[CPEO-BIF] Long Island's empty lots, New York

[Lenny Siegel <lennysiegel@gmail.com>]

Long Island's brownfields often lay empty

BY SARAH LANSDALE
Long Island Newsday (NY)
April 10, 2008


Ever wonder why some vacant lots - old dry cleaners or vacant gas 
stations - are quickly transformed into Starbucks, while others remain 
dormant for decades? In fact there are 6,800 such empty sites - called 
brownfields - across Long Island. Some are in good locations and 
relatively clean, and those are the first to be cleaned up and 
redeveloped. But most are difficult to redevelop, and frequently the 
cleanup costs exceed the value of the land.

What happens to the sites that aren't prized by private developers? They 
remain vacant for decades, eyesores contributing to a climate of decay 
and deterioration in Long Island's poorest neighborhoods.

This is not a problem that we Long Islanders can pretend doesn't exist. 
These brownfields have the potential to leach toxic chemicals into the 
surrounding neighborhood through the air, soil and drinking water, 
harming our children and neighbors. They drain the tax base and 
contribute to sprawl.

...

For the entire column, see
http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/ny-opthutop5644031apr10,0,1768401.story

-- 


Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org



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