{"id":2206,"date":"2014-01-21T12:35:40","date_gmt":"2014-01-21T17:35:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myparkingpermit.com\/blog\/?p=2206"},"modified":"2025-03-10T08:13:11","modified_gmt":"2025-03-10T12:13:11","slug":"long-islands-suburban-downtowns-to-get-massive-overhaul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myparkingpermit.com/blog\/long-islands-suburban-downtowns-to-get-massive-overhaul\/","title":{"rendered":"Long Island\u2019s suburban downtowns to get massive overhaul"},"content":{"rendered":"

With more than 4,000 acres (roughly 6.5 square miles) of surface parking<\/a> in and around downtowns throughout Long Island, the region has plenty of asphalt to transform into vibrant city centers. At least that\u2019s what local organization The Rauch Foundation<\/a> put forward last week when it introduced design concepts that resulted from its Build a Better Burb: ParkingPLUS Design Challenge<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Concerned with sustainability and systemic community change, the foundation focused its challenge on parking garages. When designed properly, garages can be both inspiring architectural attractions and engines for economic revitalization, as well as allies of alternative transit, the foundation said. Garages can make downtowns more pedestrian-friendly and public transportation more accessible.<\/p>\n

\"Rockville<\/a>

Many Long Island suburbs feature excellent train connections to New York City, but their surface parking wastes space. Several cities are enlisting design and architecture firms for suggestions. Rockville Centre LIRR station; image by xxchristinexx<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

The challenge for designers, then, was how they might integrate other uses \u2014 multifamily residences, biking infrastructure, even civic spaces \u2014 with a structure like a parking deck. Or perhaps the uses would fill currently vacant land that could be occupied by a garage in the future.<\/p>\n

Last fall the foundation selected four architectural firms to propose design innovations that would address these possibilities in Long Island and elsewhere. Each firm was paired with a local community that volunteered staff time and information. LTL Architects got Westbury; Utile, Inc. got Rockville Centre; DUB Studios received Patchogue; and Roger Sherman Architecture and Urban Design was paired with Ronkonkoma. Together, each pairing sought to clarify community needs and identify sites appropriate for redesign.<\/p>\n

The results of the collaborations were unveiled at Adelphi University, where urban planners, executives from the Long Island Rail Road, and local and county officials heard presentations from the design teams.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very invested in trying to have a conversation about what we could do about parking downtown and using these designs as a jumping-off point for those conversations,\u201d said Ann Golob, who supervises the Long Island Index<\/a>, a series of reports published by The Rauch Foundation.<\/p>\n

Roger Sherman Architecture and Urban Design presented a plan for Ronkonkoma that it dubbed \u201cParksandRides.\u201d Featuring a structure longer than the Empire State Building laid on its side, the plan integrated parking with various recreational spaces, such as soccer fields, a hockey rink, and a cricket stadium. It also proposed hotel and office uses.<\/p>\n

For Rockville Centre, design and architecture firm Utile, Inc. recommended linking three lots via the columned pedestrian passageway currently located under the area\u2019s elevated tracks. The lots would feature structures no higher than four stories with tall, arched, ground-floor spaces. When not used for parking, the spaces could be used for markets or festivals and would also incorporate housing, retail, and tennis courts.<\/p>\n

\"Rockville<\/a>

Utile, Inc.’s plans for Rockville Centre’s new parking garages. From Utile, Inc.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThinking equal parts pragmatism and invention,\u201d according to David Lewis of LTL Architects, the firm proposed for Westbury a multistory parking garage adjacent to the community\u2019s elevated tracks. Dramatic terraced housing would sit atop the structure, and above the tracks, a passageway would connect to the south, where more structures would offer office space and bicycle facilities. A more spacious passageway would also be made between the tracks\u2019 north and south sides.<\/p>\n

Patchogue officials told DUB Studios that all the community really wanted was more parking. The village\u2019s redevelopment has continued to attract more traffic, they said, but Michael Piper, project manager for the studio, replied that Patchogue already has the capacity it needs. \u201cWe said, look, you actually have a lot of parking that isn’t being used all the time,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

The firm proposed a parking deck that would feature passageways to existing lots.<\/p>\n

Related articles across the web<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With more than 4,000 acres (roughly 6.5 square miles) of surface parking in and around downtowns throughout Long Island, the region has plenty of asphalt to transform into vibrant city centers. 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