Letters: 'Brain drain' could be stopped
The courtyard area of the AvalonBay in Rockville Centre, it is a recently built apartment complex with rentals that are affordable for young people. April 27, 2012 Credit: Photo by ULI SEIT
Lack of affordable housing, a high cost of living and a general disarray of county finances both in Nassau and Suffolk are all contributing factors to Long Island's youth brain drain ["LI's youth 'brain drain,' " News, April 28].
There is no compelling reason to put down roots here. As for public rejection of higher-density housing proposed by developers, the issue I see is that the proposal is always tied to a hotel, retail or commercial space. If the issue is affordable housing, build affordable housing, not suburban sprawl that consists of uncoordinated pockets of commercial development.
Unlike Virginia, where a project received a "warm welcome," Long Island is just that, an island. That means traffic flows mostly only east or west, which accentuates traffic.
What Long Island needs is a coordinated plan to address the issue on a macro basis, not piecemeal town by town. What we need is the 21st century equivalent of Robert Moses.
Steve Nevaerc, Massapequa Park
"Is anybody there? Does anybody care?" That's what the Broadway musicalized John Adams, alone with his frustration, cried out after the Continental Congress failed -- for the umpteenth time -- to vote for the 13 colonies' Declaration of Independence from Great Britain.
That's exactly what came to mind when I read Newsday's report on the youth brain drain.
How many times has this alarm been sounded and discussed in the past, say, 20 years? Answer: ad infinitum. Even Elizabeth Barrett Browning couldn't count the ways. And how many times has anything concrete come of it? Answer: never!
A first step was proposed more than 15 years ago. It called for clusters of small studio apartments to be built over existing one- or two-story business buildings in Long Island's downtown areas. No-frills studio apartments would be available and affordable for two years, ostensibly giving young adults time to seek employment, minus the pressure of finding a place to live at the same time.
This idea would create customers who could walk to downtown stores and eliminate some auto traffic. Because the studios would be rented to high school graduates, this idea could motivate some to stay in school.
To be sure, this forgotten proposal may not work. But how will we ever know, unless someone does care enough to pursue it and similar possibilities seriously? Anybody?
Howard Blankman, Port Washington
