Long Island will always be a region of predominantly single-family homes but should it be? For young people who want to live and work here, purchasing a home is usually beyond their means. For older residents whose children are grown and want to remain near family and friends but without the responsibilities for maintaining a home, few options are available. In fact, only 17% of Long Island's housing stock is rentals--about half of what exists in our neighboring suburban regions. Maybe we should be rethinking this. Employers cite the difficulty in finding affordable housing for their employees and often choose to take their work elsewhere as a result. Long Islanders are overwhelmingly concerned about young people leaving because of high housing costs and few affordable options. Our suburban neighbors don't have these concerns to the degree that we do. They have options at different price points and different styles. We don't. We can change that. Our downtowns are a terrific place to start.

The neighborhood shown is the Greenwood Avenue Cottages, Shoreline, WA, designed by Ross Chapin Architects, developed by The Cottage Company