Now, your thoughts: QUALITY OF LIFE

June 17, 2007

Our experiment in brainstorming has begun. Here's a sample of the ideas readers sent in response to last Sunday's editorial. The conversation on Long Island's future continues. Michael White, executive director of the Long Island Regional Planning Board, will respond to your questions and comments in this space next Sunday.

Nassau County is becoming more like Queens every day. We moved from the city to a more suburban way of life to see it become more congested with people and automobiles. The county should do a study of traffic patterns to see what could be done. No one mentions carpooling, especially with the high cost of gasoline. It seems like every available piece of real estate is developed with either housing or retail stores. I think each town should have a tree-planting program to bring back the feel of suburbia. Marguerite Fischer, 47 Baldwin Harbor

Though some folks envision Long Island as an infinite land mass destined for never-ending economic development and population growth, that illusion flies in the face of reality. We already have surpassed the Island's carrying capacity many times over, and it is for this reason - and this reason alone - that all of our quality of life problems exist. The harsh reality is that the "no vacancy" sign has to go up. Marty Van Lith, 60 Brookhaven Hamlet

Young people will continue to leave because the culture of Long Island is geared for families, with not enough sizzle for the young. What makes New York City sizzle is that the young folks get to party where they live. This is not to denigrate great downtowns we do have - Patchogue, Huntington, Port Jefferson, Glen Cove, Long Beach - but there's little housing in those areas. Folks who live in the city understand the importance of an economically, intellectually and emotionally stimulating environment, and it's never far from the housing. We have to begin seriously to create that. Martin R. Cantor, 59 Melville

Whether it is a prime location such as the old Westbury Movie Theatre on Post Avenue, The Marketplace on Jericho Turnpike in Woodbury or scores of vacant storefronts in Oyster Bay, our local neighborhoods have too many "for rent" signs. Landlords prefer to take tax write-offs for properties rather than work with small entrepreneurs looking to open businesses. It's up to every local Chamber of Commerce and industrial agency to become more proactive and encourage landlords to be more flexible in their leasing opportunities. Why build malls and strip stores when older developments from the 1960s and 1970s can be renovated and updated? Jack K. Mandel, 59 East Norwich

Everyone here sticks to their own kind. One town may be predominantly African-American, another Latin-American or predominantly white. Thus our entertainment and social scene seems lackluster compared to Manhattan. If I walk into a bar or club, I may be the only African-American in the room. In New York City, if you go to a West African restaurant-lounge, for example, you won't just find West Africans. You'll find an array of cultures represented. The same should happen here. A solution to this? Educational and cultural activities will erase stereotypes and create open-mindedness. More events like street festivals and parades will display cultural groups on Long Island and increase curiosity. Also, we cannot tolerate discrimination. There should be grievance offices in all towns for complaints to be seriously investigated. Lucinda Acquaye, 27 Farmingville

For me, the jugular issue is the high cost of living. I make a great salary as a schoolteacher, but with college loans, graduate school, housing costs and everything else - I'm barely scraping by. I can't afford a home with my income. Unless I get married (which is not happening anytime soon), I can only afford to rent. My dad (who has been trying to marry me off since college) seems to think that I'm "married" to my career. He thinks I work too much, which is impeding my social life. Truth be told, I work so much because I need the money! I don't want to be a 28-year-old single woman living at home with my parents. That would impede my social life more than anything else. Mary Donnelly, 28 West Islip