Long Island Zoning Atlas gets funding boost
Upgrades are coming to the Long Island Zoning Atlas, an online tool that shows various details about land use and zoning rules across the region. Credit: CUNY/Center for Urban Research
Long Island residents, real estate developers and government officials will soon have access to more information about zoning rules in their area.
The Long Island Regional Planning Council voted Wednesday to allocate $40,000 for improvements to the Long Island Zoning Atlas.
The interactive map displays zoning data across the region’s more than 100 towns, villages and cities, and allows users to see where different types of housing and businesses are permitted. Since its debut, the atlas has added data on FEMA flood hazard areas that can inform discussions on the risks of development.
As part of its contract, the coalition of nonprofits and the CUNY Graduate Center managing the atlas will add more details about Long Island’s more than 100 overlay districts — areas that have special zoning rules — and a print feature that would allow users to present the map offline in reports or government testimony.
The upgrades will also include demographic data from the U.S. Census and updated geographic boundaries for fire, water, police, school and ambulance service districts.
Creating new housing and opportunities for economic development are two of Long Island’s greatest challenges, and the zoning atlas can help identify where new building could occur, said John Cameron, chairman of the council, which is the region’s chief planning organization.
“It enables a lot more civil dialogue as to where the proper development opportunities actually lie,” Cameron said in an interview after the meeting.
The atlas debuted in December 2023 as a collaboration between Community Development Long Island, the Rauch Foundation, New York Community Trust Long Island and CUNY Graduate Center.
An analysis released at the time showed that single-family housing can be built on 89% of Long Island land area, excluding environmentally protected zones, while housing for three or more families is allowed on just 3.6% of that area.
Members of the council suggested the zoning atlas could incorporate Suffolk County data on sewage treatment capacity — a limiting factor to new development — as a way to spotlight areas that could support new housing.
Finding excess sewage treatment capacity could help make smaller-scale housing development more feasible by reducing the cost, Gwen O’Shea, CEO of Community Development Long Island, said during the council meeting Wednesday.
Long Island residents, real estate developers and government officials will soon have access to more information about zoning rules in their area.
The Long Island Regional Planning Council voted Wednesday to allocate $40,000 for improvements to the Long Island Zoning Atlas.
The interactive map displays zoning data across the region’s more than 100 towns, villages and cities, and allows users to see where different types of housing and businesses are permitted. Since its debut, the atlas has added data on FEMA flood hazard areas that can inform discussions on the risks of development.
As part of its contract, the coalition of nonprofits and the CUNY Graduate Center managing the atlas will add more details about Long Island’s more than 100 overlay districts — areas that have special zoning rules — and a print feature that would allow users to present the map offline in reports or government testimony.
The upgrades will also include demographic data from the U.S. Census and updated geographic boundaries for fire, water, police, school and ambulance service districts.
Creating new housing and opportunities for economic development are two of Long Island’s greatest challenges, and the zoning atlas can help identify where new building could occur, said John Cameron, chairman of the council, which is the region’s chief planning organization.
“It enables a lot more civil dialogue as to where the proper development opportunities actually lie,” Cameron said in an interview after the meeting.
The atlas debuted in December 2023 as a collaboration between Community Development Long Island, the Rauch Foundation, New York Community Trust Long Island and CUNY Graduate Center.
An analysis released at the time showed that single-family housing can be built on 89% of Long Island land area, excluding environmentally protected zones, while housing for three or more families is allowed on just 3.6% of that area.
Members of the council suggested the zoning atlas could incorporate Suffolk County data on sewage treatment capacity — a limiting factor to new development — as a way to spotlight areas that could support new housing.
Finding excess sewage treatment capacity could help make smaller-scale housing development more feasible by reducing the cost, Gwen O’Shea, CEO of Community Development Long Island, said during the council meeting Wednesday.
Jonathan LaMantia covers residential real estate and other business news on Long Island. He previously covered the business of health care for Crain's New York Business.
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