7th Annual Smart Growth Summit Update

Over 800 business, community, and elected leaders came together for the 2008 Smart Growth Summit, held Thursday, November 13th at the Melville Marriott. The day-long conference covered a broad range of Smart Growth issues relevant to Long Island and the region as a whole. Nearly 50 elected officials, over 50 civic, environmental, and chamber leaders, and members of the development community came together in what was the biggest Smart Growth Summit to date. 15 workshops and 2 well-attended plenary sessions outlined the day, but the real story was the positive energy in a very difficult economic time.

Attendees of the Summit also addressed State and Federal budget priorities to support Smart Growth plans. There was consensus that Smart Growth projects are the very initiatives that will help Long Island and the region out of a recession. A survey was conducted at the Summit, identifying areas where there was consensus to cut the State budget and areas were additional investment is needed. The Summit also addressed where federal stimulus dollars can be allocated.

The event kicked off with a breakfast plenary session, “State of the Towns & Villages.” Participating on the panel were: Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto, Riverhead Town Supervisor Phil Cardinale, Islip Town Supervisor Phil Nolan, North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jon Kaiman, Southampton Town Councilman Chris Nuzzi, Nassau Village Officials Association's Warren Tackenberg, Brookhaven Town Councilwoman Jane Bonner, Hempstead Town Councilwoman Dot Goosby, and Huntington Town Councilman Mark Cuthbertson. This year’s panel included village officials, as many of the case examples for mixed-use development are occurring in Long Island’s villages.

Town representatives gave a status report of Smart Growth initiatives in their municipalities and also laid out challenges to future growth and public involvement. All of the representatives supported various initiatives for affordable housing, infrastructure investment, and regional cooperation.

Panel moderator Joye Brown (Newsday) actually applauded the Supervisors and Councilmembers for their efforts in developing mixed-use principles, individual partnerships between municipalities, and willingness to embrace Smart Growth concepts. She gave assignments for next year, where she wants to see progress on a major project such as Lighthouse or Heartland, sewer investments, affordable housing, and regional planning.

Questions from the audience included those about solutions for affordable housing, carrying capacity in order to ensure that growth can be sustained, and the need for all communities, particularly for those with limited means, to participate in the benefit for future growth.

This session was, by far, the most productive of our State of the Towns panels and we look forward to a positive progress report next year.

At the session on "Affordable Housing in a Changing Market," panelists drew from multiple perspectives of the housing market.

Shuprotim Bhaumik brought a global viewpoint as a representative from Economic Research Associates, an international consulting firm working primarily in real estate, entertainment and leisure, and land use policy and planning.

Roger Clayman is the Executive Director for the Long Island Federation of Labor, which has found that baby boomer members are pushing off retirement due to high housing costs.

Peter Elkowitz is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Long Island Housing Partnership, a not-for-profit organization that provides affordable housing opportunities and guidance.

Peter Florey is the founder and Principal of the D&F Development Group, LLC.

This session was moderated by Marcelle Fischler, who writes for the Real Estate and In the Region sections of the New York Times. Key points included the positive outlook and financing for multi-family housing and the trends and demographic profiles for future homeowners and rentals.

At the "Global Warming & Clean Energy on LI" panel, moderator Beth Fiteni, Program Director at Neighborhood Network, introduced her organization's Clean Energy Leadership Task Force briefly and pointed out Vision's prior factsheet on Smart Growth and Energy.

Gordian Raacke, Executive Director of Renewable Energy LI, highlighted the seriousness of the global warming problem by the incredible rate of melting glaciers tied to our own greenhouse gas emissions. Scientists say we must achieve 80% lower greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 in order to avoid catasrophic effects of global warming. Adrian Tuluca, Principal-in-Charge of Viridian Energy and Environmental, spoke about the pros and cons of renewables such as solar, wind, and fuel cells, and in what uses they are most Clean Energy

appropriate. John Waffenschmidt, President of Environmental Science & Community Affairs for Covanta Energy Corporation, pointed out the waste connection. Half a pound of carbon is saved for each aluminum soda can we recycle, so if each of us recycled ours, we'd save about 13.7 tons of greenhouse gases per year. We also must consider that while some people may eschew the idea of burning waste, we must compare the amount of fossil fuel wasted hauling our waste off LI vs. treating it locally. Kathy Waxman of National Grid addressed the company's support of national greenhouse gas emissions reductions targets and their active participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which is a cap and trade system established among the northeastern states in lieu of federal action. She also pointed out that National Grid offers rebates and incentives for homeowners to purchase more efficient equipment.

