“We’ll do it.” – NYS Senate Majority Leader John L. Sampson, telling the Long Island Lobby Day Coalition that he will work to pass the proposed legislation that the group supports.

Renaissance Downtowns

Led by President and CEO Donald Monti, Renaissance Downtowns has over 35 years of development experience that covers all aspects of the real estate development spectrum including the successful implementation of residential, retail, office, hotel, recreational, marine and mixed use projects. This experience has enabled Renaissance to develop an innovative business model that meets market needs while tackling the complex challenges of comprehensive, holistic downtown redevelopment. The Company embraces a deeply ingrained set of core values, a determination and tenacity to outwork all competitors and an entrepreneurial spirit that resonates throughout the entire organization. Read more on their website.

Become a supporter of Smart Growth

Vision Long Island prides itself on having a broad range of supporters.  Become one today. A donation as small as $50 buys outreach materials to help a community build support for their vision. $500 sponsors an entire newsletter.  $5,000 makes you a lead sponsor of our Smart Growth Summit, buying 10 tickets and a key branding opportunity for your organization.
 
Your tax-deductible donation goes directly to Vision and lets you help strengthen efforts to put Smart Growth principles into action.

Deadline approaching for Smart Growth Awards - submit nominees by February 28th!

The deadline for nominations for the 2010 Smart Growth Awards is now less than a month away. The eight annual event will honor individuals and organizations taking leadership in advancing Smart Growth projects, policies, regulations and initiatives. Specific focus areas include mixed-use development, affordable housing, environmental health and safety, open space and historic preservation, traffic calming and pedestrian safety, transportation enhancements, clean energy, downtown revitalization and/or community based planning. The deadline for submissions is February 28th.

Award recipients will stand out from other entries in their ability to demonstrate one or more of these basic principles:

1. Mix Land Uses
2. Take advantage of compact building design
3. Create housing choices for a range of household types, family sizes and incomes
4. Create walkable neighborhoods
5. Foster distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place.
6. Preserve open space, farmland, historic buildings and critical environmental areas
7. Strengthen existing communities and achieve more balanced regional development
8. Provide a variety of transportation choices
9. Make development decisions predictable, fair and cost effective.
10. Encourage citizen and stakeholder participation in development decisions
11. Utilize clean energy and green building development

Submit this form and relevant materials to Vision Long Island, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation. Please include relevant reports, images, plans, renderings, news articles and other supportive materials. Do not send originals materials as we cannot guarantee their safe return.

The Awards will be handed out on Friday, June 18th from 11:30am-2pm at the Crest Hollow Country Club. Registration information is available here.

Attend Long Island's first LEED-ND® conference March 23rd

Please attend the first Long Island LEED-ND® conference March 23rd from 8:30am-3:00pm at the Sustainability Institute at Molloy College in East Farmingdale. Come to this informative worksession to learn about LEED-ND®: LEED®'s newest neighborhood-based green design standards, led by some of the region's foremost experts. LEED-ND® (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, Neighborhood Development) was developed in partnership with the US Green Building Council, Congress for the New Urbanism and the Natural Resources Defense Council. Workshops will cover: Smart Location & Linkage, Neighborhood Pattern & Design, Green Construction & Technology and Regional Priority Credit.

Sponsorship opportunities are available, starting at $500 and going up to $3000. Individual tickets are $75. The event is sponsored by the Sustainability Institute at Molloy College, the US Green Building Council, Vision Long Island and CNU-NY.

For more information or to RSVP, contact Vision Long Island at 631-261-0242 or email info@visionlongisland.org. Download the flyer for the event here. The Sustainability Institute at Molloy College is located at 7180 Republic Airport, East Farmingdale.

Long Island Smart Growth Working Group meets in spite of blizzard

The Long Island Smart Growth Working Group met on Thursday, February 11th at the Sustainability Institute at Molloy College and, despite school closings and over a foot of snow, 50 Long Island leaders showed up to give and hear Smart Growth updates from across the Island. Keynote presentations came from NYMTC’s Gerry Bogacz on the Regional Transportation Plan, Preservation League of New York State’s Daniel Mackay on historic preservation tax credit legislation, Tri-State Transportation Campaign’s Ryan Lynch and PCAC’s Ellyn Shannon on the DOT and MTA Capital Plans and budget woes and various Town elected officials on current Smart Growth projects and policies in their municipalities.

