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THE 2009 SMART GROWTH SUMMIT SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED! REGISTER TODAY!
Announcing this year's workshops and panelists: |
Sponsor
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.
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RexCorp Realty is a premier real estate operating company. With a significant presence in the New York Tri-State area, the Company has established a franchise uniquely positioned to meet the needs of companies seeking superior office properties and premier services. They are currently working on the Glen Cove Waterfront redevelopment project.
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Yaphank Proposal Debated
The 250-acre project, worth roughly $400 million, would include 1,000 units of housing, an indoor and outdoor sports and entertainment complex with 5,500 and 5,000 seats respectively, a 90-room hotel, four restaurants, a 95-acre alternative energy research and development center with a four-megawatt solar plant to generate power for the complex, and 75,000 square feet of office and retail space. The 1,000 housing units would include one and two-bedroom townhouses and condos, with about 80% of the units sold as affordable housing. These units would be priced between $195,000 and $290,000, with rents at $800 a month. Though all the affordable housing sounds great, it is actually using the majority of County affordable housing funds in this one project, which takes away from the rest of the County. The project's developers are The Beechwood Organization and Katter Development.
Patchogue's Artspace Project to get $11.7 million in Financing
New York State's Housing Finance Agency will lend the money to the Minneapolis-based not-for-profit. In addition, the project will receive federal and state low-income housing tax credits, several State and County loans, and according to LI Business News, "a 30-year payment in lieu of taxes agreement with the Village of Patchogue." Construction is slated to start later this month. According Artspace Project's website, "Artspace’s mission is to create, foster, and preserve affordable space for artists and arts organizations. We pursue this mission through development projects, asset management activities, consulting services, and community-building activities that serve artists and arts organizations of all disciplines, cultures, and economic circumstances. By creating this space, Artspace supports the continued professional growth of artists and enhances the cultural and economic vitality of the surrounding community." US Navy Delays Help for Grumman Cleanup
Stemming from the former Grumman airliner plant located in Calverton, volatile organic chemicals, or VOCs, have been leaching into the environment for some time now. The VOCs, which well tests have revealed are currently at 200 times the minimum safety levels for drinking water, represent a risk to the health of both the local populace and wildlife. Concerned community citizens were hopeful that the US Navy could install a short term pump-and-treat system inside the toxic bloom in order to help treat some of the problem. However, the Navy has decided that it must investigate all possible solutions before settling on any one, a process that many are concerned will take years. There is confusion by some as to why a temporary solution can’t be implemented immediately while the Navy settles on a long term solution. |
On Tuesday morning, Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy presented his plans for Legacy Village- the controversial development plan for Yaphank- at a meeting of the Long Island Regional Planning Council.
Vision's Eric Alexander was quoted in an article by 
Artspace Projects' proposed live/work complex in the Village of Patchogue is set to receive $11.7 million in financing. The project will be a 5-story, 45-unit rental apartment complex on four acres on Terry Street, currently sited as two underutilized parking lots and a vacant house, all owned by the Village. The building will give preference to people who work in the art community as well as to those who make up to $61,080 a year for a family of four. The total project will cost $17.9 million. 
Long Island residents have run up against a road block in the crusade to clean up contaminated water currently flowing into the Peconic River. Part of the Peconic Bay, this area is considered to be one of Long Island’s vital natural resources and the contamination is cause for concern among both local citizens and environmental groups.|
"Dreams Die Hard," says Kunstler
The full article is definitely worth a read! The Millenials are Coming, and they don't want Suburbia
Read the full story at New Urban News. |
In the most recent edition of New Urban News, a piece by Robert Steuteville questioned: "Are Americans ready for a lifestyle change?" The commentary begins by asserting that in recent decades, Americans have had a really difficult time letting go of the traditional suburban lifestyle. After the suburban dream took hold, Steuteville writes, "it was clear that Americans would relinquish the suburban lifestyle when their cold, dead hands were pried from the remote control of the front-loaded garage." Starting in the 1990s, though, people first started to realize that the functionality of the suburbs were changing: "Many of their initial advantages — low traffic and crime, novelty and new infrastructure — diminished as suburbs got bigger and older." People also began to see research on the connection between suburban development patterns and global warming/oil dependence.|
Jerry Spiegel, Well-known Developer and Philanthropist, Dies at 84
The following are some excerpts from Newsday:
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Jerry Spiegel was one of Long Island's earliest suburban developers and a true philanthropist. He passed away last Tuesday at age 84 at North Shore University Hospital after a long illness. According to his firm, Spiegel Associates' website, "Mr. Spiegel is a pioneer in Long Island’s economic growth. He developed one of the area’s first residential communities and many of the retail, office and commercial sites along central Long Island’s Route 106/107 corridor. He is often given credit for the transformation of Hicksville into a major commercial hub." His wife of 55 years, Emily, passed away last year. The two were major contemporary art collectors, and through the Jerry and Emily Spiegel Family Foundation, the couple participated in extensive charitable projects in Long Island and beyond, including support for universities, museums, and hospitals. |
Attend the smart growth Summit Next Friday, November 20th
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 Long Island North Shore Heritage Area Meeting on November 18
The Annual Meeting begins at 7pm, but come early to participate in a tour of the historic Whitman House at 6:30pm. Please RSVP for both the meeting and the pre-meeting tour either via email form or by phone at 516-492-6064. AvalonBay to hold informational session on Huntington Station proposal on November 18th
Covanta Hempstead Proposed Expansion Meeting on November 20 and 21
Covanta Hempstead invites people to take a closer look at the proposed expansion of its Energy-from-Waste facility in Westbury. As required by the SEQRA state environmental review process, two public information sessions will be held at the Long Island Marriott in Uniondale (101 James Doolittle Boulevard) on Friday, November 20 from 4-9pm (after Vision's Smart Growth Summit!) and Saturday, November 21 from 9am-3pm. For more information, call (516) 683-5400. Hamptons Film Festival "Take Two" Premieres November 22nd
After the screenings, the filmmakers will be on hand for what's being hailed as a lively Q and A session with Peconic Public Broadcasting's Bonnie Grice. Keeping You Informed: Student Job & Internship Fair January 12th
The event will be held at the Huntington Hilton in Melville from 4:30 to 7:30 in the evening and will cost up to $250 for each sponsor except for non-profits, which will only have to pay $100. Companies interested in this opportunity should contact the Long Island Works Coalition at their registration website or call at 631-843-4010. |
The Long Island North Shore Heritage Area presents their annual meeting on Wednesday, November 18th at the Walt Whitman Birthplace (246 Old Walt Whitman Road in South Huntington). The group works on preserving, protecting, and enhancing our cultural, historical, and natural resources. 
