2010 Smart Growth Summit

100 speakers and 950 regional, community, business leaders and youth present solutions, best practices
to LI’s land use and infrastructure issues

The 9th Annual Smart Growth Summit took place on Friday, November 19th at the Melville Marriott. With 950 attendees and over 100 speakers, including elected officials, chambers of commerce, civic leaders, developers, architects, planners, not-for-profits and concerned citizens, this year's event was the best yet. The presence of so many diverse Long Islanders demonstrated a united front in support of a bright future for Smart Growth in our region.

Town of Riverhead Supervisor Sean Walter, Town of Babylon Supervisor Steve Bellone, Town of Islip Councilman Steve Flotteron (right)

Newsday's Joye Brown (left); Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman (right)

Village of Mineola Mayor Jack Martins (left); Town of Islip Councilman Steve Flotteron (right)

Town of Huntington Councilman Mark Cuthbertson (left); City of Glen Cove Mayor Ralph Suozzi (right)

Town of Hempstead Councilwoman Dot Goosby (left); Town of Riverhead Supervisor Sean Walter (right)

Village of Port Jefferson Mayor Margot Garant (left); Town of Brookhaven Councilwoman Connie Kepert (right)

Village of Mineola Mayor Jack Martins and City of Glen Cove Mayor Ralph Suozzi (left); Nassau County Village Officials Association's Warren Tackenberg (right)

Town of Babylon Supervisor Steve Bellone (left)

In the breakfast plenary session, elected officials presented the State of the Towns and Villages. Speakers included Town of Babylon Supervisor Steve Bellone, Town of Riverhead Supervisor Sean Walter, Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman, Town of Islip Councilman Steve Flotteron, Town of Brookhaven Councilwoman Connie Kepert, Town of Huntington Councilman Mark Cuthbertson, City of Glen Cove Mayor Ralph Suozzi, Village of Mineola Mayor Jack Martins, Village of Port Jefferson Mayor Margot Garant and Executive Director of the Nassau County Village Officials Association Warren Tackenberg.

A full description of the morning session will be available in next week's newsletter.

Vision Long Island's Executive Director Eric Alexander (left); Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Shinnecock Nation Randy King (right)

Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Shinnecock Nation Randy King also addressed the morning crowd, speaking on the Shinnecocks' plans to find a suitable home for a casino on Long Island.

The luncheon began with Angela Powers of the New Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce singing the Star Spangled Banner. The program included a short video, produced by THEM media, on Vision and the importance of partnerships to move things forward on Long Island. Members of the Youth Summit from West Islip High School, Lori Interlicchio and Kelly Douglas relayed some of the morning’s findings, emphasizing transit and affordable housing. Michael Harrison, Long Island Regional Director for the Office of Governor David A. Paterson, presented members of the Long Island Lobby Day Coalition with a special pen certificate, in recognition of the significant efforts by the group to pass the NYS Smart Growth Public Infrastructure Policy Act.

Left-right: Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce's Chris Murray, Empire State Future's Peter Fleischer, LISTnet's Peter Goldsmith, AARP-NY's Will Stoner, Citizens Campaign for the Environment's Adrienne Esposito, Dowling College's Dr. Nathalia Rogers, Vision Long Island's Eric Alexander, LI Federation of Labor and Local 338's John Durso and (speaking) LI Rep for the Office of NYS Governor David Paterson's Michael Harrison

Vision's Eric Alexander and Michael Harrison of the Office of NYS Gov. David A. Paterson (left); Babylon Town Supervisor Steve Bellone (right)

New Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce's Angela Powers (left); NYPA's Richie Kessel (right)

Members of the Youth Summit, including Lori Interlicchio (left) Kelly Douglas (right) from West Islip High School (right)

Thanks to Vision board member Michael Posillico of Posillico, Vision also introduced its new “bike helmet-cam,” an HD video camera that will allow us to monitor some best and worst practices for bike safety across Long Island.

Keynote speaker Hon. Alfonse D’Amato was introduced by Richie Kessel of NYPA and Town of Babylon Supervisor Steve Bellone, both of whom have a long history with the former U.S. Senator. Currently the Managing Director of Park Strategies LLC, the Senator reflected on his early days as the town supervisor of Hempstead as, "the most rewarding job in my public life." D’Amato’s talk included some important points about transit, taxes and Smart Growth. He called the LIRR “the best thing we have” on LI and encouraged building around train stations, noting that we have to get trucks off the road. He said that the tax structure on Long Island, especially high school taxes, hurts families and must be amended in order to keep young people on the Island. D’Amato told the crowd, “Don’t give up fighting for what’s right.”

Vision's Eric Alexander and Ron Stein with Hon. Al D'Amato (right)

Town of Babylon Supervisor Steve Bellone, NYPA's Richie Kessel, Hon. Al D'Amato and Posilico's Michael Posillico (left); NYPA's Richie Kessel, Hon. Al D'Amato and LI Business Council's Rich Bivone (right)

The sixteen breakout sessions throughout the day were very educational and powerful; Themes arose such as the importance of local communities and listening to residents throughout the planning process; the importance of sustainable design; and key advances in local, state, and federal policy relating to Smart Growth.

