Mobilizing the Region
Issue 256February 11, 2000



Citizens, Smart Growth = Ped-Friendly Street


A weekend-long charrette convened by Vision Huntington and Sustainable Long Island, with the help of Florida consultant Walkable Communities, developed an extended planning outline for rebuilding Huntington's Gerard Street. Newsday calls present-day Gerard Street a "sterile patch of stores and offices." The groups believe the neighborhood has strong potential for "smart growth" style redevelopment.

After weighing options, participants voted in favor of adding benches, plantings and bike lanes to the street, as well as for longer-term plans to in-fill new buildings with storefronts and reduce the parking foot-print in the neighborhood with a well-designed parking structure.

Vision Huntington's Eric Alexander said the participatory process was a healthy departure from planning-as-usual, which often sees government offer a near-finished plan that the public takes shots at from outside. Huntington Supervisor Frank Petrone told Newsday he felt the town would act on some of the charrette's output, and that a similar process would be used for pending redevelopment of the Huntington train station area.





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