LIBI Member (and NC Legislative Candidate) quoted in Valley Stream Herald Article on LI's Lack of Affordable Housing

The Valley Stream Herald published this story this week on the Island's affordable housing situation.

Valley Stream resident Nina Petraro Bastardi, 26, says there is a glaring problem on Long Island: a lack of housing for young adults.

She is disturbed that many of her friends either can't afford to move out of their parents' homes or are leaving the Island altogether.

Petraro Bastardi, an attorney with Farrell Fritz and a deputy prosecutor for the village, is a member of Action Long Island, a volunteer nonprofit organization that advocates for a better quality of life for Nassau and Suffolk County residents. One of its big issues is housing for young adults.

Through a young-adult database, Action Long Island keeps people informed of potential housing developments that would be beneficial for those in their 20s. Petraro Bastardi said the purpose is to encourage them to attend public hearings for these projects and show their support. "A lot of good projects get voted down," she said, adding that it is often a vocal minority that gets developments defeated.
Petraro Bastardi said it is time for young adults to take a stand. "We're trying to make our generation a voice for the issue," she said. "Things won't really change until we're the spokespeople."

Because it is difficult for people in their 20s to buy homes, that age group looks to apartments, she said. But there are simply not enough affordable rentals on Long Island, Petraro Bastardi explained - though it doesn't have to be that way.

As a downtown revitalization project begins in Valley Stream, she expressed hope that this could lead to the creation of more next-generation housing. The village has hired a planning firm, but a recommendation of how to proceed is still several months away.

"A good idea would be to have housing on Rockaway Avenue," she said. "You could have condos or apartments over those stores."

Petraro Bastardi sits on the village's business improvement committee, which will be part of the decision-making process.

Mayor Ed Cahill said there are a few apartments above stores on Rockaway Avenue, and that adding more housing downtown is a possibility, but he first wants to see what recommendations the planning firm has. Cahill stressed that the purpose of the revitalization project is to bring more shoppers downtown, not to create affordable housing. However, he acknowledged, the two concepts could end up working hand in hand. "We're open to anything that will increase business," he said.

For example, a new 90-unit condo development will open up on North Cottage Street this fall, Cahill said. The location is just two blocks from Rockaway Avenue, and he expects the development to be a boon to downtown businesses.

David Sabatino, a 23-year-old from Valley Stream, said he and his girlfriend have been looking for a place to live but have been unsuccessful. According to Sabatino, their search for an apartment to rent has spanned more than a year. "It's very difficult for my girlfriend and I to find an affordable place to live," he said. "I would like it if there was a better housing option."

Sabatino, an NYU graduate student studying urban planning, said he has found a few places that interested him, but no one has been willing to budge on the price. He said he likes County Executive Tom Suozzi's push for "cool downtowns," which would create urban centers featuring a mix of stores, offices, restaurants and housing in close proximity to public transportation. Suozzi targeted Valley Stream as a potential location for such a downtown."

"I have a lot of faith in the village and Nassau County," Sabatino said of the housing issue, though he added that he hopes the problem is solved before he is forced to move off Long Island, like many of his friends have. "It's very tough," he said. "It's hard to stay, but I'd really like to."

Petraro Bastardi, too, wants to stay, and hopes to help make that possible for herself and others: She plans to run for the county Legislature in the fall.
She said that she and her husband, Chris, have had their share of struggles on the housing front. While they have owned a home in Valley Stream for two years, she said it took them about two years to find something affordable. There is little money left over for anything beyond the necessities after they make their monthly payments on the house, she explained.

Like Sabatino, Petraro Bastardi said she likes the idea of revitalizing Nassau County's downtowns and including housing for young adults. As far as she's concerned, it makes no sense for communities to spend millions of dollars educating people, only to have them go elsewhere. "It's obviously not good for any businesses," she said, "when you have skilled people leaving the region."

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