Gerry Bogacz from the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC) opened the meeting by explaining the recently passed 2010-2035 Regional Transportation Plan: A Shared Vision for a Shared Future. As the region’s Metropolitan Planning Organization, such a long-term plan is required by federal law every four years in order to receive transportation funding. Bogacz explained, in depth, how this plan differs from past plans along with some of the challenges and opportunities for Long Island over the next 25 years. The plan is a result of over 20 community outreach sessions and a great deal of regional collaboration, though the main point of contact on Long Island comes from the two Counties. Bogacz admitted that he would like to strengthen the relationship with the local towns and villages and that education on this plan is important.

One of the greatest challenges is projected population growth. Our region is unique because we have congestion in our transit systems and we even have some pedestrian congestion. If we do not adapt our transportation needs accordingly, there will be significant increases in travel delays.

The plan includes four “foundation projects,” which have commitments to being completed in the long term. They include East Side Access, the Second Avenue Subway, the 7 train extension, and NJ Transit’s ARC tunnel. There are also ten desired areas for concentrated growth in the region, including the Nassau Hub and the Brentwood area. There are also several investments planned for overall regional growth, including in places like Southampton’s CR-39 and Riverhead’s CR-58, among others.

The financing figures for the plan are pretty astronomical, even when taken in the 25-year context. Total needs are $986.2 billion, with forecasted resources at $998.5 billion. Pre-established funding sources are not enough, so the plan includes an unspecified new revenue source, which would involve some way of taxing each vehicle mile traveled five cents. This could be tolling, congestion pricing, a gas tax, or something similar.

The next updates were on the NYSDOT and MTA Capital Plans, whose 5-year plans typically mirror each other. The reports were given by Tri-State’s Ryan Lynch and PCAC’s Ellyn Shannon. Currently, there is no MTA plan because it was turned down in a State review board, but there is hope that a new one will be reworked and submitted by March. It will likely be a 2-year plan instead of the normal 5, and it is likely that it will be about $8 billion short of what the DOT is asking for. Lynch said of the MTA plan, “it’s political now.” In addition, the MTA’s payroll tax has not brought in the funds it thought it would, leaving the agency an $800 million shortfall. Governor Paterson has proposed legislation that would rework the payroll tax, so New York City residents would pay the most, and Long Island would pay less. This would only generate an additional $250 million, so there is still a massive shortfall, but there are additional options such as the MTA using some stimulus funds for operations. The controversial congestion pricing and tolling plans should be back on the table.

Despite the grim outlook, there are federal opportunities we can mobilize for now. The federal transportation reauthorization bill does not look like it will be moving forward this year,  but it looks like a few other bills, particularly the jobs bill, will provide billions in transportation funds. There is also the potential for a federal Complete Streets bill, and a Livable Communities act. The action item is to get our federal representatives to cosponsor some of these bills. Vision will be in Washington, DC lobbying for transportation at the end of February, so any feedback or additional action items are welcome.

Daniel MacKay, Director of Public Policy for the Preservation League of New York State, spoke about new opportunities for state and federal historic preservation tax credits that Long Island can benefit from. In New York State, there are 94,000 registered historic sites. Despite Long Island’s rich historic culture and countless local icons, a large proportion of these historic landmarks are not recognized at the state or federal levels. To date, there has not been a significant effort to list these properties nationally. The League is pushing a Smart Growth agenda through their policy priorities, including reinvestment in existing main streets and old neighborhoods. There is a huge tax benefit from preservation, which outperforms in economic benefits on a 2-1 basis. Preservation is a multiplier and needs to be at the forefront of planning.

In 2009, Governor Paterson signed legislation to strengthen the NYS Historic Preservation Tax Credit program, which is intended to dovetail on the federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit program. MacKay reviewed the technical side of the state and federal programs, and said that local planners should be aware of these details- some buildings can receive up to 40% in tax credits. The NYS legislation will add a new component for owner occupied homes, which provides up to $50,000 per structure for retrofitting. MacKay said that the federal program alone does not get the job done, especially for rural and suburban areas, so this new statewide legislation is a great step. Ninety percent of buildings in the City of Buffalo qualify!

Next in the agenda were Town updates. Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby of Hempstead discussed the Town’s decision this week to rezone the Nassau Coliseum area for a scaled-back development. This “counterproposal” still maintains interest from the Lighthouse developers. Additional projects are coming to the Councilwoman’s district such as a Bethpage Federal Credit Union, a healthcare center and the Mitchel Field AvalonBay housing project in East Meadow, which will include a specific area for disabled veterans.

Councilman James Wooten from Riverhead has a lot of small but significant projects such as the Atlantis Aquarium expansion, the Summerwind apartments, and the 1 East Main project. These and other projects all came together in last week’s downtown Riverhead Summit to plan for future growth.

