A panel of development industry experts and elected officials will tackle Long Island’s housing crisis at an upcoming event.
Hosted by the Real Estate Institute at Stony Brook University, the discussion, set for Thursday, March 13 at the Heritage Club at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, is aimed at providing “an insightful exploration of the evolving landscape of the housing environment and a discussion on defining challenges in a housing crisis,” according to an REI advisory.
The event, titled “Long Island Housing Development: Challenges and Opportunities” and held in conjunction with REI’s Spring Luncheon, will focus on the area’s need for additional housing and the obstacles faced when it comes to the disjointed entitlement process in Nassau and Suffolk counties where there are 79 independent land jurisdictions and 127 separate school districts.
The discussion will also include information about New York State’s recently offered financial incentives, tax benefits and funding to help diversify and expand Long Island’s housing supply.
Moderated by Kevin Law, partner at Tritec Real Estate, the REI panel includes Cara Longworth, vice president and regional director at Empire State Development; Anthony Bartone, managing partner at Terwilliger & Bartone Properties; Farmingdale Mayor Ralph Ekstrand; Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico; and David Pennetta, executive managing director at Cushman & Wakefield Long Island.
“Increasing the supply of all types of housing remains challenging because of uncertainty in the capital markets, rising construction and insurance costs, high interest rates and a difficult entitlement process,” Law told LIBN. “Thus, this will be a timely program where we will hear from developers in the trenches, municipal leaders who oversee the approval process, and state officials who can educate the real estate community on financial assistance available to help lower the costs of new projects.”
Sponsors of REI’s Spring Luncheon and panel discussion include Ridgewood Savings Bank, Flushing Bank, Bethpage Federal Credit Union, Commerical and Industrial Brokers Society of Long Island, Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman LLP, Citrin Cooperman, Cord Meyer Development Company, Farrell Fritz Attorneys, Cullen & Dykman LLP, Burman RE, Polsinelli, The Gitto Group, Connect One Bank, Merritt Environmental Consulting Corp, Combined Resources, Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty, Tritec, VHB, Cronin & Cronin LLP, Greenberg Traurig, and many more.