The "Sewers & Infrastructure" panel was moderated by Bob Scheiner of H2M Group, and included panelists Charles Bartha of Bowne AE&T Group, Suffolk County Legislator Kate Browning, Mike Kelly of Pulte Homes, and Susan Wischusen of Save the Forge River. The session examined how lack of adequate infrastructure has encouraged the proliferation of sprawl, caused environmental degradation, and economically crippled communities. New development depends on sewers and infrastructure to provide density and transportation. Sewers are not just an environmental issue; they also provide an economic engine for business and commercial uses. The panelists discussed a case study of Suffolk's Southwest Sewer District. Time has shown that not only has the quality of ground water been elevated, but the business and commercial areas served by the sewer district have been positively affected.

Financially, it is important to look at Nassau and Suffolk Counties' policies regarding commitments to matching funds for potential sewer and infrastructure projects. Without County support, these types of projects could not move forward. The Forge River was a project that needs immediate action. Without Suffolk assisting monetarily, the resolution to save the river is dead. There are some encouraging signs here: there has been dredging of the inlet and a future commitment from the County for the possible dredging of the channel from Forge River to the inlet, which will assist in increasing the flushing action of the river.

In addition, projects like installing dry sewers while rebuilding Montauk Highway should be part of the overall plan to sewer this area and could be used by the County for any potential match that may be required to attract federal and state funds. Finally, the panelists noted that Suffolk County has been successful in using public/private partnerships in the past for sewering projects (i.e. the Hauppauge Industrial Park, Levitt housing projects in Coram, and the Pulte housing project in Mt. Sinai). However, the county needs to take a more active role in securing locations concurrent with a master plan for potential sewer plant locations, concentrating around more developed areas like Rocky Point and Mastic.

The "Downtown Revitalization" workshop was moderated by Tom Pellicane of canvas Magazine, and included panelists Jim Constantine, Director of Planning and Research for the Princeton office of Looney Ricks Kiss; Dan Deegan of Forchelli, Curto, Crowe, Deegan, Schwatz, Mineo, and Cohn, LLP; Dan Livingston, President of Livingston Development Corporation and Livingston Electrical Associates, and Principal of The Villa at Glen Cove; and Andrea Lohneiss, Regional Director for the Long Island office of Empire State Development.

The session looked at some successful downtown revitalization projects and

explored the tools needed to create such places. The key take-aways from this session fit neatly into five categories: vision, involving stakeholders, communication, planning, and resourcefulness. A first step to revitalizing downtowns is developing and providing a long term vision to stakeholders. All stakeholders must be involved in the development process, including community organizations, municipalities, and residents. Clear, consistent communication to these stakeholders is a necessary step to building trust and getting things done throughout the process. Comprehensive master plans that involve all stakeholder needs and incorporate the overall vision are critical to getting projects approved and completed. Finally, being resourceful in finding funding, grants, and approvals, as well as being creative in finding new uses for existing infrastructure, were cited as a must for downtown revitalization projects.

David Winzelberg of Long Island Business News moderated a panel dedicated to "Developments of Regional Significance - Suffolk." The main focus was on Gerald Wolkoff's ambitious Heartland project, at the former site of the Pilgrim State Psychiatric facility, which has caught the attention of the real-estate business, developers, environmentalists, and many eager young professionals looking for exciting places to live. It includes the Heartland Business Center, a 400-plus acre business park situated near the Long Island Expressway, Sagtikos Parkway, Commack Road, and adjacent to the Deer Park Long Island Railroad Station.

Islip Town Planning Director Gene Murphy explained the Wolkoff project in detail, concentrating on the enormity of the plan. More than 9,100 apartments and 4.7 million square feet of retail and office space are proposed for the 462-acre parcel. Murphy said the Town is concerned about the impact on traffic flow in the Brentwood area but that Islip's public hearing on the long-awaited development won't happen until the spring.