In Huntington, new Councilman Mark Mayoka talked about Huntington Station and the need to both bring in new businesses and keep existing businesses from leaving. He is proposing a Small Business Resource Center to help in these efforts. Residents are also crying out for more affordable housing in the area, so he looks forward to moving those efforts forward.

Councilman Steve Flotteron of Islip came with a list of 18 small Smart Growth projects currently underway in 6 communities. These projects all go under the radar and are overshadowed by the large Heartland proposal in Islip. These small projects are as important as the big ones, and they are “shovel-ready” to happen within months.

Heather Sporn from the NYS DOT updated the group on safety issues in Smithtown. The Town will be receiving new traffic calming grants due to several recent pedestrian accidents.

Southampton Planning Director Jeff Murphree discussed the Town’s changing administration that will hopefully deal with its budget deficit and restore capital funding that was cut. The Town is looking at long-term planning now and how to do more with less. A key focus area will be waterfront revitalization and the CR-39 project.

Jim McCaffrey from Oyster Bay was excited about the downtown Hicksville vision project. He is also concerned with the Grumman property, new parking garages, and redevelopment in Jericho.

Mark Grossman from DOL provided an update on their activities in workforce training and their efforts to create job development opportunities throughout the region.

The meeting also provided brief updates on the success of this week’s Long Island Lobby Day, the upcoming LEED-ND Conference on March 23rd that Vision is co-sponsoring with the Sustainability Institute, CNU-NY, and USGBC-LI, and the upcoming Long Island Youth Summit for high school students organized by Dowling College.

Coalition for the Homeless holds annual candlelight vigil

On Thursday evening, February 11th, the Nassau-Suffolk Coalition for the Homeless had their annual "Have a Heart for the Homeless" Candlelight Vigil. Though the snow kept some away, there were over 1000 in attendance at SUNY Farmingdale to show solidarity for Long Island's homeless population. Due to the weather, the festivities took place indoors with battery powered candles. The Girl Scouts choir sang a few songs and there were a few brief speeches, but the main focus of the evening was the piles and piles of donated items that were distributed to participating agencies. There were booths from service agencies, plus activities for the kids like face painting, balloon animals, and story time. There were free haircuts and free refreshments.

NSCH Executive Director Greta Guarton said that the great thing about this event was that it brings together so many different people with a common goal of addressing the homeless problem on LI: "Look around: you don't know if the person next to you came to volunteer, works for an agency, or is homeless," she said. The big news of the evening was that that coalition will be officially changing its name to the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless, in honor of the widespread, unified efforts the group does across the Island. 

Sustainability Institute Green Paper Now Available Online

Two weeks ago, Vision reported on the release of the first "Green Paper" from the Sustainability Institute at Molloy College, titled "Long Island Towns Successfully Strengthen Residential Energy Codes." The report is now available online at si.molloy.edu.

The report looked at the results of a campaign to have local town codes adopt Energy Star Homes standards for all new home construction. Since 2007, the campaign has been successful in ten out of thirteen Long Island towns, with the exception of East Hampton, Southold, and Shelter Island. The Sustainability Institute calls the implementation "a mostly cooperative effort between the building industry, municipal officials and environmental activists."

Long Island Development Corporation changing to better serve small businesses

The Long Island Development Corporation (LIDC) has a history of creating, adding, and changing programs to fill needs, fill gaps, remain relevant, and serve the needs of the community by helping small businesses & others to promote economic/community development with meaningful programs and services. To that end, the group has created a partnership with the Empire State CDC/NYBDC for them to seamlessly provide the SBA 504 small business assistance program with continuing assistance from LIDC. LIDC will concentrate on other programs desperately needed in this economy such as:

Long Island Targeted Loan Fund/LISBAC Loans - President Obama, Governor Paterson, and others are talking about revolving loan funds and access to capital for small businesses. These loan funds meet small business needs in this dire economy, with their flexible lending criteria, focus on small, women, minority owned businesses, and availability of working capital. LIDC will continue and expand these programs.

GAPSCAP - LIDC will focus on instructional seminars/training for entrepreneurs to be able to expand and grow with government and private sector contracts, learn helpful tools such as marketing, accounting, other ways to grow their businesses. LIDC will expand to reach more entrepreneurs through their partnership with BWE.

For over 30+ years, LIDC has brought its expertise and experience to the table for the benefit of entrepreneurs, nonprofits, government agencies, trade associations and others. They will continue to apply all their resources to help Long Island's economy. Call LIDC at 866-433-5432 or email roz-goldmacher@lidc.org with any questions.

