Nassau County Comprehensive Plan
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
NASSAU COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN NASSAU COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION DECEMBER 1998 NASSAU COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Final 1998 NASSAU COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION NASSAU COUNTY, NEW YORK The County Government Law of Nassau County (otherwise known as the Nassau County Charter) was revised in 1994 to include various provisions, including establishment of the County Legislature. One of the provisions of the County Charter in Article XVI, Section 1604, Planning Department, states that the Nassau County Planning Commission has primary responsibility for developing and adopting a County comprehensive master plan, and updating it at least every five years: “…the County Planning Commission shall, no later than January first, nineteen hundred ninety-nine, prepare and adopt a comprehensive master plan for the development of the entire area of the county, which shall include studies and recommendations regarding highways and transportation, economic development, parks, public water supply, air quality, solid waste disposal, historic preservation, wastewater treatment, open space preservation, environmental conservation, future land use and availability of housing. … Nothing herein shall be construed as limiting or diminishing the powers and authority of the several towns, cities and villages within the County to exercise, amend and enforce their own zoning and land use codes and local laws and to publish and adopt a comprehensive plan limited to such town, city or village.” Nassau County Comprehensive Plan Adopted by the Nassau County Planning Commission on December 15, 1998 NASSAU COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION Thomas S. Gulotta Paul F. Ponessa Nassau County Executive Director Nassau County Planning Commission (1998) Lloyd Smallwood, Jr. (May 1978 - August 1998) Ronald Kadin, Acting Chairman Joann R. Adams Gerard Bambrick Paul T. Butkereit Parveen C. Chopra Constance Fuschillo Henry Holley John Ritter, Jr. Albert D’Agostino, Legal Counsel Nassau County Planning Department ⎯ Project Staff Scott Howell Martin Katz Richard Tucci Consultant Team Frederick P. Clark Associates, Inc. Dvirka and Bartilucci Thomas Conoscenti & Associates, Inc. Peter Q. Eschweiler, AICP Fleming Ryan & Ryan, PR Walsh Consulting Services Wilbur Smith Associates ____________________________________________________________________________________ Nassau County Planning Commission 400 County Seat Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 (516) 571-5843 NASSAU COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TABLE OF CONTENTS Page EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................... ES-1 PROJECT OVERVIEW ................................................................................ P-1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 1 ASSUMPTIONS ............................................................................................. A-1 VISION PLAN I. Interagency Planning and Coordination....................................... I-1 II. Land Use........................................................................................ II-1 III. Environmental Resources.............................................................. III-1 IV. Transportation............................................................................... IV-1 V. Housing......................................................................................... V-1 VI. The Economy................................................................................ VI-1 VII. Culture and Recreation................................................................. VII-1 VIII. Community Facilities and Services.............................................. VIII-1 APPENDICES Appendix A ⎯ Historic Settlement Patterns Appendix B ⎯ Existing Land Use a List of Tables ad Table Number Table Name Page ASSUMPTIONS A-1 Population by Nassau County Towns and Cities A-1 A-2 Nassau County Population by Race by Town and City A-2 A-3 Nassau County Population by Race and Hispanic Origin A-2 A-4 Nassau County Population by Age Cohort A-3 TRANSPORTATION IV-1 Long Island Bus Routes Ranked by Ridership IV-4 IV-2 Peak Hour Capacity Deficiency Ranking of County IV-11 Corridor/Roadway CULTURE AND RECREATION VII-1 Nassau County Parks and Preserves VII-17 APPENDIX B B-1 Land Area by Land Use Category Appendix B-2 skdfja List of Figures Figure Number Figure Name Page INTRODUCTION 1 Regional Location 5 2 Municipalities 6 LAND USE 3 Comprehensive Plan Map II-7 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES 4 Sewered and Unsewered Areas III-23 TRANSPORTATION 5 In-Commutation IV-14 6 Out-Commutation IV-15 7-A and 7-B Regional Transportation Network IV-18 APPENDIX B 8 Existing Land Use Map Appendix B-12 Nassau County Comprehensive Plan Executive Summary and EXECUTIVE SUMMARY and The Nassau County Comprehensive Plan is a visionary policy document which focuses on the current and long-range protection, enhancement, growth and development of Nassau County. Overall, the Comprehensive Plan contains 22 Goals; 107 Policy Recommendations; and 332 Implementation Strategies relevant to the subject matters of: interagency planning and coordination, land use, environmental resources, transportation, housing, the economy, culture and recreation, and community facilities and services. The policy recommendations and implementation strategies identify important issues, studies and programs, and initiatives which can be undertaken by a variety of entities (County departments and agencies, municipalities, local committees and organizations, private sector and non-profit organizations, as well as State, Federal and regional agencies). This Executive Summary is intended to provide an overview of the highlights from each of the chapters in the Comprehensive Plan. However, the individual chapters contain more detailed description of the issues, goals, policy recommendations and implementation strategies. ASSUMPTIONS • Nassau County’s population is gradually increasing after a period of decline. The County reached its greatest population level in 1970 with approximately 1,428,000 residents. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the population steadily declined until it reached a total of approximately 1,287,000 residents in 1990. However, the most recent population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate that there were 1,303,231 County residents in 1995. • The County’s population is projected to gradually increase to 1,433,600 by the year 2020 ⎯ approximately a 10% increase over 25 years. ES-1 Nassau County Comprehensive Plan Executive Summary • Nassau County’s population is becoming more diverse as a result of a 49.6% increase in the non-white population between 1980 and 1994. Nassau County’s minority population is expected to continue its strong growth in future decades, particularly the Asian, Hispanic and African American populations. • The number of County residents age 65 and older grew by more than 126% during the period between 1960 and 1990, and an additional 8.2% between 1990 and 1997. The fastest growing age-cohort has been the residents 85 years of age and older. • Nassau County’s population of residents 15 years of age and younger declined between 1960 and 1990. However, recent information from Federal, State and County agencies indicates that the school enrollments and the youth population have been increasing since 1990. INTERAGENCY PLANNING AND COORDINATION The Interagency Planning and Coordination chapter provides emphasis on the opportunities to coordinate, plan and provide services to residents in the most efficient manner. • Some of the opportunities available for efforts between the County and individual municipalities, the County and groups of communities, and between municipalities, include: shared services; joint purchase of materials and supplies; agreements for use of equipment and facilities; technical assistance; shared costs for project planning and implementation; and shared information between communities. • The close proximity and accessibility of Nassau County to the New York Metropolitan Region provides an ideal situation to coordinate and participate in various projects, planning initiatives, studies, conferences and seminars which often have a direct or indirect impact on the County. • The County government can benefit from inter-departmental coordination, planning and implementation efforts. The overall Goal for this chapter is to facilitate and encourage intermunicipal, interagency, and regional efforts which result in the efficient provision of services, project implementation and better communication. ES-2 Nassau County Comprehensive Plan Executive Summary • Several of the policy recommendations and implementation strategies identify ways that the County and municipal boards can work together on planning initiatives, training programs, and educational workshops/seminars; and to establish a Nassau County- Municipal Planning Federation. • Other policy recommendations and implementation strategies focus on the County’s active participation in regional projects and committees; citizen involvement in projects; and use of the County’s capital improvement program to implement this County Comprehensive Plan. LAND USE The historical land use patterns of development and existing land uses in the County, including an Existing Land Use Map, are described in the Appendices of this document. This information provides an overview of how the County developed from the colonial days to the present. The historic and existing land use information and data also provide the foundation for the Comprehensive