Bill Mannix heads Economic Development Agency for Islip and explained that tax breaks and financial incentives are helping Wolkoff to carry the semi-vacant former Pilgrim State Hospital property while his proposal begins to take shape. Larry Rosenbloom, Vice President for Facilities at AECOM, pushed for a transportation agency to oversee alternative methods (non-automobile) of getting around the redevelopment area. He said this was a great opportunity to advocate for mass transit to take people in directions other than just east or west. James Ptucha, head of the 4 Towns Civic Association, explained that his group isn't opposed to Wolkoff's plan, as long as the infrastructure is improved to handle the increased congestion. He also mentioned that traffic from the Arches at Deer Park already clogs area streets (especially north and south routes) at peak times. He asked for a separate truck lane to be created to run parallel to the Sagtikos Parkway.

In the "Transportation – Transit Oriented Development" panel, Peter Liebowitz, Senior Vice President and Director of the Hudson Valley Office of the planning and environmental engineering firm AKRF, reviewed the basic tenets of TOD, citing that it was good for the environment, traffic, the vitality of towns, and health. In order for it to work, he noted that all parties, from government to developers to the public, need to be at the table and that public/private partnerships work best.

Ernest Tollerson, Director for Policy and Media Relations at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, touted the MTA's success along the Hudson line in places like Beacon and Poughkeepsie and stated that the MTA is exploring potential TOD sites in Brookhaven and Ronkonkoma. He said that the MTA was focused on sustainability and was trying to weave it into all it does.

John Burke, President and CEO of the Vintage Group Incorporated, described the TOD work that his group is doing at Vintage Square in Riverhead. It is a walkable, mixed-use development, located adjacent to rail, with tiered parking. He saw regional benefits to his project, noting that they were working with Orient Point and some of the casinos to see about shuttles.

Drew Martin, President of the Rocky Point Civic Association, focused on the need for expanded services in the Town of Brookhaven. He stressed the need for public involvement and said that civics are willing to support good projects.

Rauch Foundation Environment Program Officer John McNally moderated the discussion that followed, about the need for increased services if TOD were to really take off. It does not all have to be rail, but a key to success lies in finding ways to efficiently connect other services to each other, whether it be synchronized bus schedules, dollar vans, and the like. Many of the session attendees stated that service wasn't good enough at many of the potential TOD sites to warrant that kind of development. Currently, transportation in the region is viewed as a system of nodes. The entire room agreed that it's not just about getting into and out of the city.

In "Taming the Big Box," panel participants came well versed in this complicated big box equation. Wayne Wink, Nassau County Legislator and former Town of North Hempstead Councilman joined the panel. Ed Glackin is the Vice President of Real Estate for King Kullen supermarkets, which is a well known anchor in many strip malls and shopping centers. Carol Meschkow is the President and founder of the civic group, Concerned Citizens of Plainview-Old Bethpage, and she has dealt directly with balancing the needs of small, local businesses with those of larger chain stores. Bruce Migatz, partner at the law firm of Albanese and Albanese, will moderate this workshop. His work focuses on municipal and zoning laws and he serves as General Counsel to numerous co-ops and condominiums in the region.

In the "Changing Demographics: Diversity on Long Island" panel, Mohinder Taneja of the Nassau County Office of Minority Affairs spoke of the cultural misconceptions that he encounters through his work, explaining that a focus needs to be placed on cultural acceptance on Long Island while also understanding the greater picture that we are all a part of the Long Island community.

David Lee, of the Korean American Public Affairs Committee, spoke to ways of crossing the cultural divide. He explained international clubs and organizations that he is involved in that help to increase communications among races and cultures. Jorge Martinez, past president of the LI Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, talked about the role of education in minority communities. He explained how the increasing dropout rate of minority high school students leads to them to join the workforce unprepared and unable to compete for higher paying positions. Martinez noted that "the minority" is actually the majority, and they will not be able to support an increase in the economy.

