Illegal Renting in Suburbia (Riverhead, Boston: sex offender, neighborhoods, purchases)

[4StanleyCups]

Originally Posted by nbres

Just Let the Market decide. The reason other metros don't have this problem is because the free market is allowed to work. There is no need for any government intervention - all that is needed is for the town and county governments to let builders build what the market wants.

Basically it's the Towns, because in Suffolk at least, it's the town and not the county who controls the zoning -- and it's the zoning that decides whether or not multiple-family housing is allowed or not.

I was in the Old Country Rd/Stewart Ave (The Source, etc) area not too long ago and saw that there's now a new Archstone apartment complex right there. That's a really nice and well-managed chain, but pricey, and for that kind of rent money I wonder how many people really are okay with living literally in the midsts of gas fumes and traffic 24/7. Oh well, different strokes for different folks I guess.

[nbres]

That is exactly what I'm talking about (rentals by the Source Mall). There are literally hundreds if not thousands of suitable locations for modern non-rent controlled and non-section 8 apartment complexes all over Long Island. When NIMBYism is held at bay many great things can be done.

Here are some suitable sites I know of:
The old Pilgrim State site
The old Kings Park State site
in Farmingdale next to the rail road tracks

In fact a lot of old shopping centers occupy enough space for suitable redevelopment - all that is needed is a change in zoning.

If real apartments could be built then people would no longer want to rent someone's moldy damp basement.

[KellyFG]

people need to file complaints to the towns, its unfortunate but the local government zoning agencies are all corrupt, they are not policing anything. Look at the scandals in the Hempstead building dept & the way section 8 was paying to have 40 people squeezed in one run down house.
WE have to police it. The house behind me is owned by a guy that lives in another town, this house was his family's summer home. It has two apartments & it has been vacant 90% of the time I've lived here. He just got a new tenant for upstairs, if he puts another downstairs I'm calling the town. Its not legal anywhere in Brookhaven to have a house with one meter rented to two people without the owner living on the premises.
I will police my own town, unfortunatly that is what is has come down to.
As for affordable housing? I don't know what the answer is, I'm always horrified when I hear what people pay to live in garden apartments.

[Dedalus]

Originally Posted by nbres

That is exactly what I'm talking about (rentals by the Source Mall). There are literally hundreds if not thousands of suitable locations for modern non-rent controlled and non-section 8 apartment complexes all over Long Island. When NIMBYism is held at bay many great things can be done.

Here are some suitable sites I know of:
The old Pilgrim State site
The old Kings Park State site
in Farmingdale next to the rail road tracks

In fact a lot of old shopping centers occupy enough space for suitable redevelopment - all that is needed is a change in zoning.

If real apartments could be built then people would no longer want to rent someone's moldy damp basement.

I could not agree more.

I used to live in Farmingdale, opposite that huge vacant site. There already are some apartment buildings in that area. It even has reasonable access to public transit - I lived there without a car for almost two years.

"NIMBYism" is simply a lot of people wishing to exert control over something that they do not own and don't want to pay for. I'm all in favor of sending them the bill, they'd change their tune in a flash.

[GCGuy]

NIMBYism amazes me most when people...don't want anything built then complain taxes are too high. Like, duh, or something.

[GCGuy]

Originally Posted by nbres

Just Let the Market decide. The reason other metros don't have this problem is because the free market is allowed to work. There is no need for any government intervention - all that is needed is for the town and county governments to let builders build what the market wants.

Well, yes and no. Developers have to be kept in check somewhat or there would be problems. There is too much NIMBYism on LI, though. I mean, look in Jersey, CT, and Westchester. Yes, there is some, but look at the cities, etc. Booming with high rise condos, hotels, etc. There's nothing like that on LI and I'm not sure why.

[nbres]

There should be high rise condos all along the north and south shores. How many older Long Islanders are forced to leave for Florida and other places because all they want is a smaller place on LI, but nothing new and nice exists. Long Island lacks the full range of housing options. I think the fear of any multiple dwellings has has done long term damage to the economic viability of LI.

First of all the zoning laws have to be junked. Then let the builders and developers do their thing. The whole problem with housing is supply and demand. There is not enough of a supply. Increse the number of units and prices will drop. Young people could buy condos or rent.

Those people who are afraid of overdevelopment must realize that it is happening anyway. Therefore, it might as well be done nicely rather than the what we have now - slowly turning LI into an unappealling old suburb.

Third. Update the transportation infrastructure. Build one or two bridges or tunnels to Connecticut. Then a double track maglev train down the middle of the LIE with spurs to various parts of the Island. And to top it all off, power it all with a high efficiency Nuclear power plant - nuclear is the safest, cheapest and non-polluting way of producing electricity in large quantities.

[ClarkStreetKid]

Originally Posted by nbres

Third. Update the transportation infrastructure. Build one or two bridges or tunnels to Connecticut. Then a double track maglev train down the middle of the LIE with spurs to various parts of the Island. And to top it all off, power it all with a high efficiency Nuclear power plant - nuclear is the safest, cheapest and non-polluting way of producing electricity in large quantities.

And the money for all of this comes from where? If Long Islanders are already at the end of their financial ropes I doubt any of them will want to pony up some more. And does Connecticut want those bridges anymore?

Long Island Sound Bridge Crossing Study (part 1)
Long Island Sound Bridge Crossing Study (part 2)
Long Island Sound Bridge Crossing Study (part 3)

[nbres]

Good Point. Well if our Federal Government didn't waste $10 Billion a month on rebuilding Iraq's infrastructure, which by the way we destroyed, the money wouldn't be a problem for some elements of what I suggest. But what about allowing private investors to fund many projects. However, look what happened to Charles Wang. He had ideas, the money and the will, but was defeated by NIMBYism.

The real culprit on Long Island is too many layers of government. The towns, villages, school districts, fire districts, and library districts should all be eliminated and their services streamlined under county control. The reason our property taxes are so high is because of duplication of services. All the southern states have county wide school districts which probably keeps costs down. We should do the same.

Building bridges, tunnels, maglev trains, high rise condos, nuclear power plants, etc... would boost Long Island's economy and the nation's economy. Construction jobs and all the supporting jobs would put millions of
people to work at well paying jobs. With this infrastucture in place many other issues would be resolved and the ground work would be there for even greater technological advancement. It is already being done, but not in the US - check out Shanghai, China.

Face it. Long Island has to adapt or die. We can not go on as merely a suburban bedroom community for NYC. The times are a changing whether we like it or not.

[GypsySoul22]

The future is going to be towns where walking is encouraged and driving inside is NOT allowed. I read about these places in Future Trends or some such type publication. Housing, the stores, movies and schools (as well as companies) will all be inclusive towns that allow you to walk and get around with out cars.

Sort of like mini-villages.

This would be a good thing for Long Island. Switch from a car obsessive culture to one where people walk, get healthy and can be a model for the rest of the country.

We need to lose our 'bigger is better, more is the way' mentality in order to adapt to the future.