Alec Loorz Brings Climate Change Message to Youth on LI

On Sunday, January 31st, 15-year old Alec Loorz of the nonprofit Kids vs. Global Warming came to Long Island to speak about the climate crisis and what kids and teenagers can do about it today. Over 150 people of all ages gathered at the Unitarian Congregation at Shelter Rock in Manhasset to hear the highly anticipated speaker.

Loorz gave a colorful, dynamic and passionate presentation designed for young minds. He began by explaining how he got started. At age 12, shortly after seeing Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth," he got into an argument with a friend over the drastic implications of climate change. He was so frustrated that he stayed up late one night making a power point presentation for his friend. He soon founded his organization and became the youngest person ever to be trained as a presenter in Al Gore's The Climate Project. He has traveled all over the country giving presentations in schools, organizing community activism and participating in leadership trainings. He was fortunate enough to travel to Copenhagen, Denmark recently for the global climate talks (the results of which were disappointing, argued Loorz).

The presentation went on to describe in detail the process of climate change, the intensity of carbon emissions and the ramifications of inaction, from extinct species to unimaginable air quality levels.

There are things you can do, though! Loorz showed images of some cool gadgets to conserve energy, including a sleek hybrid electric car designed by teenagers and a silver tube-shaped device that charges electronics on the go using renewable energies. The technologies to cap carbon emissions already exist, and many more are being created. Loorz is also organizing a huge nationwide rally on climate change.

Yes, kids are the future, he said, but they are also here right now and can make a big impact if mobilized. Stay tuned for more action alerts from Alec! Kids vs. Global Warming is "a group of kids that Educate other kids about the science of global warming and Empower them to take action."

Hempstead moves forward with Coliseum property

The Town of Hempstead announced this week that it is creating its own rezoning plan for the 77 acres surrounding the Nassau Coliseum. The Town Board plans to hire engineering and planning consultants F.P. Clark Associates to create a Planned Development District (PDD) that will establish zoning for what can be built on the site. The Town's vision is for a scaled-back development from the Lighthouse Development Group's proposal, which includes a refurbished coliseum and some development, though the details are still scant. The plan could be presented to the Town Board by this summer.

According to Long Island Business News: "The town claims that the Lighthouse developers have 'withdrawn from participating in the environment review and zoning process', by not paying the town’s consultants and by not responding to questions raised since its zoning hearing last September." However, Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby said at Vision's LI Smart Growth Working Group meeting this week that the Lighthouse developers still seem to be interested in working together to move forward on the site. 

LIBN continued, "One member of the Lighthouse advisory committee said the town’s desire to move the project forward is a good sign. Eric Alexander, director of Vision Long Island, said the new zoning effort will create a guidepost to let the developers know what they can build right up front. 'This is an opportunity for the town to lay out its intentions and for there to be a basic direction for the project,' Alexander said."

Wyandanch Sewer Plan Clogged

Six months ago, Town of Babylon Supervisor Steve Bellone announced that the distressed community of Wyandanch would receive new sewers to allow for downtown revitalization and growth. The Supervisor promised that the sewers would lead to new shops and sidewalks on a vibrant main street. However, the process is now stalled while the community waits for its allotted federal stimulus dollars to come in from the State. The Town is waiting to find out when and how much money it will receive from a $2 billion federal drinking water infrastructure fund. They are expecting $10-12 million to install the sewer lines, which Long Island Business News says is "a necessary precursor to the $500 million redevelopment of Straight Path. The project will encompass 134 acres, including 50 acres in the area’s downtown that will house European-style plazas, fountains and an ice skating rink. The road is being rebuilt from four lanes to two with street parking and medians to slow traffic down through the area." 

Bellone said that design work for the downtown project should be completed by the end of this year, which is when the sewer installation should be taking place: “This is about creating a downtown in an existing community by infilling that underdeveloped commercial corridor,” Bellone said. “Wyandanch has a lot of challenges that it faces, including a lack of infrastructure and a problem with crime and poverty.”

LIBN cited this week's Long Island Lobby Day. Wyandanch was on the group's list of priority sewer funding projects: "Eric Alexander, executive director of Vision Long Island, who helped organize meetings with state legislators regarding sewer projects and other issues, said sewers are an important piece of infrastructure necessary to build the smart growth downtowns that are deemed necessary by reports such as the Long Island Index. He said the areas on the lobbying group’s priority list have their engineering profiles complete. They just need the necessary money to make it happen. 'We have to keep the momentum going,' Alexander said. 'We need to make sure Long Island gets its fair share.'"

