Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy announced on Feb. 11  that the first two public input meetings have been set for the county’s Comprehensive Plan Update – a two-year endeavor that will help identify Suffolk’s future and develop policy recommendations on how to get to those envisioned goals.

Levy said members of the public, civic associations, chambers of commerce and other important stakeholders are encouraged to attend the public input meetings which will be held throughout the county throughout the year.

The first session is planned for Tuesday, February 23 at 7 p.m. at the William H. Rogers Legislative Building in Smithtown (725 Veterans Memorial Highway); the second will be held Thursday, March 11 at 7 p.m. at the Shinnecock Building on the grounds of Suffolk Community College Eastern Campus in Riverhead.

“What will Suffolk County look like in 2035? What kind of jobs will be available? Where will these workers live? Which downtown communities will be most active? How much open space will be left? What sort of mass transit will move people around? Our comprehensive plan update will seek to answer these important questions, and it is vital to have a wide range of public input to help us shape this future,” Levy said. “Ultimately, this plan is the people’s plan.”

Included in the two-year, in-house comprehensive plan update will be projections on:

• Population numbers and demographics
• Socio-economic data
• Road and transportation needs
• Sewer needs
• Targeted areas of preservation
• Housing needs, including addressing housing which allows the population to age in place
• Job creation and economic development
• Availability of health care and health care facilities
• Continued public access to our waterways

“These projections will be more than just raw numbers, it will help us identify the kinds of jobs we want to encourage for our future generations, the communities where our young will want to live and how we can enhance both economic growth and environmental sustainability,” said Levy.

The meetings will provide information about the Comprehensive Plan and how it will impact Suffolk’s future, and will allow the public an opportunity to provide input on the scope, content and goals of the plan.

---