Peter Sloggatt of The Long Islander, Anthony Bartone of Bartone Properties, Brian DeLuca of Atlantis Marine World, Dana Friedman of the Early Years Institute and Lynda Parmely of The Hagedorn Foundation (right)

Don Monti, Renaissance Downtowns (left); David Winzelberg, LI Business News (right)

Downtown Destinations: Arts, Theaters, Hotels was moderated by David Winzelberg of Long Island Business News, who introduced the session by saying we must create destinations through culture and performance. Donald Monti of Renaissance Downtowns explained that the goal is to use a pre-sprawl model of neighborhood development, sustainable through mixed-use principles like the arts and mixed residential units, citing Glen Cove’s Glen Isle project as an example. Anthony Bartone of Bartone Properties talked about a mixed-use project near a hotel and train station. The hotel was built without restaurants or bars inside in order to encourage people to visit Main Street, one block away. Peter Sloggatt of The Long Islander represented The Paramount Theater in Huntington, which will replace and expand the IMAC, hopes to draw over 1,000 people into the downtown each day. Bryan DeLuca of Atlantis Marine World in Riverhead discussed how his aquarium is working in partnership with local government to bring money into the downtown, including building a new hotel. Lynda Parmely of The Hagedorn Foundation discussed “outdoor classrooms” and playgrounds based on natural materials as a way to enhance downtown amenities for families and children. Finally, Dana Friedman of the Early Years Institute talked about outdoor classrooms in the works for LI’s downtowns that will incorporate art, performance, physical activities and nature.

Richard Koubek of Huntington Township Housing Coalition, David Reich-Hale of Patch.com, Jaci Clement of Fair Media Council, Matt Harris of Say NO to Avalon Bay at Huntington Station, RIch McGrath of the Huntington School Board, Ken Christensen of Leadership Huntington and Joye Brown of Newsday

Richard Koubek of Huntington Township Housing Coalition, David Reich-Hale of Patch.com, Jaci Clement of Fair Media Council and Matt Harris of Say NO to Avalon Bay at Huntington Station (left); Matt Harris of Say NO to Avalon Bay at Huntington Station, RIch McGrath of the Huntington School Board and Ken Christensen of Leadership Huntington (right)

Transit-Oriented Development, Public Safety & the Media in Huntington Station: What happened and what’s next? was a highly anticipated panel that sought to deal with a recently defeated controversial housing project. Newsday’s Joye Brown moderated the panel, who said that this process had a “bully” component filled with ugly mud slinging. Jaci Clement of Fair Media Council noted that social media was a major component, which, in this case, led to “uncivil” discourse and took dominance over the facts. Many opinions expressed on these sites are valid only if they are educated opinions. David Reich-Hale of Patch.com said that the debates in Huntington caught on with blow-to-blow comments, and the debate “fell off the cliff.” It seems that a small group of people online- not all residents- turned the process into a circus. Matt Harris of Say NO to Avalon Bay at Huntington Station discussed some of the misinformation surrounding the project and process, and argued that the developers were not clear with the public. He called the project disrespectful of his neighborhood, which was never given the downtown it had been promised in the past. Rich McGrath of the Huntington School Board said that the developer initially gave out information that sounded good to the school district, but data went back and forth on the number of kids and tax impacts, especially surrounding the full TOD zone proposal. Ken Christensen of Leadership Huntington made the point that the density required for the project would not be legal if spot zoned, but the TOD zone would be a quick way to proceed. Richard Koubek of the Huntington Township Housing Coalition said the problem was an inattentiveness on all parts, starting early in 2010 when the proposal first came out and was largely ignored. What could have gone wrong did: it was a perfect storm.

Moving forward, panelists agreed that we must find a civil discourse in order to bring more private investors into the community and have more dialogue throughout any development process from the start. The dialogue needs to be more honest and based in facts. There should also be more dialogue throughout any development process from the start that is honest and based on facts. All agreed on the common goal of the economic revitalization of Huntington Station.

Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht of Garden of Eve Organic Farm (right)

Bernadette Martin of Kennedy Plaza Market, Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht of Garden of Eve Organic Farm, Town of Hempstead Councilwoman Dot Goosby and Larry Foglia of Natural Resources Consulting

Farmers Markets and CSA’s: Anchors for Downtowns was moderated by Sergio Argueta of S.T.R.O.N.G. Youth, Inc. Panelists included Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby of the Town of Hempstead, Bernadette Martin of Kennedy Plaza Market, Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht of Garden of Eve Organic Farm and Larry Foglia of Natural Resources Consulting. There is a growing demand for farmers markets and local agriculture, and the hope is to increase access to them in all communities across Long Island. However, there are regulations and financial roadblocks to establishing such marketplaces. There are additional hurdles, such as land access, especially in denser downtown communities. Councilwoman Goosby discussed the process of bringing in a youth-run farmers market in Roosevelt, and panelists agreed that local agriculture is a good way to get youth involved.

