Long Island’s Sustainable East End Development Strategies Study (SEEDS) is wrapping up its initial planning phase this month.  SEEDS is a bottom-up regional planning effort un-matched on Long Island involving five eastern Long Island towns and nine villages. The study, headed up by the East End Supervisors and Mayor’s Associations, is attempting to foster public participation in land use and transportation planning in partnership with the East End Transportation Council, New York Metropolitan Transportation Council, the New York State Dept. of Transportation, and Long Island Rail Road.

SEEDS is a positive model of how citizen participation can guide transportation planning.  The approach is a stark contrast to typical transportation planning, exemplified by LITP2000, NY State Department of Transportation’s huge road-widening effort, which the agency has pursued despite public opposition (MTR #361).

The SEEDS study process began last August with a series of vision sessions, community stakeholder and regional planning meetings. Feedback gained from these sessions was culminated into a 30-page document, which will be used to model various solutions for transportation and land use problems in eastern Long Island.  The models will attempt to reflect the study’s goals of preserving open space, improving the major transportation corridors, and developing the region in a way that is sustainable in the future is in the best interests of all the residents of this region.

During the next phase of planning, to take place over the summer, planners and are residents will create strategies that combine transportation and land use planning. Then, next fall, SEEDS will host a series of streamlined planning workshops based on the models built over the summer.

The last planning workshop for the SEEDS study will be held on Thursday, May 23rd.  More information is available at www.seedsproject.com

SEEDS project website

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