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Coram
Coram Town Center Close-Up
The goal of this design is to transform a community center which is currently distinguished by commercial strips, a horrendously unsafe roadway system, and big box stores, surrounded by seas of asphalt into a friendly, interactive community center.
In our proposed design safe, tree-lined streetscapes encourage a needed sense of community for the Coram area. Congestion is reduced by a new gridded network of alternative routes, with new roads north and south of Route 25 (shown below) and traffic-efficient, safe roundabouts.
Our design includes civic buildings (shown in blue) which invite the community into their center. Placement of buildings shown is intended for informational puposes. The actual design for the Coram Town Center is still under development.
The Coram Town Center is not confined to the illustrations in the above diagram. The south-western "white space" in the diagram (and the area beyond to Pauls Path) includes undeveloped acreage under consideration for mixed-use zoning that would extend the size and scope of the Coram Center. There are also additional proposed roadways, intended to establish a network of roadways around the town center, as shown in the next diagram.
Additional Roadways
In addition to roundabouts, the roadway network surrounding Coram Center assists in traffic flow and in defining the village itself. In the above diagram, existing roads are shown in yellow and orange. New roads are shown in gray.
Drivers traveling north and south to other destinations use Route 83 to bypass Coram. Vehicles traveling east and west can use new roads to the north and south of the village to either travel into Coram or to bypass it. Additional roads in the village itself add to the road grid and help distribute traffic currently concentrated on Route 25 and Route 112 within Coram.
(NOTE: Recognizing the current layout of Coram in the above diagrams can be difficult. To assist you, some existing structures are labeled.)
Middle Island
Creating A Town Center In Middle Island
 Congestion is reduced by providing for a gridded network of alternative routes. Walking is encouraged by creating a village design with outdoor "rooms" whose "walls" are commercial development topped by residential or office use. Parking is available along the village streets or behind stores.
The community is invited into the center by including parks in the design, as well as new buildings for civic uses. The design is intended to foster a heightened sense of community identity and interaction for area homeowners and residents. Our proposed design will transform Middle Island from a community marked by commericial strips, and big box stores to an economically viable, interactive community center.
The above town center diagram illustrates the locations of the areas and properties included in our proposed town center development.
A more detail description of the Middle Island Town Center has been prepared by our consultants ADL III Architecture.
Click Here to see Updated Version of Center
Artist Lake
A Sub-Center With A View
The Vision for this sub-center takes advantage of the vista of a glacial fed lake by planning
for restaurants, commercial areas, and open space with views of the lake. This sub-center also incorporates a gridded network of streetscapes and a diversity of housing opportunities.
The Renaissance Project is also working with the Town to develop Artist Lake Park and its facilities. Long-range plans hope to move the portion of Middle Country Rd. adjacent to the Lake northward to create a buffered space between Route 25 and the Lake. This would further reduce the impact of Route 25 on the Lake as well as provide additional park space for everyone to enjoy.
As is the case with town centers, the above diagram provides a general illustration of the intent of future development in areas adjacent to Artist Lake. The actual placement, shape and dimensions of individual structures are yet to be determined.
Between Town Centers
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Safe Roadway - Neighborhood Development
In order to accomplish our goals of decreasing congestion, and enhancing safety on Middle Country Road, and preserving important parcels of open space future intense development is funneled into our Town Centers. (See above.) Between our town centers the overall density of stores & homes decreases the further areas are located from the town centers. Between centers any future development should consist of compact, pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods, each centered around a small green or park, with many types of homes. These neighborhood centers would border a landscaped, median-divided, two-lane Middle Country Road with continuous tree-lined sidewalks, & bicycle lanes.
The locations of neighborhood centers and open spaces along Middle Country Road are being developed. The efforts of Middle Country Road Renaissance Project are focused on creating specific plans with the input of area residents and community groups.
The concept of decreased development density between town centers goes hand-in-hand with a roadway that does not require widening. As Middle Country Road is a State roadway, turning the roadway Vision into a reality requires cooperation by the NYS Deptartment of Tranportation, an agency whose track-record includes only a very limited response to community input. The Renaissance Project is actively working to change that. You can read more about it, HERE.
And you can learn more about modern roadway design by reading about "Traffic Calming Basics". Look to the sidebar on this page for other articles on roadway design solutions.