In Health Care & Land Use: Transforming Real Estate Development, moderator Keith Samaroo of PS&S asked what health care will look like in the decades to come, including potential opportunities for investment in real estate development. Charles Salvo of Grant Thornton discussed clinics as opportunities for underserved communities. These would increase the need for nearby business and real estate development and reduce the need for hospital visits. Stephen Buckeridge of HealthCare REIT explained how 890 out of 1000 hospital visits are from people over age 65 and how most hospitals cannot service that. Rather, they must provide connectivity for services and technology centers, a large opportunity for real estate development. Robert Benrubi of NuHealth talked about building medical ‘campuses‘ on large lots throughout LI in the next five years, which would create wellness villages for residents while incorporating Smart Growth principles. Rabia Aziz of LI Minority AIDS Coalition talked about the community side of health care, including the cultural and transportation needs of patients.

Gerry Petrella of Sen. Schumer's LI Office, Larry Levy of the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University, Adrienne Esposito of Citizens Campaign for the Environment , Jose Velez of HUD and Ron Stein of Vision Long Island

The Federal Sustainability Initiative: Opportunities for LI panel was moderated by Ron Stein of Vision Long Island. Larry Levy from the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University explained that Long Island’s political fragmentation between various local authorities, compared with more urbanized parts of the country, poses a unique hurdle for future development. By finding common interests on which all local authorities and agencies can agree and pushing for greater regional consolidation, meaningful progress can be made for Long Island’s future. The panel also addressed the possible role Congress can have in providing resources for Smart Growth on Long Island. Although Gerry Petrella from Senator Chuck Schumer’s Long Island office believed that “with Chuck you have a fighter” and jokingly asked the audience to call “1-800-Chuckthefighter,” the change in political climate after the November elections will make it more difficult for Long Island to compete for federal funds. Still, though, the panel believed that Smart Growth can be a bipartisan issue. “There is no blue or red, Democrat or Republican way to get to work,” Jose Velez from HUD explained, “We are all universal in what our needs and wants are.” Adrienne Esposito of Citizens Campaign for the Environment praised Smart Growth as something that a diverse array of Long Islanders could agree upon.

Moderated by Neal Lewis from the Sustainability Institute at Molloy College, the Sustainable Energy: Policies, Practices and Projects panel featured an interesting discussion on the best way for firms to grow and construct new buildings while still making sustainable energy a priority. Dan Zaweski from LIPA noted that the best way for this to occur is to cooperate with LIPA from the beginning. To do this would breed a familiarity that could then be disseminated quickly and efficiently to the client. "To have every electrician familiar with energy efficiency incentives, if he knows what it is, he is able to simply pass on the information to the electrician’s clients," stated Zaweski. Terri Alessi-Miceli and David Winchester from Hauppauge Industrial Association noted that as the Island’s largest industrial park with over 55,000 employees, energy is a constant issue. This has led them to begin installing carports with solar panels on the roofs to help offset the costs. “Suffolk County is like Solar County,” Winchester joked. Paul Belnick of NYPA and Sean Mongan of National Grid were also present to discuss various energy opportunities for Long Island and how their organizations and institutions can help.

Transit-Oriented Development: What is Working and Where? was moderated by Marcelle Fischler of the New York Times, who introduced the session by praising the potential of downtown development to create jobs. Bob Paley, director of TOD for the MTA, spoke on the success of Glen Isle in securing support and funds from the community. He said that increasing numbers of Long Islanders are looking for vibrant downtowns and alternatives to driving. Renaissance Downtowns’ Brandon Palanker also covered the Glen Isle project, as well as others like East Side Access, and encouraged using crowd sourcing and new media to get a base of support from start of any project. Mark Gander of AECOM talked about a TOD project in Rahway, NJ as a best practice. Larry Gargano of Greenview Properties described the Bay Shore Train Center and its potential to spur growth in the local community. Lionel Chitty of the Hicksville Chamber of Commerce spoke about dangerous roads and the need to change traffic patterns, especially near train stations as well as Hicksville's revitalization efforts. Ralph Fasano from Concern for Independent Living said that transit-oriented development is especially valuable for psychiatric patients and disabled people who need to live in walkable communities with easy access to mass transit while describing his model housing project in downtown Riverhead.

Peter Scully of the NYS DEC, Paul Beyer of the NYS Smart Growth Cabinet, Michael Harrison of the Office of Gov. David Paterson, Lou Marquet of LeylandAlliance, Heather Sporn of NYS DOT and Peter Fleischer of Empire State Future (left)

Implementing the NYS Smart Growth Public Infrastructure Act was moderated by Peter Fleischer of Empire State Future, who praised the potential for Smart Growth infrastructure and advocated for more funding. He hopes that Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo’s supports Smart Growth infrastructure in the future. Heather Sporn, representing the NYS Department of Transportation, also discussed Smart Growth’s potential and argued that local land use choices, in line with Smart Growth principles, need to be incorporated into major state plans. She also covered what NYSDOT implementation might look like on LI, focusing on Green Route 347 as a model redevelopment project. Lou Marquet of LeylandAlliance stressed the importance of listening to local communities and highlighted a successful intermodal center being built in Connecticut. Michael Harrison, LI Regional Director for Governor David A. Paterson, listed a set of guidelines for Smart Growth development centered around infrastructure investments. Paul Beyer of the NYS Smart Growth Cabinet also highlighted the interconnected interests in Smart Growth-oriented land use and infrastructure. Peter Scully from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation pointed out Smart Growth planning could help elevate local economies while preserving the environment. He also stressed the importance of coordinating efforts between federal, state and local governments. Implementation of this act is being coordinated on the State agency level and a follow up meeting will be held with the LI Smart Growth Working Group on December 15.

