New York’s Long Island Central Pine Barrens is a region defined by its distinctive ecology. Five years of conflict over development of this embattled natural resource brought about New York state legislation creating the Central Pine Barrens Commission and charging it to write a Comprehensive Land Use Plan to protect the long-term integrity of the ecosystem.
The Central Pine Barrens legislation divided the region’s 102,500 acres into a core area, where it mandates very stringent regulation of development, and a “compatible growth area,” where more development is to be permitted. The agency’s land use designations and project reviews do not eliminate local government’s traditional land use role, but instead shape and supplement local standards and reviews to ensure the regional pattern of development and conservation is achieved.
Vital Statistics:
Chapter of the Book: 9
State: NY
Year Established: 1993
Geographic Scale: 102,500 acres
Mandatory or Voluntary over Local Government: Mandatory
Authorizing Laws: State
Agencies and Organizations:
Central Pine Barrens Joint Planning and Policy Commission
Long Island Pine Barrens Society
Resources:
Long Island Pine Barrens Protection Act of 1993, NY Env. Conservation Law Art. 57
Central Pine Barrens Comprehensive Plan
US Fish & Wildlife Service: Significant Habitats and Habitat Complexes of the New York Bight Watershed, Long Island Pine Barrens – Peconic River Complex