New Partners for Smart Growth conference promotes collaboration between federal agencies

Last weekend, February 4th-6th, was the 9th annual New Partners for Smart Growth conference in Seattle, Washington. There were over 1,700 attendees. Of the dozens of workshops over three days, one panel in particular got some terrific feedback. The panel featured HUD (Dept. of Housing and Urban Development), DOT (Dept. of Transportation) and EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). The speakers called themselves President Obama's "Green Cabinet" and said that all three agencies now speak with one voice. They emphasized the importance of Smart Growth, sustainability and livability as core goals in their work.

DOT Secretary Ray LaHood said that HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan is putting the "UD" back in HUD. Donovan spoke about 'Smart Growth' and 'smart shrinkage,' with Detroit being an example of the latter. He said that Obama directed the agencies to catch up with local Smart Growth leaders throughout the US and then begin to lead the charge nationwide. “We will help facilitate your visions,” he said. The panelists said that "we are only as strong as our neighbor." It was encouraging to see this collaborative, local mindset coming from federal agencies that have not always worked together in the past. The EPA representative added, “the ability to drive less is the central goal of sustainability.”

All of the panelists spoke about the large amount of funding for Smart Growth that is in Obama’s new budget. Secretary Donovan said that the agencies really want to hear from local governments and ‘Smart Growth visionaries’ about how best to leverage the funding they have. Smart Growth America  wrote: "Secretary Ray LaHood made it clear that the federal government will be a powerful supporting partner in the work that all of us are doing across the country to ensure that the neighborhoods, communities and cities we call home are great places to live for decades to come. 'You guys are the dreamers; the innovators — but we are going to partner with you to do this work."

Haitian earthquake victims need help

On January 12th, a devastating 7.0 earthquake rocked Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. There are many ways to help assist victims of this horrific tragedy from home.

In addition to donating money through organizations such as the Red Cross, Doctors without Borders, or any of the text message donation links and dozens of other charities that have been floating around cyberspace, Nassau County and Suffolk County are both mobilizing relief efforts.  Details are attached below to figure out how you can assist with both emergency items and financial assistance. 

In a difficult time like this, it is a reminder of how blessed we are and how it is incumbent for us all to assist our neighbors.

Please see our special e-blast for details, by county, of how you can help.

NYS DEC calls for public comment

On December 16th, the New York State Department of Environmental Concern (NYS DEC), pursuant to Executive Order No. 25, invited comment from regulated entities and interested parties to identify existing regulations that impose unnecessary, burdensome or excessive costs, paperwork, reporting or other requirements.  The regulations are contained in Title 6 of the Official Compilation of Codes, Rules and Regulations of the State of New York, available here, as well as on the DEC’s regulations webpage, accessible here.

Comments are sought that describe and quantify the burden and suggest appropriate remedies that the agency may undertake to eliminate or amend regulations that are unnecessary, unbalanced, unwise, duplicative or unduly burdensome.
 
Any comments must be received on or before February 15, 2010, and may be submitted either in writing to Timothy E. Eidle, Esq., NYS DEC, Office of General Counsel, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233, or electronically by visiting the DEC webpage for Executive Order No. 25, located here.

Wyandanch Homes and Property Developers Corporation seeks donations

The Wyandanch Homes and Property Development Corporation, who rebuild both communities and families by buying and rehabilitating housing for the poor and by providing poor families with support services allowing them to achieve self-sufficiency, are seeking donations of the following:

- Couch
- 2 living room chairs
- Dining Room table and 4 chairs
- 2 end tables
- Coffee table
- Lamps
- 3 dressers
- 1 single bed – frame, mattress & box spring

If you have donations please contact whpdc@yahoo.com or call 631-940-6521.

Neighborhood Network presents Organic Turf Show at SUNY Farmingdale February 16th

Save the date for Neighborhood Network's 11th Annual Organic Turf Show, taking place on Tuesday, February 16th from 8am-4pm at Farmingdale State College (Roosevelt Hall). This unique Trade Show demonstrates to green industry professionals current "organic" methods that help reduce chemical pesticide use. It is the leading event of its kind for our region. The show features organic product vendors and workshops on organic turf maintenance that offer DEC credits for certified applicators.

Last year, over 300 people attended the show. Invitees include: landscapers, horticulturists, golf course & parks employees, and garden centers from around the region, as well as school facilities managers, public officials, and non-profit groups. 2010 speakers so far include T. Fleisher, Battery Parks City Parks Conservancy; Patty Kleinberg, Queens Botanical Garden; Peter Schmidt, Compostwerks; Rich Staudt, Total Landscape Care; and Tamson Yeh, Cornell Cooperative Extension. Sponsorship and advertisement opportunities are available.

To learn more and to register online, visit organicturfshow.org or call Neighborhood Network at (631)-963-5454.

