Stop the Over Development
by
Hector Gavilla
Drive to any town in Suffolk County and you will see construction of high-density buildings. This requires a change in zoning from single family homes to high-density mixed use construction. If we are not careful, Suffolk County will begin to look more like Queens and Brooklyn with increased population and increased traffic. Many Suffolk County residents left Queens to come here. It looks like Queens is coming to Suffolk County.
Below is a description of only three large construction developments. There are many more projects that most people are not aware of. Please e-mail me your thoughts at hector@gavilla.com. Forward this email to your friends.
The Heartland
The Heartland Town Square will have more than 9,000 small apartments in ten-story buildings at the former Pilgrim State property. The Brentwood School District is suing the Town of Islip and the developer because the developer will not be paying his fair share of taxes to support the anticipated students. This means that surrounding property owners will have to subsidize the increased student body. The school district believes they will not have enough resources to provide education to the 9,000 families. Parents of school-aged children in Brentwood should also be concerned.
Here is a link to a recent article about the Heartland:
https://therealdeal.com/issues_articles/the-wolf-in-wolkoff/
Supporters of these transit oriented developments argue that these apartment buildings will keep young people here in Long Island. That is not supported by facts. The number one employer of high paying jobs in Suffolk County is the government. The second highest employer are the hospitals. The high paying private sector jobs have moved to southern States like North Carolina and Florida. People of all ages prefer to live near their jobs.
Villadom
Sears, Toys R US, Radio Shack and other large retailers announced the closing of their retail stores from lack of sales. Suffolk County blames their financial problems on the decrease of sales tax revenue. They all point fingers to Amazon and the Internet for the closing of retail stores.
We have a developer seeking approval for construction of a large scale shopping center in Huntington. How do they propose to attract any stores to rent space? Just drive along Jericho Turnpike in Huntington and you will see empty storefronts with “For Rent” signs in their windows. Do we really need another big shopping center in the area? There are some residents concerned that the developer will pull a bait and switch. Once approved, they will seek to develop high-density apartment buildings. They were previously rejected for submitting plans to develop high rise apartment buildings in the same property.
There is a public hearing on May 15th at 7pm at Huntington Town Hall on this matter. If you want your voice heard it is important to speak in front your town council. There will also be a rally to oppose this project coming soon. We will provide information on that soon.
Click here for more information about the Villadom
http://www.elwoodorchardproject.com/
Wyandanch Housing Project
The Wyandanch Housing Project at the Wyandanch Train Station is an example of why transit oriented housing projects must stop. This was a one-sided business partnership between government where more than $600 Million of government tax payer funded money was spent to build it. The developer, by their own admission, invested less than $10 Million. When residents complain that streets have potholes and nothing is being maintained please understand that money is being wasted on projects that do not benefit the community. This housing project only has 177 apartments and a lot of empty retail space.
This project was doomed from the start. The County paid for the installation of a sewage pipe to connect the housing project to the Southwest Sewer District. The County waived more than $80,000 in sewer connection fees to the developer. Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vL5ZEVB9kRo
Suffolk County also recently paid the developer $1.75 Million of money that will not be returned to us. Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTMDK5OwzkA
The government also granted a 30 year and 40 year tax abatement on their first two buildings respectively. None of the surrounding residents or businesses can hookup to the sewers. Only the 177 residents and retailers in the housing project have a connection.
This is an example of government waste and a big lie to get votes for local politicians. The taxpayers are subsidizing the developer only to ensure that they offer lower rents to their tenants. These tenants and the taxpayers would have been better off if the government gave each one $400,000 to purchase a new home. this would have been a cheaper option for everyone involved.
More about the Wyandanch Housing Project:
http://www.wyandanchvillage.com/
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How Can You help?
It takes money to run a successful campaign. Our goal is to raise a total of $100,000 by next year. If each person donated only $10 we would achieve this goal. We want to use 2018 as an opportunity to raise the needed funding. In 2019, we plan to host more fundraisers and events.
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What are some of the issues?
• Red Light Cameras: Rear End Accidents increased despite promises that overall accidents would decrease. We must remove this hazard from the roads
• Urbanization of Suffolk County: Prevent Suffolk County from becoming Brooklyn II
• Shopping Bag Tax: We now must pay for plastic bags and paper bags. We are encouraged to re-use same bags for raw meat. There is a higher potential to spread bacteria. None of these bags are biodegradable or safe for the environment. I want to repeal this law.
• Mortgage and Tax Map ID Verification Fees: New Recording Fees now cost property owners between $500 and $5,000 when securing new mortgages or paying off existing mortgages. Most Homeowners wrongfully blame the title insurance agents who must collect these taxes on behalf of the County. The services did not change or improve to justify these new fees.
• Public Matching of Campaign Contributions: Starting with 2021 elections, every Suffolk Legislative Candidate can receive up to $50,000 of taxpayer funded money for their campaigns. Every County Executive Candidate will receive up to $75,000 in public funding. If elected in 2019, I want to repeal this new law. This is an abuse of the public trust.
What are Your Issues? E-mail me your thoughts at Hector@Gavilla.com.
Please forward this e-mail to at least five more Suffolk County residents who are like-minded. Please make a $10 contribution so we can make positive changes in Suffolk County.
Sincerely:
Hector Gavilla
Please visit our website HectorGavilla.com.
