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Future of Rt 25A corridor at stake
Deciding 'what we can and can't do'
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A Route 25A corridor study is under way to develop a regional land use plan that integrates transportation, housing, recreation and zoning recommendations.
The study, which will include the communities of Mount Sinai, Miller Place, Rocky Point, Shoreham and Wading River, is scheduled to cover the 10-mile stretch of Route 25A from Crystal Brook Hollow Road in Mount Sinai to the Riverhead Town border in Wading River. To help convey the needs of each community, a steering committee consisting of members from civic groups, school boards, fire districts, chambers of commerce and other business organizations will meet and share ideas throughout the process.
Brookhaven Councilwoman Jane Bonner (C-Rocky Point), who kicked off the community participation portion of the study last month, said funding for the project, expected to be under $400,000, is available in the form of unspent consulting funds in the town budget. Bonner said the study, which will include Business Route 25A in Rocky Point, will be completed in 12 to 18 months by a consulting firm approved by the steering committee.
"This is the first comprehensive study of its kind being done along the corridor," the councilwoman said. "The goals of the study and the end result are really going to be to see where we are, map out where we need to be, look to the future and plan for the future, and correct a lot of mistakes that were made along the way."
As stated in a town press release, the Route 25A corridor study is aimed at "providing community identity and pedestrian accommodations, and integrating community-based design and development recommendations to reverse the appearance of commercial sprawl." Bonner pointed out that there is "one strip mall after another" along the corridor and said, "There's no constituent that ever says, 'We have too little development in the council district.'"
The study will also examine pending projects to determine development pressure, perform a vacant land analysis to determine remaining development potential in the area and assess the effects of big box store development on local businesses, according to Bonner. "It's important to address big box before it comes as opposed to always trying to beat it back," she said, noting that town officials will work with the steering committee to determine "what we can and can't do" in terms of developing vacant land such as the former Rocky Point Driving Range and another large parcel in Mount Sinai.
Bonner, a longtime Rocky Point resident and former civic leader, said the corridor study will also explore ways to alleviate seasonal agri-tourism traffic. "I'm just as frustrated sitting in traffic as my neighbor is," she said, noting that she's learned after living in Rocky Point for 21 years that "you don't head east after June" because agri-tourism traffic on Eastern Long Island is most severe during the summer and fall months.
To ensure that each of the five communities involved in the study is adequately represented, Bonner said the study "provides for a tremendous amount of community input" by allowing members of the steering committee to address the "unique attributes" of each area. "The goal is to make sure that this study recognizes and pays attention to what each hamlet has to offer," the councilwoman said. "Residents should have the biggest say on how their neighborhood and community is to be developed. They live and shop and very often work in the community in which they live. Who better than that to offer input?"
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