Smart Growth Awards to honor Long Island projects and leaders

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Vision Long Island will honor several people and development projects Friday, as it hosts the 23rd Annual Long Island Smart Growth Awards at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury. 

Over 650 attendees are expected at the event, to be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., which will recognize successful downtown development and housing and infrastructure projects achieved through bottom-up community planning, according to a Vision Long Island statement. 

Downtown, mixed-use and revitalization project winners are from Hicksville, Baldwin, Central Islip, Floral Park and Bay Shore. Affordable housing projects and program winners include Port Jefferson Station, East Patchogue, Village of Freeport and Long Island Housing Partnership’s ADU Plus One program. Transportation, walkability and pedestrian safety honors go to the Town of Huntington’s HART Bus, Nassau Legis. Siela Bynoe for securing a large investment to provide safe streets in her district and AARP-Long Island’s Bernard Macias and their Walk Audit volunteers. 

Environmental awards include the Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Marine Program and the infrastructure investment of Veolia and Nassau County. 

Leadership awards honor Sr. Mary Reid of the First Baptist Church of Bay Shore for volunteerism and longstanding support of revitalization efforts in her community. State Assemblyman Fred Thiele is honored for decades of support for the environment, advancing wastewater treatment, affordable housing and supporting local municipalities in Albany. 

Over 60 elected officials, 20 chamber of commerce leaders and 15 civic leaders representing more than 35 downtowns across Long Island are expected at the event. 

The program includes appearances by several elected officials, including Suffolk County Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey, Nassau County Comptroller Elaine Phillips, Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino, Town of Hempstead Supervisor Don Clavin, Town of Islip Supervisor Angie Carpenter and Town of Huntington Supervisor Ed Smyth. 

The event will also highlight the accomplishments of the Planned Locally Campaign that was launched at last year’s Smart Growth Awards. Nearly half of Long Island’s 100 downtown business districts have revitalization plans and are actively moving downtown projects forward, according to the statement. More than 45 downtown districts have at least one multifamily housing project and many have multiple under construction or in the pipeline. In addition, more than 20 Long Island communities are actively seeking funding, planning or otherwise support new wastewater treatment systems to protect water and accommodate growth. 

“Long Island is a community of communities and change happens on the local level,” Eric Alexander, director of Vision Long Island, said in the statement. “The Smart Growth Award honorees exemplify local leadership through their work to build affordable housing, help our downtowns, environment, infrastructure and make our roads safer. These projects, individuals and resulting accomplishments build up trust in local communities to demonstrate that change can be a positive experience.”