A N N U A L R E P O R T O F T H E S U F F O L K C O U N T Y P L A N N I N G C O M M I S S I O N February 2009 PLANNING COMMISSION THE SUNRISE HIGHWAY CORRIDOR STUDY COUNTY DEMOGRAPHIC,E, ECONOMIC AND DEVELOPMENT TRENDS SHELLFISH AQUACULTURE LEASE PROGRAM Farmland Preservation FALL MUNICIPAL TRAINING PROGRAM SUFFOLK COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING Suffolk County New York ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SUFFOLK COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION SUFFOLK COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION ANNUAL REPORT TO THE COUNTY LEGISLATURE AND THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE February 2009 Suffolk County Department of Planning H. Lee Dennison Building - 4th Floor 100 Veterans Memorial Highway P.O. Box 6100 Hauppauge, New York 11788-0099 SUFFOLK COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING - 1 - ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SUFFOLK COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION Steve Levy County Executive SUFFOLK COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION David L. Calone ~ CHAIR Babylon Constantine Kontokosta, P.E., AICP, LEED AP ~ VICE CHAIR Village Under 5,000 Population Adrienne Esposito ~ SECRETARY Village Over 5,000 Population Michael Kelly Joseph Potter Brookhaven East Hampton John W. Caracciolo Vacant Huntington Islip Vincent Taldone Linda Holmes Riverhead Shelter Island Robert A. Braun, Esq. Barbara B. Roberts Smithtown Southampton Tom McAdam Charla E. Bolton, AICP Southold At Large Joshua Y. Horton Sarah Lansdale, AICP At Large At Large DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING Participating Staff Thomas A. Isles, AICP Daniel J. Gulizio Director of Planning Deputy Director of Planning Andrew Freleng Peter K. Lambert Chief Planner Principal Planner Carl Lind Kate Oheim Chief Cartographer Assistant Cartographer Thomas Frisenda Computer Graphics Mapping Specialist - 2 - SUFFOLK COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SUFFOLK COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION Edward J. Pruitt – In Memoriam Edward J. Pruitt served with dedication and distinction on the Suffolk County Planning Commission from December 2005 to August 2008. As Vice Chairman of the Commission in 2008, he helped lead the effort to improve government efficiency while re-focusing the Commission on matters of county-wide significance. As a member of the Commission, Ed played a critical role in the Commission’s deliberations by asking tough questions, providing wise counsel and ensuring that the Commission’s judgments were consistent. The members of the Suffolk County Planning Commission are saddened by the passing of our friend and colleague, Edward J. Pruitt. The Suffolk County Planning Commission acknowledges and thanks Edward J. Pruitt for his contributions to the people of Suffolk County. SUFFOLK COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING - 3 - ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SUFFOLK COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION - 4 - SUFFOLK COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SUFFOLK COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION Table of Contents Preface 7 I. Planning Commission Overview 9 II. 2008 Goals and Accomplishments 9 III. Planning Commission Referral Statistics 10 IV. Suffolk County Demographic Data 11 V. Planning Commission Polices and Guidelines 23 SUFFOLK COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING - 5 - ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SUFFOLK COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION - 6 - SUFFOLK COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SUFFOLK COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION PREFACE The Suffolk County Planning Commission is required to make an annual report to the County Executive and the County Legislature which must contain a report on the activities of the Commission and “a survey of conditions in the county.” (Administrative Code, Sec. A14-6) The Commission is pleased to report that 2008 was a productive year in which the Commission re-focused its efforts on providing regional leadership with regard to newly identified county-wide land use priorities. However, the year was tinged with sadness as a result of the untimely death of our Vice Chairman Ed Pruitt who, with Chairman David Calone and Secretary Adrienne Esposito, was first elected as an officer of the Commission in early 2008. As discussed in Section II of this Annual Report, one of the major accomplishments of the Commission in 2008 was the adoption for the first time in 10 years of a new set of development standards in the Commission Guidebook. The purpose of these standards is to convey land use values and ensure consistency in Commission decisions. The Guidebook identified several key areas where local land use decisions implicate critical county-wide priorities such as energy efficiency, affordable housing and public safety. The Guidebook’s new general policy statements, created in consultation with experts and local stakeholders, are included in Section V of this Annual Report. Another major accomplishment was the proposal of an intermunicipal agreement which would reduce the required number of referrals by towns and villages to the Commission by approximately 75%. The purpose of this change is to reduce administrative effort by local