In Developments of Regional Impact: Getting them Approved and Built, moderator John Durso of the Long Island Federation of Labor and Local 338 said that the bottom line is “getting things done.” Lots of ideas end up going nowhere on LI, yet panelists in the room have managed to move projects forward and see tangible results. The key, all panelists agreed, is to reach out to the community throughout the process. Michael Adler, sitting in for Michael Dubb of The Beechwood Organization, talked about Meadowbrook Point as a popular project with the community, despite its location, thanks in part to community outreach and well-designed Smart Growth principles. Don Miller of Harrison Leifer DiMarco Public Relations said that as a developer, one must create a base of support, communicate and give out proper facts and be willing to scale down and listen to the public. Vincent Pizzulli of Cerilman Balin gave some legal context on zoning changes and added that it is critical to get off on the right foot with all stakeholders involved, including builder, municipality and community. Durso concluded that we cannot “shove things down people’s throats.” All agreed that the pace of large scale projects is too slow and that the regional and local leaders need to proceed expeditously to move job generating projects with community support.

Elissa Ward of Vision Long Island, Alex Latham of ADL III Architecture, Sandeep Mehrotra of Hazen and Sawyer, Diane Saltel of H2M and Mark Wouters of Cooper Robertson & Partners and CNU-NY

In Sustainable Design: PlaNYC, LEED-ND & Form Based Codes, panelists discussed the technical side of going green in our region. The panel was moderated by Vision Long Island’s Elissa Ward. Marc Wouters of Cooper Robertson & Partners and CNU-NY covered design guidelines for successful mixed-use communities, such as walkable streets in compact neighborhoods, street networks that link major roads with no dead-end streets, civic spaces such as pocket parks, tree-lined streets, native landscaping, rain gardens, biofilters, on-site renewable energy, light pollution reduction and more. Sandeep Mehrotra from Hazen and Sawyer presented innovative ways to capture and release storm water, including features such as rain gardens, reduced street widths, porous pavement, green roofs and more. He also covered PlaNYC’s stormwater management plan, which will seek out green infrastructure and better quality water. Diana Saltel of H2M described the process of creating a “Sustainability Plan” for the borough of Lodi, NJ, a densely populated, mature suburb. After coming up with a simple, easily understood definition of sustainability, they developed guidelines for efficient transportation and neighborhood centers, in addition to the main downtown area, affordable housing and other issues. Alex Latham of ADL III Architecture explained how form-based codes can be used to create attractive and walkable neighborhoods. These design approaches are important tools and can add both support and quality to the land use process and resulting projects.

Emerging Industries & Downtown Development: Making the Marriage Work featured Andrew Hazen of Prime Visibility, Dan Lunde of ancotel USA and Peter Goldsmith of LISTnet. Most panelists felt that technology companies and downtowns would be a great fit, but it means that the towns must step up to the plate and create spaces and the environment that will attract the businesses. The types of activities in many downtowns on Long Island include restaurants, bars and other amenities. Talk is not enough, but incentives, good buildings and the desire to be active must be there or tech companies will have no reasons to consider moving downtown. Perhaps a forward-thinking builder can get things started, especially with incentives for retrofitting existing buildings to make the deals economically viable.

The SEQRA Reform: Overcoming Challenges to Approvals of Smart Growth Projects panel was moderated by Keith Archer of Harras, Bloom, & Archer and featured Bill Tuyn of Greenman Pedersen, Matt Frank, a private developer and Graham Trelstad of AKRF. Overall, the panelists underscored the importance of streamlining the SEQRA process and encouraging greater dialogue to boost development. Although they stressed cooperation with local communities, they also mentioned that at times, the public often brings up concerns that experts have already taken into account. Still, they agreed that developers must recognize public needs before making plans. The developer must be the implementer and take care not to be seen as imposing a project on a community without municipal or community support. The local municipality could and should take the lead by having planning studies that conform to the process, essentially pre-approved, so as to not put each and every redevelopment in the line of fire.

Veronica Vanterpool, Tri-State Transportation Campaign (left); Heather Sporn of NYS DOT, Michael Posillico of Posillico, Will Stoner of AARP NY, Liz Bolsted of Go21, Mayer Horn of Greenman-Pedersen and Michael Vitti of Convenient Long Island Mountain Bicycling (CLIMB) (right)