Child Care Centers: At The Center of Your Community on February 16th

Join the Child Care Aware Parent Network for a free evening webinar with Mario Luis Small, author of the new book "Unanticipated Gains: Origins of Network Inequality in Everyday Life," as he discusses how child care centers support the formation of social networks within a community. Blogger Paul Nhyan says of the book: "Parents build social capital at these [child care] centers, connecting with other moms and dads. This isn't a big surprise to me, since I found everything from job leads and story ideas to nanny referrals and parenting advice at our child care center." 

This informative webinar will teach about the most important characteristics of child care centers that encourage parents to form social networks.  What can you do to help make your child care center the center of your community?  

The event takes place on Tuesday, February 16th at 8pm. Learn more and register here.

2010 Long Island Youth Summit at Dowling College on March 5

On March 5th, high school students from all over Long Island will convene for the 2010 Long Island Youth Summit that will take place at Dowling College in Oakdale. The purpose of the Summit is to work with the brightest and most active high school students in order to make them aware of the socio-economic and environmental challenges that are affecting or may affect suburban Long Island in the near future. 

In order to participate in the Summit, the students were asked to either write a paper/essay or create a short video or an art portfolio that would discuss possible solutions to a suburban issue of their choice. Based on the quality of their submitted work, approximately one hundred students will be selected as the finalists who, together with their high school teachers, will be participating in the Summit. Throughout the event, finalists will participate in workshops with experts in the areas of business and economics, governance, housing and transportation, environment, education and non-profit and civic activism on proposing the solutions to the issues affecting Long Island. 

The Summit is designed not only to engage large groups of young people in civic education about Long Island, but also to provide students with experiences that may set them on the path of future leadership. Long Island loses the highest percentage of its population between the ages of 25 and 34 as compared not only to the rest of the country but also to all other suburbs in the New York City metropolitan area. If we continue to lose our young population at the same pace, Long Island will soon become an ‘aging’ society with a rapidly shrinking school student population and deteriorating business development environment. The Youth Summit Steering Committee feels that engaging high school students will help to create a generation of new, talented leaders of the future that will stay on Long Island and help Long Island to prosper economically and socially. 

Interested students and teachers can visit the Youth Summit's webpage in order to find instructions for projects and content area questions and links to various websites and publications where answers to the content questions could be found. There are six content categories of the Summit: Governance Structure and Civic Activism; Economic Development of Long Island; Environmental Issues (Protection of Water, Renewable Energy, and Preservation of Open Space); Housing, Transportation and Suburban Culture; and Race, Class, and Education on Long Island.  

The deadline for the project submissions is Monday, February 22nd. The selection of the Summit participants will be done on a competitive basis. The best projects will be featured on the day of the Summit and disseminated to the media.

Huntington Town Board to hold public hearing for Huntington Station TOD on March 9th

The Huntington Town Board, at its first meeting of the year, voted to schedule a March 9th public hearing on the creation of the Huntington Station Transit Oriented District, a move aimed at allowing a range of housing opportunities for people at different income levels and at different stages of life at a location where residents will have increased access to mass transit and a reduced dependency on the automobile.  This district will be applied to the 26.6-acre district located on about a half mile from the Huntington Long Island Rail Road station, on the north side of East Fifth Street, which AvalonBay Communities Inc. is looking to develop with a mix of market rate and affordable housing.

Details regarding time and location will be announced soon. Read more on the Town's website.

The Green Economy: Promise and Potential on March 12th

The Sustainability Institute at Molloy College presents the 2010 Joseph F. Maher Forum at Molloy College: "The Green Economy: Promise and Potential." The forum will take place on Friday March 12th from 1:00-4:45pm at the Hays Theater, Wilbur Arts Center at Molloy College.

The keynote speaker will be New York Times bestselling author Peter C. Fusaro, who is the Chairman and Founder of Global Change Associates. Panel discussions include Government Policy that Promotes Green Job Creation and The Nuts and Bolts of Green Jobs. Speakers and invited speakers include Neal Lewis of the Sustainability Institute, Richard M. Kessel of New York Power Authority, Thomas P. DiNapoli, New York State Comptroller, Kevin S. Law of Long Island Power Authority, Steve Bellone, Babylon Town Supervisor, Alfonse D’Amato, Former U.S. Senator and Founder of Park Strategies LLC, Edward P. Mangano, Nassau County Executive, Kate Murray, Hempstead Town Supervisor, Steve Levy, Suffolk County Executive, Kristopher Shaw of Crescent Energy, LLC, David Kirkpatrick of SJF Ventures, Albert Harsch of Eastern Energy Systems, Dawn Dzurilla of Gaia Human Capital Consultants, David Schieren of EmPower, John Cameron of Cameron Engineering, Ross D. Ain of Caithness Long Island, LLC, John Durso of Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW, Ray List of EnLink Geoenergy, and Micah Kotch of Polytechnic Institute of NYU.

