Suburban housing, growth, traffic
Maxess Road in Melville is part of an area Huntington Town officials have targeted as a part of a proposed plan for a walkable downtown. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
A great way for housing to catch up
Randi F. Marshall is right to praise Huntington Town Supervisor Ed Smyth for his “methodical” approach in creating new residential, commercial and retail space — including a “walkable downtown” area and open space — at the proposed Melville Town Center on Maxess Road [“Slow and steady progress in Melville,” Opinion, March 27].
Our region desperately needs more housing, and Marshall notes that the Melville plan could help fill that need by generating approximately 3,000 new apartments.
The Long Island Regional Economic Development Council said that “the rate of housing production in Nassau and Suffolk counties falls short of other suburbs at only seven units built per 1,000 residents in the past 10 years, compared with 13 units per 1,000 residents in the Hudson Valley and 35 in northern New Jersey” [“LI wins $10M to boost housing,” News, Dec. 29].
Workforce retention requires housing creation, but we’re running far behind when it comes to creating new residential opportunities. The Melville Town Center would be an excellent way to help Long Island catch up.
— Steve Vitoff, Huntington
Slow growth can be a blessing for us
I love my town just as it is. For 12 years, I lived on Staten Island, where homeowners in multifamily homes fought for a place to park in front of their own homes and traffic started at the end of their block [“Report: Housing growth on LI lags,” News, April 3].
I moved back to Glen Cove to live in a less dense community and enjoy the beauty of our suburbs.
There is nothing wrong with being among the slowest U.S. places for housing growth.
I am happy that we are not a condensed community, so tell Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mike LaFirenza, CEO of San Diego-based Construction Coverage, to build their housing somewhere else.
— Karen Ferguson, Glen Cove
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