In Transportation Reform: Opportunities in a Faltering Economy, panelists discussed the status of our decrepit transportation infrastructure, and presented ideas for much-needed improvements. Veronica Vanterpool of Tri-State Transportation Campaign moderated the panel, opening with a list of needs for the region including more funding, more laws for complete streets and more sustainable transportation instead of new roads and highways. Everything from air pollution to bus stops to pavement design was highlighted with the Green Route 347 project, as discussed by NYSDOT’s Heather Sporn. Michael Posillico of Posillico discussed some of the components of designing sustainable streets, ranging from environmentally responsible construction to visually appealing and enhancing the sense of community to transportation options and safety. Will Stoner of AARP NY leads the organization’s Complete Streets initiative, which seeks to create safe driving walking and biking conditions for all people using simple design solutions. Liz Bolstad represented Go21, a national group that advocates for more freight rail instead of trucks. She highlighted benefits of freight rail funding, including reduced highway congestion, greater fuel efficiency, cleaner air and economic feasibility. Greenman-Pedersen’s Mayer Horn discussed his visions for commuter rail (frequent service, attractive fares, single-seat rides and electrification), bus systems (north-south and train connectivity), highway (no congestion or cut-throughs on local streets) and streets (transit accommodations, bike lanes and sidewalks). Finally, Michael Vitti of Convenient Long Island Mountain Bicycling (CLIMB) argued that we need more funding and planning for safe bike lanes and paths. He noted that car accident rates decrease with bike lanes, as motorists learn to react better.

The faltering economy has both helped and hurt transportation reform. It’s helped by bringing increased attention and federal funding (federal grant programs like ARRA, TIGER, HUD, HSR) and hurt local and state funding for these very projects by pitting roads and transit and other needs against each other.

Some of the biggest challenges to transportation reform are: lack of continued and increased funding (one panelist said an increase in the gas tax is needed, though he understands it is politically unfeasible), lack of understanding about reform ("widening roads is the best way to reduce traffic congestion"), layers of agency bureaucracy) and lack of legislative support.

The Casinos on Long Island: Where When an What are the Planning Implications? panel featured a debate covering a variety of topics on the idea of placement, social impacts and economic benefits of a casino on Long Island. Prefaced by the taped remarks from Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Shinnecock Nation Randy King, the panel quickly moved into a debate on the benefits of a casino at the current site of the Coliseum, agreeing that its close proximity to schools and universities may count against the idea. The panel- which included Suffolk County Legislator Wayne Horsley, Hofstra University’s Richard Guardino, LI Business Council’s Richard Bivone and moderator Bruce Migatz of Albanese & Albanese- also explored the possibility of locating a casino in Suffolk County, covering many possible locations. There was some talk of a casino on the East End, but the idea was tempered by the fact that neither Fork could support the increase in traffic it would surely bring. The panel concluded that, eventually, there will be a casino on Long Island and were we to ignore that fact, the Island could end up placing it poorly and without an eye to sustainability. In spite of this, there will likely be major opposition wherever it is placed. This will require the Shinnecocks to make a commitment to building the area up right and with a commitment to infrastructure. The Nation must be prepared to defend itself to the public once a location is chosen. Placing a major facility anywhere on Long Island takes a certain amount of care, listening to the community and respect for the Island’s past efforts to preserve what remains of its open space.

Dan Deegan of Forchelli Curto Deegan

Financing Smart Growth was moderated by Dan Deegan of Forchelli Curto Deegan and featured panelists Bill Mannix of the Town of Islip IDA, and David Gallo of Whitney Capital Company. The panelists said that because Smart Growth projects are often planned for blighted areas with low-income residents and for a public, rather than a purely business purpose, they face unique challenges to securing necessary funds. Although with the new Congress in Washington, there likely be a marked reduction in earmark funding available, Smart Growth developers still hope to be able to compete for tax credits and IDA monies. Still, this is a very difficult and competitive process. Financing Smart Growth is a challenge that must be looked at holistically: there are many potential sources of financing that might not otherwise be available (or sufficient) by themselves, but when put together as part of a “Smart Growth story,” can be made available and leveraged together.

While IDAs are not a “pot of money” to access and do not “lend money” directly, they can offer very significant tax benefits that can make the entire project more economically sustainable and, therefore, financeable.

The third annual Youth Summit was held throughout the day. Students from Dowling College and West Islip High School learned about Smart Growth principles of community planning, discussed and proposed solutions to the issues that make it difficult for young people to stay on Long Island and participated in a “suburban community re-design” session where they had an opportunity to apply Smart Growth principles to re-designing five existing communities on Long Island.

The first session of the Youth Summit, dubbed Smart Growth 101, aimed to educate students about the principles of Smart Growth community design, featuring three speakers: Dr. Nathalia Rogers, Associate Professor of Sociology at Dowling College, Mike Lydon, principal of the New York- and Miami-based planning firm The Street Plans Collaborative and co-author of the Smart Growth Manual and Elissa Ward, Director of Sustainability at Vision Long Island.

In Youth Vision for Long Island’s Future, 5 panelists under the age of 25 discussed the importance of engaging young people in identifying challenges that they face if they wish to stay on Long Island and in proposing solutions to these challenges. Panelists included Kelly Douglas of West Islip High School, James Rhodes and Chateau Butler of Dowling College, Chris DeGrottale, a recent Dowling College graduate and Tara Klein of Vision Long Island. It was moderated by Dowling College Associate Professor of Sociology Dr. Nathalia Rogers. Suggested solutions included: accessible and affordable housing options, mass transit (including lower fares for students in Nassau County and creating more north-south connections in Suffolk County), creating and retaining jobs (especially in the area of infrastructure development), walkable and more culturally vibrant downtowns, entertainment options and amending zoning laws to allow for mixed use. The lesson of the session was for LI leaders to listen to the youth and for young people to get involved in communities, civics, politics, projects and more.