The event will be followed by a cocktail reception and networking until 6pm. Please RSVP by March 5th. Tickets are $50 per person.

For more information, email event@molloy.edu or call 516.678.5000 ext. 6622.

Scholarships Available to Attend APA National Conference

The LI Section of the NY Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA) will award up to two Arthur Kunz Memorial Scholarships to graduate students (in a planning or a planning-related field) or to entry-level planners (three years or less out of college or three years or less in a professional planning position) to attend the APA National Planning Conference in New Orleans from Saturday, April 10th through Tuesday, April 13th, 2010. The scholarship will pay for conference registration, APA membership for one year, and additional expenses up to $1,500 for each scholarship.

In the spirit of Mr. Kunz, a Suffolk County planner and mobile workshop enthusiast, the scholarship will also fund attendance at one mobile workshop. If you are an entry-level planner that lives or works on Long Island or a student that attends graduate school or lives on Long Island, and wish to apply for a scholarship, send your resume and why you are interested in an email to LongIslandSection@nyplanning.org.

The deadline for submissions has been extended to February 16th.

Department of Environmental Conservation offers grants for Environmental Restoration Program

The Department of Environmental Conservation will be issuing grants through the Environmental Restoration Program, which aims to provide funding to qualified municipalities in an effort to reimburse up to 90 percent of on-site eligible costs and 100 percent of off-site eligible costs for site investigation and remediation activities. Once the remediation has taken place, the property may then be reused for commercial, industrial, residential or public use.

The purpose of the Environmental Restoration Program is to help fund cleanup and redevelopment of properties that have been contaminated with hazardous substances and/or petroleum. Eligible entities include counties, cities, towns, villages, local public authorities, public benefit corporations, school and supervisory districts, and improvement districts. Contact the Department of Environmental Conservation for funding figures.

Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. For more information: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Attn: Environmental Remediation, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233, 518-402-9764, derweb@gw.dec.state.ny.us.

Nassau-Suffolk Coalition for the Homeless Hiring for Two Positions

The Nassau-Suffolk Coalition for the Homeless is currently hiring for the following positions:

Part-time Senior Accountant:

The Nassau-Suffolk Coalition for the Homeless is seeking to hire a part-time (3 days/week) Senior Accountant at their Garden City office. This position is responsible for budgets, financial planning, accounting, asset management and supervision of bookkeeping staff. Other responsibilities include the daily management of accounting operations, hands-on generating and delivering financial statements, budget and audit preparation, as well as budget/fiscal analysis and planning. This position is expected to maintain close working relationships with funding sources and develop a strong understanding of their regulations in order to ensure contract compliance. Other responsibilities as assigned.

Paid vacation, holidays, personal time and sick time. Qualifications: Must have a BS in accounting - CPA Preferred - and a minimum of five years accounting experience in a community-based non-profit, multi-funded organization, as well as two years supervisory experience. Must have computer literacy; must be proficient in Fund EZ and Quickbooks; must have working knowledge of Windows Word and Excel applications; must be proficient in internet use. Ability to mediate disputes and resolve conflicts. Ability to work independently. 

Full-time Case Management:

The Nassau-Suffolk Coalition for the Homeless is seeking to hire a full-time case manager to work with homeless and at-risk Long Islanders at their Garden City office. The Case Manager's role will include assisting eligible clients in obtaining housing, services and/or benefits/financial assistance as appropriate; providing formation and referrals to those seeking assistance, collecting and distributing needed items for those in need, and conducting outreach to homeless Long Islanders and agencies/community groups who serve them. This will include visiting clients at their locations as needed. Other responsibilities will include the preparation of reports and statistics, maintenance of a client data base on persons served and other duties as assigned.

Medical Benefits included. Paid vacation, holidays, personal time and sick time. Qualifications: Education and/or experience: Masters Degree in Social Work or related field; or Bachelors degree in Social Work or related field and two (2) years of related experience and/or training. Valid NYS driver's license. Must have basic computer literacy; must be proficient in Windows Word and Excel applications; must have working knowledge of Access, Publisher and Power Point; must be proficient in internet use. Ability to mediate disputes and resolve conflicts. Ability to work independently.

The Nassau-Suffolk Coalition for the Homeless is an equal opportunity employer. Please email resumes and/or inquiries to gguarton@nsch.org.

