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Search Newsday.com Web enhanced by Login or register Home Delivery Levy sees affordable-housing crisis
BY MITCHELL FREEDMAN | mitchell.freedman@newsday.com
June 14, 2008
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Digg Del.icio.us Facebook Fark Google Newsvine Reddit Yahoo Print Reprints Post comment Text size: Urging state legislative approval for a program that would provide $25 million for affordable housing on Long Island, Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy told members of the Peconic Community Council yesterday that the region is facing a crisis.
"The Long Island Index said 69 percent of our youngsters 18 to 34 have said it's very likely they will leave Long Island in the next five years," Levy told the group of nearly 300 not-for-profit social service agencies serving clients in Suffolk's five ern towns. "We need that housing for our next generation to take root."
Levy has previously proposed building 1,000 affordable housing units on county-owned land in Yaphank. Yesterday at the council's annual conference at the Polish Hall in Riverhead, he listed other major plans already on the drawing board, such as 9,000 housing units -- a quarter of them affordable -- at the old Pilgrim State Hospital site in Brentwood.
He also mentioned the creation of more than 200 new rental apartments as part of the revitalization of downtown Patchogue.
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Newsday's Long Island news map. See what's going on. Officials in seven downstate counties had been pressing for a bill that would spend $87 million on affordable housing over five years.
But when that stalled, Nassau and Suffolk officials urged separate passage of a bill that would generate $25 million for the two counties.
The state budget has already passed, but a spokesman for Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) said it was possible something could be done before next week's planned adjournment.
Levy said that Suffolk's 10 towns are the key players in developing affordable housing, because towns -- not the county -- create the zoning under which all housing is built.
He said some of the state money would go to any town that amends its zoning to allow affordable housing, or to determine how much affordable housing it should provide.
Levy said the county strongly supports construction of affordable homes, and has not only agreed to provide county-owned land in Yaphank for a project, but has changed the name of its Economic Development office to Economic Development and Workforce Housing.
More articles
Search Newsday.com Web enhanced by Login or register Home Delivery Levy sees affordable-housing crisis
BY MITCHELL FREEDMAN | mitchell.freedman@newsday.com
June 14, 2008
Article tools
E-mail Share
Digg Del.icio.us Facebook Fark Google Newsvine Reddit Yahoo Print Reprints Post comment Text size: Urging state legislative approval for a program that would provide $25 million for affordable housing on Long Island, Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy told members of the Peconic Community Council yesterday that the region is facing a crisis.
"The Long Island Index said 69 percent of our youngsters 18 to 34 have said it's very likely they will leave Long Island in the next five years," Levy told the group of nearly 300 not-for-profit social service agencies serving clients in Suffolk's five ern towns. "We need that housing for our next generation to take root."
Levy has previously proposed building 1,000 affordable housing units on county-owned land in Yaphank. Yesterday at the council's annual conference at the Polish Hall in Riverhead, he listed other major plans already on the drawing board, such as 9,000 housing units -- a quarter of them affordable -- at the old Pilgrim State Hospital site in Brentwood.
He also mentioned the creation of more than 200 new rental apartments as part of the revitalization of downtown Patchogue.
Related links
Teacher sex scandals.
Bank robbers on Long Island.
Long Island Pictures
Killer tornadoes in Iowa.
Midwest flood pictures.
Newsday's Long Island news map. See what's going on. Officials in seven downstate counties had been pressing for a bill that would spend $87 million on affordable housing over five years.
But when that stalled, Nassau and Suffolk officials urged separate passage of a bill that would generate $25 million for the two counties.
The state budget has already passed, but a spokesman for Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) said it was possible something could be done before next week's planned adjournment.
Levy said that Suffolk's 10 towns are the key players in developing affordable housing, because towns -- not the county -- create the zoning under which all housing is built.
He said some of the state money would go to any town that amends its zoning to allow affordable housing, or to determine how much affordable housing it should provide.
Levy said the county strongly supports construction of affordable homes, and has not only agreed to provide county-owned land in Yaphank for a project, but has changed the name of its Economic Development office to Economic Development and Workforce Housing.
More articles