During the afternoon session, participants of the Youth Summit engaged in hands-on redesign of five existing town centers on Long Island: Bay Shore, Patchogue, Mineola, Hicksville, and Glen Cove. The mini-charrette was led by Mike Lydon and Elissa Ward, with additional support from Brandon Palanker of Renaissance Downtowns. Students proposed a number of improvements to the existing downtowns, ranging from creating a multi-modal design for downtown Bay Shore that would incorporate bike paths, a trolley, and walking paths to rezoning a number of Main Streets in various communities to mixed-use so that streets could accommodate more apartments above the stores. Students also proposed creating more waterfront public parks and a greater use of waterfront space for public buildings such as libraries and schools in order to give access to all members of the community, regardless of class or race.

What folks were saying about the 2010 Smart Growth Summit:

Former U.S. Senator Alfonse D’Amato said, “I’m pleased and proud to join the panel members, special guests and Vision Long Island team members to support this important event. Smart Growth is an incredibly innovative concept and I can’t stress enough its importance to future growth and preservation on Long Island.”

Town of Babylon Supervisor Steve Bellone said, “It’s no secret that Long Island is facing a number of challenges when it comes to land-use and development. I’m proud to be a part of the 2010 Smart Growth Summit by sharing ideas and best practices with other Long Island leaders. Vision Long Island has been an important partner in our efforts to bring Smart Growth principles to the Town of Babylon and this Summit is important to the future of Long Island as a whole.”

Town of Riverhead Supervisor Sean Walter said, "I recognize that each and every downtown on Long Island is the heart of the community in which it sits. My desire is to breathe new life into downtown Riverhead by preserving our heritage and redeveloping downtown one storefront at a time. By working with a handful of developers that have an expertise in revitalization efforts, I believe that that the private sector can work hand-in-hand with a local municipality to achieve this common goal."

Town of Islip Supervisor Phil Nolan said, "The 2010 Vision Long Island Smart Growth Summit is sure to be another great success. Any time you are able to bring together so many knowledgeable and passionate groups all focused on the betterment of the region, it is a win-win event for all."

Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman said, “As evidenced by my administration’s role in helping orchestrate New Cassel’s massive, multi-million dollar revitalization, I have long embraced Smart Growth principles. The developments in New Cassel, for example, feature affordable rentals atop retail space, an integral component of any Smart Growth strategy. Also, with the complete reconstruction of Prospect Avenue, the hamlet’s main thoroughfare, the roadway will now be more walkable, creating an enhanced sense of community and a environment removed from speeding vehicles. With the combination of the revitalization project and roadway reconstruction, not to mention the state-of-the-art LEED certified community center now under construction, New Cassel stands as a testament to North Hempstead’s commitment to Smart Growth.”

Town of Hempstead Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby said, "The Roosevelt Farmers Markets Program was a wonderful project for the residents and students. The community was able to purchase fresh nutritious vegetables and fruit at a very reasonable rate. Most importantly, the local youth were employed for the summer and were taught business skills such as running a business, handling money, buying and selling fresh produce and vegetables."

Town of Brookhaven Councilwoman Connie Kepert said, Being the largest Town on Long Island, it's critical that the Town of Brookhaven base our land use decisions on Smart Growth principles, for the sake of our natural resources, economic vitality and for the creation of attractive, vibrant communities. Having an organization like Vision Long Island to support and promote these goals through their work and today's Summit is a needed boost for this often difficult and complex task."

City of Glen Cove Mayor Ralph Suozzi said, “Everything we have and continue to work on in Glen Cove embraces the Smart Growth principles that recognize the intrinsic value of economic vitality and quality of life encouraged by Vision Long Island. Every project is framed by modern land use planning principles defined in our newly adopted Master Plan & Zoning. Our projects consider mix of uses, sustainability, economic development, pedestrian-friendly, attractive enhancements to our quality of life, transportation alternatives, open space and parkland rehabilitation, diverse housing types and broad-based community participation. We are using the present to transition to a better tomorrow while maintaining the best of yesterday.”

Village of Port Jefferson Mayor Margot Garant said, “The Village of Port Jefferson is currently undertaking the task of rewriting our Master Plan, originally done in 1965, two years after Incorporation. The new plan will provide recommendations for the immediate and long-range protection, enhancement and development of the Village. It is our hope that this plan will guide the Village in carefully managing new growth and development to protect the integrity of our Village, its historic districts, neighborhoods, uptown and downtown business districts, cultural and civic institutions, parks and natural resources.”

Warren Tackenberg, Executive Director of the Nassau County Village Officials Association, said, “I would like to applaud Vision Long Island on the implementation of this important seminar and appropriate workshops. This is now especially important considering the uncertainty of state and federal governments both nationally and globally.”