Tri-State Transportation Campaign seeks full-time Albany-based staff person

New York’s transportation woes are numerous and many of them can be traced back to one source: a lack of money for transit, bridge and road projects; the inability of cities to use cameras to keep cars out of bus lanes; and a missing State Smart Growth philosophy. All of these problems can only be solved by Gov. Paterson, legislative and agency leaders and other officials in the State capital, so that’s where TSTC is heading. 

For the first time, the Tri-State Transportation Campaign is hiring a full-time staff member based in Albany. The staff member will advance key legislative issues and expand our partnerships in Albany. Candidates should be articulate, dynamic and assertive and have experience working with elected officials and with community organizing campaigns. They must have a dedication to and passion for environmental issues, strong writing and journalistic skills and a willingness to work in an advocacy environment. Specific knowledge of transportation-related issues is a strong plus and familiarity with NYS geography is preferred.

Responsibilities will include:

• Pushing existing legislation to improve transportation planning and transit systems such as bus camera lane enforcement and complete streets;
• Pushing for traffic safety legislation (speed cameras, expansion of red light cameras, “vulnerable users” legislation, etc.);
• Advocating for increased, sustainable, and balanced funding sources for transit;
• Watchdogging state Department of Transportation projects and programs and conducting meetings with department staff;
• Writing a weekly “Albany Report” for MTR and another publication;
• Managing a state candidate issue survey.

Other responsibilities may include press outreach, public presentations and blog and report writing. This is a one-year position with the possibility of extension. It is based in Albany, with some travel to our main office in New York City and around the state required.

Three years of work experience required. The candidate must be politically savvy, energetic, flexible, and have excellent analytical, research and writing skills. Masters in urban planning, environmental policy, nonprofit management or related field preferred.

To apply or for more information, send an e-mail to the attention of Associate Director Veronica Vanterpool at tstc@tstc.org.

13th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count on Saturday

The 13th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count will take place at the Edgewood Preserve this Saturday, February 13, beginning at 9am. The birds need your help and all you have to do is watch them! No experience is necessary, but a love of birds and nature is! Be a “citizen scientist” for a day, a few hours, or just 15 minutes. Join thousands of other bird lovers across the nation who will do their part to help the Audubon Society and Cornell Lab of Ornithology in monitoring shifting winter bird populations, which then provide a “snapshot” of birds across the continent. Nationally, participants turned in more than 93,000 checklists in 2009. Good, but we can do better! Now, let’s go count some birds!

The entrance to the Edgewood Preserve is on the east side of Commack Road in Deer Park, just north of Long Island Avenue and approximately 1.5 miles south of the LIE. Meet near the kiosk in the parking area a few minutes before 9am. For more information about The Bird Count or to print out a data form, visit their website here. If you cannot come out to Edgewood, consider counting birds in your garden or backyard for 15 minutes and enter your results online at www.birdcount.org. 

Contact the Edgewood Preserve Bird Count leaders Mary Beth and Paul Tomko at mbtomko@gmail.com or 631-838-4801.

There are so many cultural events this weekend!

The Olympics start tonight! Valentine's Day is Sunday! Chinese New Year is also Sunday! There's a ton of snow on the ground to play in! We bet you can find something good to do this weekend. But here's just one suggestion:

The Arts-in-Education department of the Huntington Arts Council is putting on four exciting arts workshops for kids ages 5-10. The series begins on Saturday, February 13 with a special Chinese New Year Celebration. Participants will make traditional lion puppets and paper lanterns and experience authentic Chinese cultural artifacts.

The workshop will take place from 1:30-3pm at the Main Street Petite Gallery, 213 Main Street in Huntington. Please call Caitlin Apostoli at 631-271-8423 x14 or email capostoli@huntingtonarts.org with any questions or to make a reservation. The workshop fee is $20, which includes all materials. Proceeds of these programs benefit the Huntington Arts Council's Arts-in-Education programs. 

SMART GROWTH NEWS

Newsletter Editor: Michelle Dutchen, Director of Communications
Contributors: Eric Alexander, Executive Director; Tara Klein, Planning Coordinator;
Tawaun Weber, Assistant Director; Elissa Ward, Director of Sustainability; Juliana Roberts Dubovsky, Planning Consultant; Chris Kyle, Program Coordinator

We strive to provide continued quality publications such as this each week. If you have any news or events that you would like to add to our newsletter, submit them to info@visionlongisland.org for consideration.

If you are interested in becoming a newsletter or news blast sponsor, please call the office at 631-261-0242 for rates and opportunities.

For more information about Vision Long Island, visit visionlongisland.org or contact us at:
24 Woodbine Ave. Suite One Northport, NY 11768.
Phone: (631) 261-0242. Fax: (631) 754-4452.
Email: info@visionlongisland.org