Conference eyes LI's perennial problems

Homeowners and businesses say they cannot afford to pay the higher property taxes needed to sustain local government services.

Real estate executives propose housing and commercial projects, which would generate more tax revenue, but are sometimes stymied by community opposition that leads governments to scuttle the developments.

These are perennial problems for Long Island that threaten its future. They also are the subject of a May 19 conference at Hofstra University in Hempstead, where potential solutions will be discussed.

Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy and three town supervisors will headline the free event, which is part of state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli's Local Government Leadership Institute.

"The demands on local government officials have never been greater," said DiNapoli, a former assemblyman from Great Neck. "The level of complexity and degree of difficulty to provide services under ever-tightening fiscal constraints is growing exponentially."

He and others said Long Island communities must find ways to accommodate development, particularly affordable housing for seniors and young workers. The Not-In-My-Backyard protests by some community activists capture the headlines and overshadow projects that win approval from both activists and local officials.

"We are constantly being bombarded with stories about NIMBYism and how it's impossible to get things done," said Richard Guardino Jr., executive dean of Hofstra's Wilbur F. Breslin Center for Real Estate Studies and a former Hempstead Town supervisor. "But people are getting things done, sometimes on perhaps a smaller scale than some of the bigger projects."

These smaller developments in Brookhaven Town and West Hempstead will be discussed by Brookhaven Supervisor Mark Lesko, Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray, civic association leaders and executives from Mill Creek Residential Trust and Kelly Development Corp. All the projects are near Long Island Rail Road stations and involve apartments.

"Local governments are really stretched," Guardino said. "The opportunity to create revenue is going to be through sustainable-growth projects like these."

The conference, which runs from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., is also sponsored by Hofstra's Institute of Real Estate and the National Center for Suburban Studies. To register, go to osc.state .ny.us/localgov/lgli.