how many of you would feel safe enough to walk to the station from your "safe" home after dark??? Etc., etc.
Replies welcome
Last edited by Elke Mariotti; 09-22-2010 at 10:01 PM..
there are basically 3 options young adults have when it comes to housing.
1. Live in your parents basement until your late 20's or 30's
2. Buy a house or condo- unrealistic
3. Move to another state
Seriously...it isn't healthy
.
Isn't there a 4th option?
Whatever happened to renting, if necessary with a roommate?
Of course if Mommy and Daddy can't let go, that's another story entirely...
Yeah, of course there are and will be some exceptions, but do you really think that, for example, a young person in their 20's who is living alone and going full-time to school can afford to live in a 'decent' area of long island?... So they will start to seek other areas and regions where things are more affordable so they don't have to move back with mom and dad and can be independant and achieve their goals.
And the more time you spend away from home and in a given area, the more attached you become to it, which means the more likely you are to stay there and never return. (and trust me, it's not that hard to miss the high cost of living of most of Long Island).
My point is, yeah, there will be people like your son and his wife who are young professionals and who have chose to remain on the island, but in order to ensure the economic survival of the island, we really need something that will really really give young people here a reason to stay and make staying here a more attractive option for as many young people as possible and to also attract young people from other places too; that is our challenge as an island.
EDIT, and yes, i'm sure there may be an at least sufficient amount of young people in your area right now, but we need to also look 15 years-20 years and even 25 years into the future.
It's not an upstate mill town. Please remember, we are a suburb. New York City will always be an hour away. It's intertwined with the fabric of LI, at least the LI I know. There will always be people looking to move to NYC, and some will eventually decide as they marry and have kids that suburban life is a better option. People are drawn to Huntington, because it isn't the city, but has easy access, cultural amenities, and has beautiful landscapes and access to boating watersports....
My wife just helped a young professional couple she befriended find a home in Cold Spring Harbor. They are moving from TriBeCa, and are originally from London. They want open space, good schools, and a small town feel, near NYC. High density housing changes the character of exactly what they want. They don't want to live in Brooklyn or Queens.
Isn't there a 4th option?
Whatever happened to renting, if necessary with a roommate?
Of course if Mommy and Daddy can't let go, that's another story entirely...
The problem is, how many legal renting options does someone have??
I'm 28 and currently rent what is very likely an illegal basement apartment. Some of those in my age group that are still on LI have done well enough to purchase a home, though most are like me and can't afford that option. So the options for those who stay are either live with mommy and daddy or rent. The problem is simply not enough legal rental options are available.
How are we going to get those around my age to stay on LI and keep them from moving away if we continue to give them very few housing options, say no to every option that could help keep them here and refuse to really address this issue??
I find it quite interesting that many people on this forum are/were pro-Avalon in Huntington Station... yet whenever someone brings up buying a house in Huntington Station or renting in Huntington Station, it's "you don't want to buy/live there". You can't have it both ways (though you may try ).
If the neighborhood really is that bad, and nobody wants to live there, why encourage more rentals (after all, it was designed to be 80% rental and 20% owner occupied).
Would those of you who feel Huntington Station has a bad reputation/is a bad place to live, rent or buy on E. 5th Street if Avalon had been successful? Without cleaning up the problem(s), how many of you would feel safe enough to walk to the station from your "safe" home after dark??? Etc., etc.
I am new to the area so I don't know the whole history but in talking to people around here, that seems to have been a concern. Who was going to rent these places? I personally do not feel that Huntington Station is so bad. I think it has problems and if they were addressed then we could see a huge improvement in the area.
People told me that they were going to build it and it would turn Section 8. That was their perception. And they felt that was not going to improve the area. Also that the rentals were overpriced (something like 2k for a 2 BR) and who would pay those prices when you could rent a house for that amount?
Also the point of these apartments were to have them within walking distance to the train. Yet as Elke points out, would you want to walk it? .6 miles is a 10 minute walk for most people.
