The 2025 Smart Growth Awards is Coming!
Vision Long Island’s Smart Growth Awards is coming! Organized by a long time sponsor – more like family, really – it’s some of the best networking I know. Hope you sign up for their deeply informative Main Street News, follow them on Facebook, and check out their Vimeo for insightful interviews with all sorts of people who make it their business to serve the people and communities of Long Island.
Honoring Folks Who Strengthen Our Communities
For two and a half decades, Vision Long Island has been honoring individuals, organizations and projects that advance the growth of our downtowns and infrastructure. Specific focus areas include transit-oriented development, affordable housing, environmental sustainability, traffic calming, transportation enhancements, clean energy and community based planning. Join them:
What: 2025 Smart Growth Awards
When: June 13, 11am-2pm
Where: The Crest Hollow Country Club, 8325 Jericho Turnpike, Woodbury
Registration & Sponsorship Opportunities: Available here
2025 Honorees Include
One thing I really love about this event is the videography of Rob Comforto, who for decades now, has helped Vision share its events, its work and important, informative conversations with a full range of local and regional leadership, including mini-documentaries explaining the people, projects and policies they honor. You’ve got to dig, but it’s worth the effort, and you’ll a lot more worth watching along the way! Here are the folks he’ll be mini-documenting this year:
Environmental Leadership: Hon. Ed Romaine, Suffolk County Executive & Hon. Kevin McCaffrey, Suffolk County Presiding Officer for the Suffolk County Water Quality Restoration Act
Community Leadership: Marguerite Grasing & Marguerite Keller of the Hispanic Brotherhood
Transit Oriented Development: Village of Mineola & Lalezarian Properties for 114 Old Country Rd., Mineola; Village of Lynbrook & Breslin Realty for The Langdon, Lynbrook; Town of Islip & Tritec for Shoregate, Bay Shore; Village of Port Jefferson & Gitto Group for One North, Port Jefferson; Village of Babylon & Zucaro Construction for 32-36 Deer Park Ave, Babylon.
Revitalizing Communities: Village of Patchogue for Tempo by Hilton & Patchogue Revitalization; Town of Islip & PX4 for Central Islip; Town of Huntington & New York State for Huntington Station DRI; Town of Brookhaven & Beechwood Homes for Neighborhood Road Redevelopment Plan, Mastic Beach
Walkability: Hon. Steve Enlebright & Three Village Community Trust for Setauket Port Jefferson Greenway Trail; Town of Oyster Bay for Hicksville Streetscape
Affordable Housing: Uniondale Community Land Trust for Uniondale Community Land Trust; Village of Rockville Centre & D&F Development for Rockville Manor, Rockville Center.
Creating A Sense of Place: Suffolk County & Town of Brookhaven for Lawrence Aviation Superfund Redevelopment Plan, Port Jefferson Station; Town of Islip & Global Team LI LLC for Islip Theatre Lofts
Clean Energy: Town of Hempstead for Clean Energy Park
Supporting Downtown Businesses: Village of Farmingdale & Nassau County OCD for Sign, Light and Awning Program
What is Smart Growth?
Basically? It’s a very holistic approach to community development that recognizes the importance of building places for people that respect the environment and are good for the economy. There’s a major emphasis on downtown community centers and, in Vision’s case, deep, meaningful relationship development across sectors and interests.
In terms of clear criteria, these awards are based on a recipients ability to demonstrate one or more of the following:
- Mix Land Uses
- Take advantage of compact building design
- Create housing choices for a range of household types, family sizes and incomes
- Strengthen existing communities and achieve more balanced regional development
- Encourage citizen and stakeholder participation in development decisions
- Create walkable neighborhoods
- Foster distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place
- Preserve open space, farmland, historic buildings and critical environmental areas
- Provide a variety of transportation choices
- Make development decisions predictable, fair and cost effective
- Utilize clean energy and green building development
