Rather than leave planning to the state and county transportation officials, Brookhaven civic leaders and some town elected officials are proactively creating designs for pedestrian-friendly centers in Coram-Middle Island (MTR #365), and Mastic-Shirley.  Town leaders ought to add NY Route 347, the biggest highway widening planned for Long Island, and Suffolk Route 16, where community members oppose another widening plan, to the list

Newsday praised the citizen/politician planning efforts in Brookhaven last week.  “Something good is happening with land-use policy in the Town of Brookhaven, and politicians are playing a positive role. That’s great news, but a small caveat is in order: The town has a long way to go in implementing the smart-growth principles that it is exploring,” the paper wrote in an editorial. 

“But for now, Brookhaven’s leaders deserve credit for making a start toward reversing years of scandal, shortsightedness, sprawl and ugliness, and for trying to plan instead for livable, walkable communities.” 

If Brookhaven leaders are serious about creating less car-centered, sprawling development, Route 347 and Suffolk 16 need to be at the tops of their radar screens.  The town had considered the Suffolk route, but backed off when told by county government that the highway expansion was a “done deal.” But unwavering opposition to the county’s plan makes that unlikely.

Civic and elected leaders have also opposed the NY 347 widening plan since it was first proposed in the mid-1990s. DOT’s plan fails to consider alternatives to adding more capacity to the highway, and does nothing to address design problems with the commercial strip that contribute to congestion.  Brookhaven Supervisor John LaValle raised the idea of a collaborative planning process with DOT last year, but has not followed up.

Community Planning at Work
(May 13, 2002)

Brookhaven Groups Not Waiting for DOT ( May 28, 2001) 

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