Don Monti, President and CEO of Renaissance Downtowns, said, “As a ‘recovered developer’ I have come to the realization that suburban sprawl is largest single failed experiment in the history of this country.”

Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, said, "Smart Growth principals can help us achieve sustainable growth and play a critical role to remake Long Island to a more desirable, community oriented way of life. Vibrant downtowns, accessible public transportation and walkable communities should be the foundation of shaping Long Island's future."

Suffolk County Legislator Wayne R. Horsley, Chair of Economic Development, Higher Education and Energy committee stated, “Smart Growth in Suffolk County is dependent upon developing wastewater infrastructure. Our downtowns will never grow to their full potential without sewers. Sewers are key to Smart Growth!”

Dr. Nathalia Rogers, Associate Professor of Sociology at Dowling College, said, “It is critical to include our young generation in the debate about how to keep Long Island economically strong and socially diverse. Young people are very capable of generating informed solutions and many of them are ready to work hard to make Long Island a more attractive and more affordable place to live. Holding the Youth Summit allows us to engage in an intergenerational civic education of young people at an early stage and to channel their energy towards creating constructive solutions for a better Long Island.”

A sampling of attendees' positive reviews:

"What a conference!"

"What you have managed to put together is startling."

"Bravo Bravo and Bravo - Great Summit, every year you do it better."

"Congrats on a successful summit. I was glad to be a part of it!"

"This looked like the biggest and most successful one yet"

"The workshops were excellent"

'Sen. D'Amato's speech was worth the price of admission"

Dozens of elected officials were in attendance throughout the day, including:

STATE & COUNTY: NYS Assemblyman Michael Fitzpatrick, NYS Assemblyman Dean Murray, Nassau County Legislator David Denenberg, Nassau County Legislator Wayne Wink, Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos, Suffolk County Legislator Tom Cilmi, Suffolk County Legislator Wayne Horsley, Suffolk County Legislator John Kennedy, Suffolk County Legislator Ed Romaine

TOWNS: Town of Babylon Supervisor Steve Bellone, Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman, North Hempstead Councilman Thomas Dwyer, Town of Riverhead Supervisor Sean Walter, Town of Riverhead Councilwoman Jodi Giglio, Town of Brookhaven Councilwoman Connie Kepert, Town of Brookhaven Councilwoman Kathleen Walsh, Town of Hempstead Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby, Town of Hempstead Councilman Ed Ambrosino, Town of Huntington Councilman Mark Cuthbertson, Town of Huntington Councilwoman Susan Berland, Town of Huntington Councilwoman Glenda Jackson, Town of Huntington Councilman Mark Mayoka, Town of Islip Councilman Steve Flotteron, Town of Islip Councilman John Edwards

VILLAGES: City of Glen Cove Mayor Ralph Suozzi, Village of Brightwaters Trustee John Valdini, Village of Farmingdale Mayor George Starkie, Village of Great Neck Mayor Ralph Kreitzman and Trustees Jeffrey Bass and Mitchell Beckerman, Village of Island Park Mayor James Ruzicka, Village of Mineola Mayor Jack Martins, Village of Northport Trustees Henry Tobin and Tom Kehoe, Village of Plandome Manor Mayor Barbara Donno, Village of Port Jefferson Mayor Margot Garant and Trustee Jim Burke, Village of Sea Cliff Mayor Bruce Kennedy

DIGNITARIES: Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Shinnecock Nation Randy King, Michael Harrison of the Office of Governor David A. Paterson, and Gerry Petrella of the Office of Senator Charles E. Schumer. Former Suffolk County Executive Patrick Halpin and Former Nassau County Executive Thomas Gulotta

Brandon Palanker of Renaissance Downtowns, Former Suffolk County Executive Pat Halpin, Don Monti of Glen Isle and Farmingdale Mayor Butch Starkie (left); Dr. Nathalia Rogers of Dowling College, Adrienne Esposito of Citizens Campaign for the Environment and Peter Scully of the NYS EDC

Will Stoner of AARP NY (left); Paul Beyer of the NYS Smart Growth Cabinet (right)

Joye Brown of Newsday, Don Monti and Dr. Nathalia Rogers of Dowling College (left); Peter Goldsmith of LISTnet (right)

Hon. Al D'Amato, Town of Babylon Supervisor Steve Bellone, Posillico's Michael Posillico and LI Business Council's Rich Bivone (left); Hon. Al D'Amato, Town of Babylon Supervisor Steve Bellone and Posillico's Michael Posillico (right)

Vision's Eric Alexander and Verizon's Patrick Lespinasse (left); Peter Goldsmith of LISTnet, Terri Alessi-Micelli of HIA and Will Stoner of AARP NY (right)

Vision's Eric Alexander, Vinny Frigeria of NYPA, Suffolk County Legislator Wayne Horsley and Adrienne Esposito of Citizens Campaign for the Environment (left); Mayer Horn of Greenman Pedersen, members of the Greenman Pedersen team and Michael Posillico of Posillico (right)

Suffolk County Department of Planning's Andy Freleng and APA-LI Chapter and Cameron Engineering's David Berg (left); Dowling College's Dr. Nathalia Rogers and Neal Lewis of the Sustainability Institute at Molloy College (right)