municipalities, to streamline the application process for developers and – in combination with the newly adopted “regional significance” standard for determining which referrals the Commission will hear – to allow the Commission and the County Planning Department to focus their efforts on reviewing the most significant proposed developments and on regional planning efforts. Consistent with this regional focus, in 2009 the Commission intends to launch a Suffolk County Comprehensive Plan initiative and to work with Suffolk’s 42 municipalities to address key county-wide land use concerns. Suffolk has not had a full master plan update in three decades and the Commission looks forward to working with government leaders and stakeholders to sketch a vision for Suffolk’s future. The Commission also intends to produce a “how-to guide” to advise municipalities on creating master plans. The Commission is also in the process of launching four new municipal taskforces which will promulgate best practices and model codes in four critical land use areas with regional impact: energy and environment, housing, public safety and smart growth and accessibility. The purpose of these task forces will be to provide policy tools so that towns and villages can more easily pursue strategies to address these county-wide needs. The Commission anticipates using its 2009 Annual Report to measure the progress being made across Suffolk with respect to these critical county-wide land-use priorities. As Section III indicates, the Commission received 2,167 referrals in 2008 which was a decrease of 11% compared to the 2,437 referrals that the Commission received in 2007. Most telling, however, is the fact that subdivision referrals dropped by 50% percent from 141 in 2007 to 74 in 2008. Section IV of this Annual Report reports on the “conditions” in Suffolk County. As indicated, Suffolk remains one of the best places to live in the United States, but citizens endure a very high cost of living to be here. Among the chilling statistics in Section IV is the finding that the 1,668 new units authorized by building permits in Suffolk in 2008 was the lowest number since records started being kept in 1950 and the finding that Suffolk’s unemployment jumped by more than 50% in 2008 to 7.3%. The negative news is tempered by the conclusion that Suffolk’s young adult “brain drain” may be reversing as a result of the “baby boom echo” generation starting to come of age. For instance, between 2000 and 2007, Suffolk witnessed a 23% increase in the number of people 20 to 24 years old. The Commission would particularly like to thank the County Planning Department staff for all of their hard work throughout the year. The Commission would not have been able to accomplish its goals or perform its duties without their invaluable assistance. The Commission would also like to recognize its previous officers – Chairman John Caracciolo, Vice Chairwoman Linda Holmes, and Secretary Charla Bolton – for their several years of service as Commission officers which concluded in early 2008. As the governmental entity that touches development throughout Suffolk, the Commission looks forward to providing a vision for the county’s future through a Suffolk County Comprehensive Plan, to developing best practices and model codes to help municipalities pursue policies to address critical county-wide land-use needs, and to annually measuring the progress made across Suffolk in addressing those priorities. David L. Calone Chairman Suffolk County Planning Commission SUFFOLK COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING - 7 - ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SUFFOLK COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION - 8 - SUFFOLK COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SUFFOLK COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION to maximize both Commission and Planning I. PLANNING COMMISSION OVERVIEW Department staff time • improving outreach and communication with the public The core role of th e Suffolk County Planning and interested stakeholders Co mmi ssion under state and county law is to identify and • filling the remaining vacancies on the Commission promote cou nty-wide land use values and planning priorities. The Co mmission principally is required to The Suffolk County Planning Commission Guidebook promulgate these values and prioriti es through the adoption of a Suffolk Co unty Comprehensive Plan. The In order to better advise municipalities and developers of the Co mmi ssion also is charged with is suing an annual report Planning Commission’s policies and procedures, for the first to the County Legislature and the Co unty Execu tive on time in a decade, the Planning Commission completed a the status of the County with respect to these values and comprehensive revision of the substantive guidelines which it priorities. Finally, the Co mmissio n h as the au thorit y to applies to individual development projects and zone changes. make for mal recommend ations to local municipalities The revised guidelines identified affordable housing, energy about land u se and planning policies and to reject or efficiency and public safety as county-wide land use priorities condition individual site plan applications, subdivision and established new county-wide standards in those areas. The applic ations and local comprehensive plans within its Commission’s new general policy statements are included as j u risd iction.