Did Somebody Say "Downtown?"
Forgive us if we scratch our heads here at The Community Alliance, somewhat astounded that the public at large is finally "getting it" -- the critical importance of our suburban "downtowns" to Long Island's renaissance.
Okay. So we've been throwing "downtown" in your face since day one. Walkability. Connectivity. Mixed use and diversity. Affordable housing. Increased density. Open and green space preservation. Smart transportation.
Better late than never, folks. Welcome aboard!;-)
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Read the Newsday special feature, The Future of Long Island: Downtowns.
After reading the article a 2nd time, I noticed that none of the spotlight communities was located within the control of the Town of Hempstead. The only time the Town of Hempstead was mentioned, the title was "Lighthouse, Project mired in a political minefield".
ReplyDeleteWhen Kate first became supervisor, she proclaimed she would bring smart growth development to the Town of Hempstead. It's more than 7 years later, and we're still waiting. Communities such as West Hempstead, Elmont, Baldwin and Uniondale have brought plans to redevelop their downtowns, only to be blown up by the "minefields" at the Town of Hempstead.
How many more opportunities is Kate going to let slip away? Shouldn't something have been accomplished by now? Paul Pontieri was elected mayor of Patchogue in 2004, and has overseen nothing short of a renaissance there. Where or what has Kate been doing all these years?
I noticed the same thing and that's not the first time Hempstead ends up getting left behind when it comes to progress being made in North Hempstead, Brookhaven, and other towns on Long Island. My sense is that Kate Murray never met an idea she liked, unless it was her own. And the problem there is that she doesn't have any.
ReplyDeleteHere's an interesting quote from Kate at opening day of Belmont Park:
ReplyDelete“It’s such a beautiful, unique piece of property. Very few counties can boast this beautiful piece of property. I’d certainly love to see the attendance rates go up astronomically here at Belmont Park, it’s such a gorgeous place."
These are precisely the general statements Kate makes all the time that don't demonstrate any vision whatsoever, and accomplishes absolutely nothing. The real questions are, why aren't people coming to Belmont, and why hasn't Kate been working on a solution to that problem.
It seems everyone is clamoring for a gambling site somewhere on Long Island, when gambling already exists at Belmont. How about we improve the gambling experience at Belmont (a casino has been mentioned numerous times), and just maybe we can fix 2 problems with 1 stone!