Suffolk County Legislator Rick Montano spoke about how gentrification is negatively affecting the minority community and discussed initiatives he has led to correct the problem. Tawaun Whitty, President of the Greater Gordon Heights Civic Association, spoke about the advances that have been made in cultural diversity over the past ten years, but also of the need for continued change. She discussed the need to find a balance between cultural acceptance and a unification of Long Islanders for the island to grow.

"Developments of Regional Significance - Nassau," focused on RexCorp's project in Glen Cove and an update on the Lighthouse at Nassau Coliseum. While many stakeholders throughout the region have been involved in both projects, and it has been a transparent process, there are still many questions revolving around these two projects, particularly around housing, transportation, and their impact on surrounding communities.

In partnership with Glen Isle, the Posillico Group, and developer Donald Monti, RexCorp Realty has designed a Smart Growth, mixed-use community to be located along the shores of Hempstead Harbor in Glen Cove. The development is a former brownfield site that will be reconstructed into a dynamic waterfront that shares public parks with pedestrian plazas, open spaces, a public boat ramp, the Glen Cove Ferry Terminal, a cultural arts district, housing and much more.

The Lighthouse at Long Island is more widely known throughout the region due to immense media interest, its regional impact, and the project's elaborate plans. Lighthouse Development Group, LLC, is a joint venture between RexCorp Realty, LLC and Charles Wang, the Founder of the Lighthouse project and owner of the New York Islanders and New York Dragons. It is a $2 billion transformation of the Nassau Veteran's Memorial Coliseum and the surrounding Nassau Hub into a state of the art sports arena and complex that offers retail, offices, hotels, a conference center, and residential units.

RexCorp's Matt Frank, presented on these two projects, focusing on the public oriented process, the overall concepts, as well as the details of the designs. Particular attention was paid to the Smart Growth components of the projects such as compact development, walkability, mixed-uses, housing options and the potential fortransportation alternatives. Workshop participants gained an understanding of the public process and how it influenced and integrated the project's concepts and designs. Mayor Ralph Suozzi of the City of Glen Cove addressed the Glen Cove waterfront project as well as the context of their Master Plan process.

This session was moderated by Richard Bivone of the Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce, which has offered much guidance and input throughout RexCorp's public process. The NCCC is an umbrella organization for over 90,000 businesses in Nassau County and acts as a spokesperson for the multiple Chambers of Commerce in Nassau.

"Long Island 2035/Sustainability Plan" looked at regional planning, an approach that combines local interests with overarching concerns, such as the preservation of open space, transportation alternatives, sustainability, and affordable housing. While expediting the process is often laborious and transparency is difficult to maintain, regional plans can be conducted in an open and comprehensive manner to engage and inform regional and local stakeholders.

Gerry Bogacz, of New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC), provided a brief description and analysis about the SEEDS program. His analysis indicated that all constituents must be involved in the program, importance of transparency and communication, all elected officials involved, simulation models must be justified, consensus building and conflict resolution high priority, importance of short term improvements to show evidence that program is working, ongoing visibility and maintenance of consensus. Michael White, of the Regional Planning Council, spoke about 2035 Plan and their goal to build consensus around land use, particularly transportation planning. Phase I will include key stakeholders including supervisors. The Sustainability Plan, based on the LI Index and modeled after NYC’s plan, which will also deal with social equity, will focus on Long Island issues over the next 20 years.

Diana Coleman, of the EOC of Nassau County, talked about Nassau Road and planning for Roosevelt, particularly emphasizing the importance of developing trust. Planning must be sustainable, but particularly understandable, and develop trust by understanding the needs and concerns of the community without forcing things upon them. Communities must also be open to embracing positive change. Sarah Lansdale, of Sustainable Long Island, spoke about lessons learned. The process is as important as the product, and that all stakeholders must be involved in every step of the way, include mayors, supervisors and town councils. Ownership is also essential, as is trust building, properly managing expectations, listening, and speaking to the community in a way the community can understand.

In the Q&A session, moderated by Vision President Ron Stein, the validity of regional planning was justified by pointing out that LI is in its situation in part due to the lack of regional planning and the piecemeal approach taken by hundreds of municipal jurisdictions and their micro-decisions. Transportation has chased development. Large issues, such as transportation, energy, social equity, community preservation/gentrification, waste and others require regional coordinated efforts to be properly resolved. Communities need to be better interconnected.