Guidelines: Between Town Centers
The MCRRP is not looking for increases in density between the centers.
Therefore, any increase in density within the corridor, but outside of centers, should be tied to the purchase of land, or the purchase of development rights from land identified as worthy of acquisition.
We, further, do not wish to impair the ability of centers to attract commercial uses, thus, commercial uses other than small neighborhood retail stores should be located within centers not outside of them.
Site plans should strive to create compact, pedestrian oriented neighborhoods which contain a mix of housing options.
Any development between the centers should enhance our goals of creating interactive community centers, and reducing congestion on Middle Country Road.
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More Information
If you have questions, or want more information, please feel free to write us at info@middlecountryrdproject.org. All residents and businesses in Coram and Middle Island have an open invitation to join the Middle Country Road Project, and to attend our monthly meetings:
Vision Overview
In May of 2002, an intensive planning process called a Charette was sponsored by the Longwood Alliance with the help of the Town of Brookhaven and Vision Long Island. Focus groups, and discussion groups were used to generate a shared vision for the future. Nationally-renowned planners and traffic engineers brought the results together to develop general plans for land use and the development of roadways in Coram and Middle Island, along Middle Country Road, from County Road 83 eastward past County Road 21.
A true grass roots effort, the visions serve as a map to create an overlay of zoning codes for this area. A new zoning code for downtown development (J-6) is in its final stage of development.
The Visions described on this page represent efforts to beautify our area, promote economic development and develop community identities.
The vision's salient purpose is to save lives by focusing on the development of the Middle Country Road. The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) has long-range plans to widen Route 25 into a five-lane roadway where speed and accident rates will increase. Statistics from nearby towns clearly show this to be true. A "speedway" will also encourage vehicles to pass local businesses in favor of large warehouse stores and more distant destinations. If allowed, Coram and Middle Island will become "pass through" towns with less community identity and fewer opportunities for residents and local businesses.
The visions propose a grid of roadways, including roads parallel to Route 25 that will relieve traffic congestion. Middle Country Road can then remain a two-lane road, with a new tree-lined center median, and sidewalks, set back from the road by a treed green space.
This new Middle Country Road would connect two town centers, planned not only for traffic, but to invite use by local residents and area visitors alike. These centers invite human interaction, create a sense of community, and promote the businesses located in them.
The idea of businesses favoring town centers over malls and sprawl is not a local concept. Large corporations and retail chains across the nation have moved their storefronts into town and village centers as civic planners create more people-friendly areas that attract consumers. Instead of long, infrequent trips to malls, people are more inclined to shop close-by if a town center offers a variety, proximity and comfort. See Connie Kepert's article. "The Business of Community." Companies in need of retail and office space recognize this fosters the type of "return customer" essential for profitable enterprise. And that's not theory. It is happening, right now, across America.
Development between the centers becomes less dense the further one travels from the center. But this gradient of development does not mean that these areas would be devoid of homes or stores. Instead, neighborhoods would be established around greens or small parks with local shops in walking distance to area homes. In light of this vision, it becomes easy to understand why a safe, lower-speed Middle Country Road is essential to the area between town centers.
The overall Vision requires that areas along Middle Country Road be thought of in terms of zones. Some zones have town centers while others have neighborhoods with shopping and open spaces. Planners conceive of these zones as parts of "transects" - sections of land each with their own characteristics. You can learn more about "zones" and "transects" HERE.
Middle Country Road & Traffic
Central to the visions for our area are concerns over traffic congestion and roadway safety. “Traffic calming” designs are at the heart of area visions. They include medians, turnabouts, road striping, tree-lined streetscapes and well-proportioned roads & sidewalks along the entire length of Route 25.
Development of new through roads parallel to Middle Country Road (not all are shown in the drawings below) will provide congestion relief for vehicles with destinations outside of our communities. Less congestion along Route 25 encourages economic development in town centers, as well as in new walkable neighborhoods with shops between centers.
Slower automotive speeds will seem reasonable and reduce accidents. An increased perception of safety improves the desirability of living in our area and fosters the use of public transportation, bicycles & walking. Neighborhoods with parks & shops can be developed for area residents to interact and engage in recreation.
Much has been learned about traffic and roadway design during the past 25 years. The problems existing on Middle Country Road are in no way unique to our area. Links to more about modern roadway design solutions can be found in the sidebar on the left side of this page.
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