In this month’s newsletter, and in upcoming issues, we will explain the specific goals that have been developed for each village center. We will start with the Lake Ronkonkoma Village Center, which is the historic downtown center along Portion Road, and is located in the area around the intersection of Hawkins Avenue.
Lake Ronkonkoma Village Center Visioning Goals
Land
Use
Establish future land use and zoning trends that
provide for appropriate commercial and residential
development in a traditional neighborhood pattern
in order to reduce commercial sprawl.
•
Develop a village center that is manageable and
compact and constantly active, to foster a greater
sense of community.
• Develop defined transitional business and
residential districts outside of, and between, this
village center and adjacent village centers.
• Construct a variety of housing types and styles,
within walking distance (one-quarter mile) of the
village center, that provide dwellings for people
across their lifespan within the same community.
• Provide strong economic activity and incentives
to create jobs and an adequate tax base.
• Encourage redevelopment of previously developed
properties and buildings, as opposed to utilizing
virgin land.
• Encourage land use in the village center in the
following categories:
o Civic (public) spaces
o Civic (public) buildings
o Limited-access open space
o Residences, apartment houses (up to 8 units),
inns (up to 12 rooms), and live/work units
o Small office/professional uses (up to 1,000
square feet)
o Small retail/restaurant uses (up to 1,200 square
feet)
o Small assembly uses (up to 150 people)
• Encourage land use in the transitional district
outside the village center in the following
categories:
o Limited-access open space
o Apartment buildings (over 8 units), lodging
o Large office/professional uses (over 1,000 square
feet)
o Large restaurant uses (over 1,200 square feet)
o Large assembly uses (over 150 people)
o Automotive: gas stations, service stations
Pathways
Establish roadway improvements to adequately serve
the adjoining land uses. Provide alternate means of
access and travel, and enhance all forms of
transportation including vehicles, pedestrians, and
bicycles.
•
Introduce traffic calming measures to ensure safe
traffic flow for both local and through vehicular
traffic.
• Ensure that improved roadways are functional for
all users, including pedestrians, and aesthetically
pleasing, in both the village center and
transitional districts.
• Promote pedestrian activity within the village
center.
• Promote vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle
safety.
• Provide businesses with appropriate parking that
will reduce vehicle usage and encourage pedestrian
movement between businesses.
• Reduce the number of curb cuts on main
thoroughfares by encouraging shared parking, cross
access between business properties, and creating
parallel roads.
• Create multiple pedestrian connections between
the lake front area and the village center.
Placemaking
Provide for well-placed and centrally located
public and civic spaces and parks, including the
preservation of open space and sensitive lands.
•
Establish a transfer development rights or credit
program to offer increased density within the
village center in exchange for preserving green
spaces and reducing density within transitional
districts.
• Protect, preserve, and remediate freshwater
wetlands.
• Create pedestrian-friendly public parks and civic
spaces with attractive landscaping and furniture
within the village center.
• Develop attractive locations for community
events, year-round, in the village center and near
the lake that will increase civic identity and
encourage participation.
• Create new and protect existing green spaces,
with limited access, in transitional districts.
• Preserve and promote historic structures.
Streetscape
Create attractive and appealing streetscapes to
create civic identity and promote pedestrian and
business activity.
•
Establish architectural guidelines to create a
sense of place and identity with in the village
center. The goal of guidelines is to promote unity
and compatibility among buildings, including
facades, signage, canopies, awnings, lighting, etc.
• Improve the overall streetscape by providing
additional landscaping treatments along roadways,
installing street furniture for pedestrians, and
screening unappealing areas with landscaping.
• Establish guidelines for landscaping and street
furniture in the village center.
• Establish architectural guidelines to create an
appealing and appropriate transition between
village centers.
• Establish guidelines for landscaping and street
furniture between village centers.