But what would the rallying cry for such a fragmented area be? How to deal with growth was suggested, but it was also suggested that growth should not be a foregone conclusion, but rather a desired goal of the collaborative vision process. Creating a model, however, of the different potential scenarios for Long Island would provide a compelling motivation for people to be motivated to change and participate in their future. This is a significant part of the Plan 2035 process.

Developing communication on the base community and civic levels is necessary. Current community input methods are reactive, rather than proactive. Extensive efforts must be made to reach out to various communities as well as school populations, and give people an opportunity to state what the do want, not just what they oppose. How we shift away from an auto-dominated model to variety of different modalities was raised. It was suggested that it might vary from community to community, that getting communities involved is essential, and building consensus, perhaps initially around transit-oriented development. NYMTC, LIRR and communities must work together and be involved proactively.

What might derail the regional process? Lack of full municipal participation, lack of effective community participation, lack of ownership, and community opposition. What might permit the process to succeed? First, we must have participation, outreach, 'understandability,' and consensus-building. Second, there must be an understood sense of urgency, along with the ability to see the projected future and other potential alternative futures. Finally, there must be economic and other incentives on a municipal and community level.

The luncheon plenary session was kicked off with a presentation by Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi on his “Cool Downtowns” initiative. Nassau County is embracing downtown revitalization by providing incentives, planning, and marketing to downtowns that are seeking to grow with character. Jim Constantine, of Looney Ricks Kiss, gave an in-depth presentation of transit-oriented development examples. The projects he highlighted are analogous to some of the opportunities that exist in Long Island’s downtowns and have all been community-supported and financially viable.

A panel discussion on the state of Smart Growth in NYS ensued, spearheaded by John Kominicki of Long Island Business News. Panelists included NYS Director of Smart Growth Paul Beyer, who gave an update on the activities of the NYS Smart Growth Cabinet; Peter Fleischer, of Empire State Future, who introduced his 40-member coalition and now seeks to advocate for Smart Growth across the state; Heather Sporn, NYS Department of Transportation, who shared the willingness of the DOT to embrace safe streets and Smart Growth planning; and Peter Scully, NYS DEC, who spoke of the opportunities and challenges for sewer investments and other infrastructure needs, primarily in Suffolk County.

There was an afternoon workshop on "Light Imprint Urbanism, Sustainability." As global warming and clean energy issues rise in the public consciousness, their integration into planning and land-use becomes more prevalent and welcomed by communities. Understood as having a "low carbon footprint" or minimal impacts on the existing environment, Light Imprint Urbanism involves context sensitive design, architecture and engineering, and serves as a framework for urban/suburban/rural environmental sustainability. It was born out of the Congress for New Urbanism XV, held in Philadelphia in 2007, as "a comprehensive approach and development technique which aims to lie lightly on the land by coordinating sustainable engineering practices and New Urbanist design techniques, offering different solutions for different transect zones." Its matrix offers design tools and techniques, detailed information on the cost and maintenance of these approaches, and case studies of their application in different environments and communities.

This technical session aimed to provide participants with an understanding of the economic, environmental, engineering and design elements of Light Imprint Urbanism. Using the Light Imprint Handbook as a guide, the session focused on the important principles of Light Imprint Urbanism, transect-based planning, sustainability and the SmartCode. The Light Imprint Handbook was composed by the firm DPZ, and provides an overview of the initiative, case studies, and the tools and resources to successfully implement Light Imprint Urbanism and sustainability. Another important component that was discussed in this session is integrating these two essential pieces into regional planning.

Alexander Latham of ADL III Architecture, Salvatore Coco of Beatty, Harvey & Associates and David Berg of Cameron Engineering led the session. Alexander Latham is the Principal and owner of ADL III Architecture, an architecture and town planning firm based in Northport and Westhampton Beach. One of the few New Urbanist architecture firms on Long Island, ADL III blends context sensitive and environmentally sustainable design with traditional architecture. Salvatore Coco is a second generation practicing architect, a LEED accredited professional and a partner in the 129 year old architectural firm Beatty, Harvey & Associates, LLP (BH&A). Sal's firm focuses on the programming, planning and architectural design of public buildings, hospitality design and large scale mixed use developments. David Berg is a LEED accredited planner leading the Sustainable Design & Resource Management department for Cameron Engineering.

