Chapter I: Introduction
Carrying out the Hamlet Study
This study began in March 1995, with a letter from Councilman
Felix Grucci to Tom Ludlam, President of the Brookhaven Village
Association, inviting the BVA to participate in the program of
hamlet studies being carried out under the direction of Dr. Lee
Koppleman, the Towns planning consultant. We determined early
on that the study should include not just the Brookhaven hamlet, but
also the adjacent hamlet of South Haven, as the two hamlets share
similar community concerns and historical background, and together
form a naturally contiguous ecological unit. Thus, the boundaries of
the study area have been defined to extend from the Bellport Village
line on the west to the Carmans River on the east, and from the
Great South Bay on the south to the Sunrise Highway on the north.
At a meeting in May with the BVA Board and other representatives
of the study area, Dr. Koppelman made clear the primary objectives
of the Hamlet Studies. They provide an opportunity, and a challenge
for residents to focus on what it is that makes their communities
unique: to define each communitys vision of itself 5, 10,
50
years into the future, and to determine the highest priority
elements for each community in a long-term plan a plan that will
guide the Town in decisions on zoning, residential and commercial
development, public services, infrastructure of streets and
highways, etc.
In the months since then, the BVA, South Haven Civic Association,
Post Morrow Foundation and other interested members of the community
have been meeting regularly to study the areas demographics,
history and economics, while reviewing zoning and land use, and
soliciting community input on a wide variety of issues concerning
our study area. In June, we mailed questionnaires to all households
in the 11719 zip code area (which coincides nearly exactly with our
study area), soliciting responses from the entire community on the
core issues of this study. We received 120 replies (a 10%
response) to our 23 questions, with more than 80 people adding
written comments. The questionnaire, with a tabulation of the
responses and a sampling of the written comments, is given in
Appendixes A and B to this report,
In mid-June, after the questionnaire had been distributed, the
annual General Meeting of the Brookhaven Village Association served
as a forum for further public discussion, with about 70 people
attending. In general, we have found widespread support within the
community for the effort that has gone into this study, and we
believe that there is a strong consensus of agreement with the tenor
of this report, the selection of issues to be addressed, and the
priorities reflected in our recommendations.
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