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News
Dowling College Public Institute Asks: Open Space - Have We Bought Too Much, Or Not Enough?
"Do government open space acquisition programs artificially drive up the market price of land, thus making achieving affordable housing that much more difficult?" So asked Dowling College President Robert J. Gaffney in setting the stage for a debate at the Long Island Economic and Social Policy Institute at Dowling College's (LIESP) monthly Roundtable for Long Island's Future.
LIESP Director Martin Cantor echoed President Gaffney's query by asking the participants in the Roundtable whether Long Island has bought enough, or not enough open space. To provide insight into that question, Cantor introduced Cliff Sondock, President of the Land Use Institute and Kevin McDonald, Director of Public Lands for the Nature Conservancy.
Cliff Sondock explained, "Land is a scarce natural resource, necessary to create development or capital and it is capital that produces wealth and prosperity for the community." Sondock continued, "As Long Island unwittingly expends enormous taxpayer money for excessive amounts of 'open space' or land, the acquired properties are stripped of their ability to create capital, thus regional 'open space preservation' policies are contributing to the destruction of Long Island's future wealth and prosperity."
Advocated by Kevin McDonald was that, "the continued investment in land protection for drinking water, surface water, and resulting recreational value coupled with better stewardship and restoration of the islands harbors, bays and parkland is essential to this regions quality of life."
Cantor observed, "The choice can't be any clearer, as Long Island faces the final build out of its remaining open space what will become more important; investing in land to preserve capital for future economic activity, or investing in land to protect and preserve the waterways and parklands and the regions quality of life." Cantor concluded, "Long Islanders will be making an investment in either choice, and each has different economic benefit. Sondock wants the remaining open space available for the future economic activity, while McDonald urges preserving land to insure the region's quality of life, which is what just what Long Island competitors have to offer our companies to relocate to their community."
About Dowling College
Dowling College is an independent, coeducational college that serves more than 6,500 students at
its historic Rudolph Campus on the banks of the Connetquot River in Oakdale, NY, and the 105-acre
Brookhaven Campus in eastern Long Island and a business center located near the Nassau-Suffolk
border in Melville. Dowling offers Bachelor′s, Master′s, and Doctoral degrees in several
disciplines through its four schools: Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Education.
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