Sustainable Long Island has moved its office space to the downtown Farmingdale area. The move by Sustainable Long Island is the first since 2005; the organization had previously been located in Huntington, Garden City, and most recently Bethpage. 

"We couldn't be happier with our move to such a welcoming and vibrant atmosphere like the Village of Farmingdale," said Amy Engel, Sustainable Long Island's Executive Director. "Symbolically the new space provides sustainability elements that go hand-in-hand with the organization's mission, such as a walkable downtown and transit oriented development."

The relocation by Sustainable Long Island moves the office from nearby Bethpage to Conklin Street in Farmingdale. Located right off the corner of Main Street, Sustainable Long Island will be located in the heart of Farmingdale, where the Village is undergoing its own renaissance. 

Address: 399 Conklin St, Suite 202, Farmingdale, NY 11735

Phone: 516-873-0230  

Fax: 516-873-0230

Web: www.sustainableli.org 

Recently, Cablevision Editorials posted a piece Long Island's parking dilemma Islandwide; focusing on how Long Islanders will need more parking spots as the region continues to grow, which in turn might create additional underutilized, empty lots.

View the original article and Sustainable Long Island's response, by clicking the response tab on the right sidebar, on the Cablevision Editorials website. Below is an excerpt of our response:

To address what the LI Index refers to as "underutilized space" and to combat the negative perception of the unattractive parking garages constructed in the 1970s, we will all need to start thinking more broadly with regard to parking. 

After decades of relying upon parking lot sprawl, it will take a gradual change of mindset to convince Long Islanders of the advantages of utilizing other parking options, including today's newly-constructed parking structures that are designed in far more efficient, environmentally friendly and attractive ways. 

In fact, today's parking structures can be mixed-use facilities and provide multiple purposes. They can be built to compliment the identity of a community and sync up with existing infrastructure. These structures can present as many, if not more spots for all the accustomed occupants of Long Island parking lots, and most importantly can become fundamentally green.

New York State has awarded a Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) Step 2 - Nomination Study to the Town of Huntington (TOH), which will allow for economic development and environmental improvements by promoting and maintaining the existing positive qualities in the Huntington Station community. On February 7th, Sustainable Long Island participated in the TOH Economic Development Council's board meeting to kick off this exciting process. 

For the BOA Step 2 the Study Area will include the TOH parking lot in LIRR Substation Sub Areas #2, located on the Southwest corner of Railroad Street and New York Avenue; Rotundo site; and 1000 New York Avenue.

Step 2 will provide for an in-depth assessment and evaluation of existing conditions and assets in the study area, including and economic and market trends analysis to determine the best opportunities and reuse potential for strategic sites as well as to identify actions for revitalization.

Sustainable Long Island will work with project partners, such as the Town EDC, Town CDA, and Gannett Fleming to determine the best outreach methods to engage community members in the BOA Step 2 process. There will be two public meetings; one to provide an update on revitalization efforts and the other to determine a feasible redevelopment plan for the TOH parking lot site.  

Please join us at the first public meeting to be held on March 27, 2012 at 809 New York Avenue in Huntington from 7pm - 9pm. 

Visit Sustainable Long Island's webpage for more information on the Huntington Station BOA Program.

For more information on brownfield redevelopment in general click here.

Veolia Transportation has announced proposed adjustments and cuts to NICE Bus, which would take effect April 8th. According to reports, the planned changes will affect most NICE Bus routes and will extend intervals between scheduled buses by as little as two minutes on some lines to as long as a half-hour on routes with low ridership.   

As always, Sustainable Long Island believes public transportation is vital to everyday growth across communities on Long Island. Not only is it environmentally beneficial, reducing pollution, emissions, and our usage on gas, but it provides hundreds of thousands of daily riders with the ability to travel to and from work, school, doctor offices, grocery stores, etc. that they may have otherwise not been able to reach.  

