This year’s Index focuses on the remaining piece of the puzzle, the planning and development review processes that should reflect community needs and facilitate appropriate development to meet these needs. These processes are necessary to provide clear rules and protect the public interest. Too often, however, they can thwart change even when there is an alignment of capacity, demand, vision and political will. Regulations and review practices typically lag change in market demand and public needs, not only on Long Island but in most jurisdictions. Long Island’s challenge is complicated by the number of jurisdictions and layers of review required.

These processes are little understood outside of a small circle of planning professionals and developers. Even among these interested players, the complexity of the processes can be mind-boggling, and few have a picture of how all of the different municipal systems operate as a whole. To benchmark how planning and review practices in Long Island’s towns, cities and villages align with the goal of developing more vibrant, mixed-use downtowns, the Index commissioned two surveys of municipal officials by national experts in planning and downtown redevelopment. The first, by Zucker Systems, focused on the permit review process and compared Long Island to national standards and best practices. The second, by the Weaver Research and Consulting Group, examined how Long Island planning practices compare to practices that are considered supportive of well-designed downtown and transit-oriented development (TOD).

These studies, along with case studies of successful downtown redevelopment strategies, past studies by the Index, and this year’s indicators and public opinion poll, are the basis for the findings and recommendations that follow.