Michael Fletcher and Andrew Nicolia of Nicolia Industries (left); Mineola Mayor Jack Martins and Ken Pritchard of Dvirka and Bartilucci (right)

Kathy Eiseman of Nelson Pope & Voorhis and Deborah Herman of Building Long Island (left); Robert French of Carpenters Local 7 and Vision's Eric Alexander (right)

Marge Rogatz of Community Advocates and Town of Hempstead Councilwoman Dot Goosby (left); Scott Howell of LIRR and Bob Paley of the MTA (right)

Ken Christensen of Huntington Chamber of Commerce and Dick Koubek of Huntington Township Housing Coalition (left); Harras Bloom & Archer's Keith Archer and Paul Rogalle of the Town of Brookhaven (right)

National Grid's John Keating (left); Sarah Bluestone and Stanley Deveaux (right)

Sabrina DiAgostino of HIA, Terri Alessi-Micell of HIA; Carol Meschkow of Concerned Citizens of Plainview-Old Bethpage (left); Lowell Wolf of Nassau County and Eric Alexander (right)

Town of Brookhaven Councilwoman Connie Kepert and Ray DiBaise of LK McLean (left); Steve Rosetti of the Suffolk County IDA and Irwin Krasnow (right)

Eric Alexander and Mike Lydon of StreetsPlan Collaborative (left); Saratoga Associates' Bill Kuhl and Vision's Eric Alexander (right)

Eric Alexander with Cindy Mardenfeld of Infinity Communications (left); Larry Levy of the National Institute of Suburban Studies at Hofstra University with Eric Alexander of Vision Long Island and LI Business Council's Rich Bivone (right)

Forchelli Curto Deegan's Nina McCann and Eric Alexander (left); Fran Evans, Sharon Laudisi and Bert Cunningham of NYPA with Linda Bianculi of Town of Oyster Bay (right)

Richie Kessel of NYPA and Mayor of Plandome Barbara Donno (left); PS&S's Keith Samaroo and Mill Creek Residential's Maria Rigopoulos (right)

Joe Montalbano of Building Trades Council, Glen Cove Mayor Ralph Suozzi and Peter Zarcone of Building Trades Council (left); Peter Sloggatt of The Long Islander and Northport Village Trustee Tom Kehoe (right)

Newsday's Joye Brown and Patch.com's David Reich-Hale (left); Susan Auriemma of the Coalition for a Safer Manhasset and Ann Marie Curd of Manhasset Civic Association(right)

Tony Harding of THEM media, Don Monti of Glen Isle Partners and Larry Levy of the National Institute for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University (left); Matt Harris of Say NO to Avalon Bay at Huntington Station and Jaci Clement of Fair Media Council (right)

David Winzelberg of LI Business News and BIll Mannix of the Town of Islip IDA (left); Huntington Town Councilwoman Susan Berland (right)

Joe Scalero of the Village of Mineola, Bert Cunningham of NYPA, Village of Mineola Mayor Jack Martins and Mike Ahrens of Brookhaven National Lab (left); Keith Brown of Brown & Altman and David Genoway of Town of Islip Planning Department

Brian Feruggiari, Town of North Hempstead Councilman Tom Dwyer, Bill Mannix of The Town of Islip IDA, Hon. Al D'Amato and PS&S's Keith Samaroo (left); Chic Voorhis of Nelson Pope & Voorhis and Peter Scully of NYS DEC (right)

Bill Tuyn of Greenman Pedersen and Paul Beyer of the NYS Smart Growth Cabinet (left); Village of Farmingdale Mayor Butch Starkie and Nassau County Legislator Wayne Wink (right)

Patrick Lespinasse of Verizon, Georgette Grier-Key of the Huntington Arts Council and Tawaun Weber of Vision Long Island (left); Rabia Aziz of LI Minority AIDS Coalition and Diane from NY Communities for Change (right)

Philbert Robertson of the Hicksville Chamber of Commerce and John Wall of the Hicksville Gardens Civic Association (left); Bob Scheiner of H2M and Suffolk County's Andy Freleng (right)

Gary Epstein, CPA and Town of Riverhead Supervisor Sean Walter (left); Jennifer Casey of the Huntington Economic Development Corp. and Leadership Huntington's Trudy Fitzsimmons (right)

Special thanks to our sponsors and participants in the accompanying trade show that ran throughout the day.

Lead Sponsor

Gold Sponsors

Sponsors

Special Thanks

Nelson, Pope & Voorhis
Empower CES
Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce
Weidersum Associates
Town of Hempstead
Cameron Engineering

Town of Islip
Videomasters
Northport Copy
Livingston Development
LI Community Foundation
LIRR
Carpenters Union Local 7
Officeworx
Transportation Workers Union Local 252
Building Trades Association
Concern for Independent Living
MetroPool
Alcott HR Group

Not-For-Profit Supporters

SAVE THE DATES!!!

The 10th Annual Smart Growth Awards

Nominations due January 31st, 2011

Friday, June 17th, 2011

The 10th Annual Smart Growth Summit

Friday, November 18th, 2011

For more information, contact our office at 631-261-0242 or info@visionlongisland.org.