Positive approach key to land development

Early and frequent communication by real estate executives with community leaders is crucial to dispelling rumors that have torpedoed many Long Island development projects.

That was among the ways to overcome Not-In-My-Back-Yard opposition to development suggested Thursday by town supervisors, civic association presidents and business people working on projects in West Hempstead and Ronkonkoma.

They said it was possible to win community support for rental apartments and buildings that have stores on the first floor and housing above.

However, the experts also cautioned developers against pursuing plans that don't address a community's needs or wants. Taking a steamroller approach, they said, would end in failure.

"Most developers recognize they have to work with the town," said Rosalie Norton, president of the West Hempstead Civic Association. "But it's also important to engage the community."

Norton and others lauded developer Mill Creek Residential Trust, which plans to build 150 upscale apartments adjacent to the Long Island Rail Road station in West Hempstead. Construction will begin after demolition of the notorious Courtesy Hotel, which the association fought to close for more than 10 years.

Norton said Mill Creek "engendered trust" through constant communication with the civic association. "You have to dispel rumors, the 'what ifs,' " she told 120 people at Hofstra University. "They are what kill everything."

Brookhaven Town Supervisor Mark Lesko agreed, saying he and others quickly responded to falsehoods that homes would be condemned to revitalize 50 acres around the Ronkonkoma LIRR station.

Brookhaven is now seeking proposals from developers for offices, apartments, shops and restaurants. It will emphasize building appearance over density, a departure from traditional land-use rules that have stymied past projects.

"How buildings look and how they fit together -- the aesthetic -- is important to people," Lesko said. "We don't care as much about what goes inside."

George Schramm, president of the Lake Ronkonkoma Civic Association, endorsed this zoning concept, called a form-based code, but said it should be accompanied by an analysis of what types of businesses the area needs. "You don't want it to just be a free-for-all," he said.

The Ronkonkoma and West Hempstead projects were highlighted at the daylong conference, which is part of state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli's training program for local government officials.

Asked about how NIMBYism scuttled AvalonBay Communities' original plan in Huntington Station and the Lighthouse complex in Hempstead, DiNapoli said "some projects are too ambitious . . . there needs to be a realistic scale at the start."

DiNapoli, a former assemblyman for Great Neck and Mineola school board member, also said developers must talk with town and community leaders as they assemble their proposals.

He said, "Sometimes there is suspicion when people don't have early information."