The technical session "Visioning to Implementation: Getting it Done" included panelists Brenda Prusinowski, Deputy Commissioner of the Planning, Environment, and Land Management Office for the Town of Brookhaven, and Janice Scherer, Principal Planner for the Town of Southampton. They are well versed in facing the challenges of implementing Smart Growth in their communities. A charrette, or community visioning process, is only the beginning of making improvements to a municipality. There are many factors that must be addressed to generate actions that include town code changes, generating more specific plans, and hiring the appropriate constituents to carry out the plans. janice

This process can be difficult, as the results of the visioning are not automatically written into law.

The workshop attendees had numerous questions on community involvement in this process, including when in the process the community should be tapped for input, how the municipalities can generate interest, why it often goes awry, how to identify the community 'leaders,' and the benefits and drawbacks of moratoriums.

The "Land Use and Transportation Coordination" workshop was led by Bob Eschbacher, Principal at Eschbacher VHB; Renee Espiau, Senior Associate at Project for Public Spaces; and Heather Sporn, Senior Policy Advisor for the NYS Department of Transportation. This technical session considered realistic strategies that reduce auto dependence, make our streets safer for both pedestrians and motorists, and create healthier communities. For decades, the critical element of transit has been put to the side in Long Island's land use efforts. Finally, policy makers are beginning to recognize the benefits of public transportation for our communities.

The session asserted that transportation investments can be made in such a way that enhances sense of place, encourages healthy communities, improves the natural environment, and fosters economic development. The redesign of Route 9A in Manhattan serves as a prime example of these benefits. We must begin to tackle transit improvements by determining people's travel mode.

Critical factors to scrutinize are the quality of public transportation service (meaning the ease of transfer and frequency), and the ease of intermodal connections at transit facilities. Furthermore, new mixed-use developments being developed heather sporn

in existing centers on Long Island, such as Heartland Town Square and the Winston in Mineola, are great opportunities to reshape the region's urban landscape, travel patterns, housing mix, and long-term sustainability. Finally, the session called for a public education campaign to inform citizens about the benefits of Smart Growth development- and the ramifications of sprawl development- that would assist local governments and private developers trying to implement Smart Growth plans. This campaign would also help the NYSDOT, which is receiving conflicting requests to widen highways to solve congestion and not widen highways to maintain local road safety and community character.

Students from Dowling College, Adelphi University, and Stony Brook University participated in the Youth Summit. During the morning part of the program students had the opportunity to participate in the regular sessions of the Smart Growth Summit.

The afternoon part of the Youth Summit program consisted of an introductory mini-session where the students reviewed the facts about Long Island's key social and economic issues, followed by four workshops in which students worked with experts in the fields of environment, community development, non-profit advocacy, governance, education, and business on developing recommendations that would address the issues of environmental preservation, balanced regional growth, the provision of alternative housing choices, retaining young people on Long Island, the breaking down of generational barriers and racial stereotypes, and applying Smart Growth principles to the Long Island region. After the workshops, all participants came together in a concluding session in order to share, discuss, and finalize their recommendations.

The Youth Summit sessions were organized and moderated by Dr. Nathalia Rogers, an Associate Professor of Sociology at Dowling College. Experts who participated in the Youth Summit were: Beth Fiteni, Program Director at the Neighborhood Network, an environmental advocacy group (moderator for the Environmental Workshop); Diana Coleman, Co-Director of the Long Island Progressive Coalition (LIPC) and a member of the Nassau County Equal Opportunity Commission, and Lisa Tyson, Executive Director of LIPC (moderators for the Workshop on Reducing Racial Stereotypes and Segregation, and Providing Alternative Housing Choices); the Hon. Steven Flotteron, Councilman with the Town of Islip, and Dr. Susanne Bleiberg Seperson, Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for Intergenerational Policy and Practice at Dowling College (moderators for the Workshop on Civic Engagement, Community Development, and Intergenerational Issues); and Elissa Ward, an architect with the ADL III architectural and town planning firm (moderator for the workshop on Smart Growth Implementation, Zoning, and Housing Alternatives). Karen Blumer of the Open Space Preservation Trust also contributed to the work of the Environmental Workshop.