At a recent community meeting in Uniondale, Veolia Transportation explained the improvements  would include the creation of two express bus routes to and from Queens, the restoration of bus service to Jones Beach and to Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre, better coordination with the Long Island Rail Road, and longer service hours and additional buses on some popular routes.

Veolia officially took over the County's Long Island Bus service from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Jan. 1. Now Veolia is projecting a $7.3 million shortfall, and this proposed service reduction is intended to make up the difference.

Last year, the County had sought a private operator for its buses after the MTA demanded the county increase its $9 million subsidy to match the public subsidies of nearby counties. By signing with Veolia, Nassau County reduced its bus subsidy to roughly $2.5 million.

Find out details on all of the proposed changes on the NICE Bus official website.

In 2003, Sustainable Long Island facilitated a community-based planning event called "Wyandanch Rising," for the hamlet of Wyandanch in central Suffolk County, in partnership with the Town of Babylon and Wyandanch Weed & Seed. Wyandanch Rising brought together over 500 homeowners, renters, business and property owners, civic groups, clergy, planners, architects, and government officials. Over the course of five days, the participants developed the first comprehensive plan for the community in over a generation. Below is an article from Newsday Reporter Denise Bonilla providing the latest update on Long Island's "most ambitious revitalization project in decades."

Via Newsday - Earlier this month, Hempstead Village officials designated Renaissance Downtowns Urban America as the master developer for its $2 billion plan to revitalize the Main Street area.

"Before a shovel hits the ground, in writing you will have a community benefits agreement," said Donald Monti, chief executive of Plainview-based Renaissance Downtowns, who is working on the project with UrbanAmerica, a Manhattan real estate investment firm.

The project is expected to create more than 3,500 permanent jobs and 10,000 construction jobs, developers and village officials have said.

The redevelopment is to include a combination of condominiums, co-ops and rental apartments that will accommodate all income levels. It would also include a hotel, shops, open spaces, parking and entertainment. The entire project could take about a decade to complete, developers have said.

With the appointment of a master developer, project backers now need to submit a site plan to the village for approval.

Sustainable Long Island applauds our long-standing partners and friends in the Village of Hempstead for moving this project forward and soon beginning implementation. 

In his budget proposal, Governor Cuomo maintained the Environmental Protection Fund, New York's primary source of funding for all things green. 

The State Legislature now needs to help finalize the budget and take their love for New York's air, land, and water one step further.

Complete the form here and tell your representatives in Albany to maintain the Environmental Protection Fund at $134 million and commit to growing the fund in the years to come by adding it to the New York Works Program, phasing in Bottle Bill revenue, and increasing fund revenue in this year's budget.

Why it's a good investment:

• A recent study by the Trust for Public Land found that the Environmental Protection Fund returns $7 on every $1 invested. 
• Through various programs, the fund supports hundreds of thousands of jobs in New York State, including jobs related to tourism, agriculture, and protecting our drinking water. All told, Environmental Protection Fund-supported industries generate approximately $40 billion for New York every year.

Join the We Love New York campaign and call on your representatives in Albany to keep the Environmental Protection Fund steady at $134 million in this year's budget and bolster it in the years to come.

On March 23rd, the American Planning Association (APA) Long Island Section will hold its annual Arthur Kunz Memorial Scholarship Breakfast between 8:00 AM and 10AM at Molloy College's Suffolk Center at Republic Airport.

A Panel discussion "How Planning Can Lead Economic Development" will be moderated by Donald Burns, AICP, President of NY Metro Chapter, with featured guest speakers:

• Chris Jones, Vice President, RPA
• Sarah Lansdale, AICP, Director of Planning, Suffolk County
• Cara Longworth, Executive Director,LIRPC
• Satish Sood, AICP, Deputy Commissioner of Planning, Nassau County
• Mayor George Starkie, Village of Farmingdale

The 2012 Scholarship Award Winners will presented. A healthy breakfast buffet will be provided. 

Sponsorship opportunities are available, and more information can be found at APALongIsland.org.