The pandemic will create major shifts in how Long Island communities develop land and downtowns in the future. That’s according to two studies commissioned by the Long Island Regional Planning Council.
The first study looked at the economic impact the pandemic had on the village of Farmingdale. It found Farmingdale withstood COVID-19 because of mixed-use zoning of small business and restaurants.
The village was able to adjust to social distancing guidelines with increased parking, expanding food and retail to sidewalks, and having a walkable downtown.
The second study found that now is the time for downtowns to make necessary changes due to new vacancies that COVID-19 created.
The studies recommended that zoning on Long Island must adapt to the growing housing demand for the downtown workforce.