Smithtown board, planning director clash over demolition

So for years, people have been pushing to tear down the buildings and do something with the site, be it a college campus, affordable housing, LIRR train depot, state park, etc.

And now that some progress has finally been made, it's been held up on the grounds that the buildings are historically significant? Seriously? What's significant about a series of crumbling old buildings with bars on the windows and water basins used for hydroshock therapy?

The town of Smithtown (and Long Island in general) is too congested as it is. there's not reason not to make use of this available space.

I'm not against historical preservation, but if you saved every building where anything has happened since the beginning of time, you would not be able to build anything new anywhere.

Tear them down and get on with it.

It is just a tremendous waist of natural resources to leave the area as is. And has been the epitomy of procrastination by local and state government. The Kings Park Phychiatric centre should be turned into a wanderful attraction to Kings Park and Long Island, It should take advantage of its beauty and pictoresque views. This area would and should be a perfect home for an Aquarium or Botanical Garden or Zoo. EVEN BETTER a complex housing all of the above. That would be something that would make all of us, local neighbors and Long Islanders very proud. AND NOT the eye sore of decaying buildings THAT IT IS NOW.