At the Civic Summit, civic leaders from all over Long Island came together to discuss issues they commonly faced. The group discussed challenges they faced of notification and accountability by government departments. They developed the concept of a civic support system that would allow the civics to refer to each other on progression of projects and challenges they are facing. The Civic Summit also provided a source of communication for civic leaders to discuss regional projects. The session resulted in a possible accountability system to be recommended to government departments to increase communication regarding projects. The system would include a way to provide project status reports, as well as a way to notify the civics before a project is presented to municipalities for a decision.

Federal
Gerry Petrella, Office of Senator Chuck Schumer
Kristen Walsh, Office of Senator Hillary Clinton

State
Paul Beyer, NYS Director of Smart Growth
Michael Harrison, Office of Governor David Paterson
Andrea Lohneiss, Empire State Development
Andrew Raia, NYS Assembly
Joseph Saladino, NYS Assembly
Peter Scully, NYS DEC
Heather Sporn, NYS DOT
Ernest Tollerson, MTA

Nassau County
Hon. Tom Suozzi, County Executive
Hon. Judi Bosworth, Legislator
Hon. Ed Mangano, Legislator
Hon. Wayne Wink, Legislator

Suffolk County
Hon. Kate Browning, Legislator
Hon. John Kennedy, Legislator
Hon. Rick Montano, Legislator
Hon. Vivian Viloria Fisher, Legislator

Towns
Hon. Steve Bellone, Supervisor, Town of Babylon
Hon. Jane Bonner, Councilwoman, Town of Brookhaven
Hon. Kathy Walsh, Councilwoman, Town of Brookhaven
Hon. Ed Ambrosino, Councilman, Town of Hempstead
Hon. Dorothy Goosby, Councilwoman, Town of Hempstead
Hon. Stuart Besen, Councilman, Town of Huntington
Hon. Mark Cuthbertson, Councilman, Town of Huntington
Hon. Phil Nolan, Supervisor, Town of Islip
Hon. Steve Flotteron, Councilman, Town of Islip
Hon. Jon Kaiman, Supervisor, Town of North Hempstead
Hon. John Venditto, Supervisor, Town of Oyster Bay
Hon. Anthony Macagnone, Councilman, Town of Oyster Bay
Hon. Phil Cardinale, Supervisor, Town of Riverhead
Hon. Barbara Blass, Councilwoman, Town of Riverhead
Hon. John Dunleavy, Councilman, Town of Riverhead
Hon. Chris Nuzzi, Councilman, Town of Southampton

Cities & Villages
Hon. George Starkie, Mayor, Village of Farmingdale
Hon. Ralph Suozzi, Mayor, City of Glen Cove
Hon. Jack Martins, Mayor, Village of Mineola
Hon. Don Barbieri, Trustee, Village of New Hyde Park
Hon. Tom Kehoe, Trustee, Village of Northport
Hon. Henry Tobin, Deputy Mayor, Village of Northport
Warren Tackenberg, Nassau County VOA
Josh Horton, Suffolk County VOA

Civic Leaders
Bay Shore
Centereach
Coram
East Northport
East Norwich
Farmingdale
Four Towns
Greater Bellport
Gordon Heights
Huntington
Lake Ronkonkoma
Manhasset
Mastic Beach
Middle Island
Mt. Sinai
Nassau HUB
Northport
Oakdale
Plainview-Old Bethpage
Riverhead
Roosevelt
Selden
Syosset
West Hempstead

Town of Islip	Oakdale Chamber of Commerce	Long Island Community Foundation
Town of Brookhaven	Greater Gordon Heights Civic Association	Verizon
Spector Group	Stephen Lang Photography	Rauch Foundation
Farrell Fritz	Videomasters	Roslyn Savings Bank
Suffolk County Water Authority	Northport Copy