The problem is, how many legal renting options does someone have??
I'm 28 and currently rent what is very likely an illegal basement apartment. Some of those in my age group that are still on LI have done well enough to purchase a home, though most are like me and can't afford that option. So the options for those who stay are either live with mommy and daddy or rent. The problem is simply not enough legal rental options are available.
How are we going to get those around my age to stay on LI and keep them from moving away if we continue to give them very few housing options, say no to every option that could help keep them here and refuse to really address this issue??
If Avalon Bay had passed, would you have rented within that community?
Seeing it didn't pass, would you consider renting/sharing a house in that area?
I am trying to get into the frame of mind of a younger, single person who is in your situation. It wasn't as bad when I was a young renter, but there were some real cruddy legal apartments which fell into the 'affordable' range.
I think the idea was a good one -- clustered housing near the train station -- however too dense in that it might alter the suburban look of the community.
One thing I didn't notice (I skimmed the articles) was if this is vacant land, or whether buildings were being condemned, or houses taken through eminent domain for this proposed project?
There are problems in Huntington Station which get a lot of talk time, but don't appear to get resolved.
Any decrepit, unkempt homes owned by absentee landlords should be seized by the town. The town needs the landlords to start taking some responsibility.
The project should have been downsized a little with more units available to purchase and the covenant that the owner live in the unit. More residents and fewer transient tenants would probably help the community from falling to the same fate some of the surrounding areas have experienced.
Another problem I read is that people fear the infrastructure can't handle a project of that size. Why not have a community shuttle (paid for in association fees) which can bring residents to the grocery store, LIRR or village on a set schedule? Colleges have shuttles for students, I recall using one back decades ago, and USB's still runs today.
One project H-tonian posted (the Oheka area) is wrong and I agree that it would ruin the aesthetics of the area. We have many vacant stores, empty car dealerships -- why can't these be retrofitted and used for housing? They're on main routes and very commuter friendly -- residents could live in a good number of these locations and be able to walk to what they needed, or access a bus to get to further locations. It would keep the main streets developed and instead of empty eyesores, we would have homes. It would keep larger, undeveloped tracts open and preserve the quaint, green feel so many of us moved here for.
I think the idea was a good one -- clustered housing near the train station -- however too dense in that it might alter the suburban look of the community. It most certainly would have!
One thing I didn't notice (I skimmed the articles) was if this is vacant land, or whether buildings were being condemned, or houses taken through eminent domain for this proposed project? It is vacant land, currently zoned for 106 single family homes on a 1/4 acre lot.
There are problems in Huntington Station which get a lot of talk time, but don't appear to get resolved. How true! Typical politicians - lots of talk, but where's the action?
The project should have been downsized a little with more units available to purchase and the covenant that the owner live in the unit. More residents and fewer transient tenants would probably help the community from falling to the same fate some of the surrounding areas have experienced. Very true, however, the whole point was to make apartments available, including "affordable" rentals. And given the location and perceived reputation of the area, how many people would have bought??
Also, the school district would not have been able to absorb the potential increase in students - especially in view of the already existing problems with the Jack Abrams School, which are currently absorbed by Washington and Woodhull... much to their detriment with regard to space - or the lack thereof.
Very true, however, the whole point was to make apartments available, including "affordable" rentals.
I believe you had written a few posts back that the project was to be 80% rental with 20% owner occupied for only one out of five units having a resident with a vested interest in the community. Downsize the project (trying to recall -- it was for 520 units?) to 300-350 units. Make it 30 to 40% owner occupied.
I do recall reading somewhere that the developers were to pay the school district $15 million, which would offset some expenses created by new students while the increased tax revenue from the newly developed formerly vacant parcel will contribute more as well.
Were any of the units in this project being offered as studios or one bedrooms which would be appealing to young singles, newly marrieds, retirees, etc?
It seemed like a good idea but on way too large a scale.
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