The AvalonBay Corporation has proposed a new housing complex, AvalonBay at Huntington Station, which will contain 132 (25%) affordable units. More importantly, 106 of these units will be desperately needed affordable rental housing, with 42 set aside for people earning 50% of the median income, or about $45,000 a year. This is an extraordinarily important step for Huntington. In the coming weeks, the Huntington Town Board will be voting on AvalonBay at Huntington Station. While it has the support of the Huntington School Board and other community groups, there is anticipated community opposition when the Board holds its hearing. 
According to the Town of Hempstead Industrial Development Agency website, "Covanta Hempstead Company proposes to expand its existing energy-from-waste (EfW) facility located at 600 Merchants Concourse in Westbury through the addition of one new boiler at the facility, with a nominal capacity of 1,100 tons per day of solid waste, together with a new turbine generator expected to generate 35 MW of electricity (net to the grid). The action also involves increasing groundwater withdrawals by approximately 270 million gallons per year, constructing a new cooling tower and ancillary equipment, and upgrading the air pollution control equipment on the existing facility." The Hempstead IDA is the lead agency on the project. Documents for the 
Join some of the top East End filmmakers next weekend at the Hamptons Take Two Film Festival at the Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor. The event features four films, including Jacqui Lofaro & Victor Teich's "The Last Fix: An Addict's Passage from Hell to Hope," Max Scott & Vera Graaf's "Souvenirs - The Many Worlds of Micky Wolfson," Lily Henderson's "Jerry Cooke, The Photographer," and Bruce Nalepinki's "The Big Duck." 
On January 12th, the Long Island Works Coalition will be holding a job & internship fair aimed at drawing high school students from the region and beyond into the workforce. Hoping to draw up to 1,200 students for both paid and for-credit positions, the Coalition will also be running seminars for all registrants on how to have an effective internship program. Help Wanted: Suffolk Community Council Bilingual Community Organizer
The ideal candidate must: be bilingual in Spanish and English (verbal and written), work well with volunteers, possess leadership qualities, strong interpersonal skills, comfortable working with churches, day laborers and Latino community members, be a proficient public speaker, comfortable presenting to elected officials, able to run committee meetings and work with committees, be well organized, be flexible with assignments, and willing to travel locally. The part-time salary is $18 per hour for 15 hours a week. Email your resume to Suffolk Community Council attention Judy Pannullo, Executive Director, jpannullo@suffolkcommunitycouncil.org. A decision will be made within 15 days. Vision Long Island Seeking Fall Interns
Note that hours, start date, and end date are all flexible. Although this is an unpaid position, we will gladly work with you to provide college credit. We will also work with you to make sure you have a great experience that is tailored to your specific interests and skill set. Individuals and universities interested in learning more are encouraged to contact us at info@visionlongisland.org. You are welcome to include a resume and/or letter. Please put "Fall 2009 Internships" in the subject heading. |
The Suffolk Community Council is seeking a part-time experienced bilingual community organizer for their Census 2010 project. The position offers a unique opportunity for the community organizer to engage in the Latino communities of Brentwood and Central Islip to insure that everyone is counted in the Census 2010. This may involve but is not limited to working with churches and pastors, going to bodegas, barber and beauty shops and speaking to community members to encourage their participation in the count. This project runs from December 1, 2009 until July 31, 2010. 
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Housing Help's Old Fashioned Barn Dance on November 14
The dance will take place at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship 109 Browns Road in Huntington. $40 per adult (and $5 per child under 12) includes dinner, beer, wine, and soft drinks. Come out and support this great organization: proceeds will support their free mortgage foreclosure prevention program. For questions or to register, please call (631) 754-0373 or email susanlagville@optonline.net. Norman Rockwell: American Imagist at Nassau County Museum of Art
The exhibit runs in NCMA's main and second floor galleries until January 3rd, after which it will travel around the US and Europe until 2012. Hours are 11am-4:45pm every day except for Mondays. The museum is located at One Museum Drive in Roslyn Harbor, north of Northern Blvd. For more information, call (516) 484-9337. Check it out this weekend! |
Housing Help Inc.'s third annual fundraiser is An Old Fashioned Barn Dance! This Saturday, November 14th at 6:30pm, c'mon down for a live fiddle band, community dancing, line dancing, and square dancing! No partner needed! Plus there are door prizes and a Chinese auction! 
The Nassau County Museum of Art is currently running an exhibit on Norman Rockwell, which will include 40 original Rockwell paintings and studies and all 323 of his vintage Saturday Evening Post covers. The legendary illustrator-storyteller created the images that defined America and Americans in this country and abroad. His greatest impact was achieved through the paintings he created over nearly six decades for the Saturday Evening Post and from his seminal Four Freedoms, a series of WWII patriotic works. “I paint life as I would like it to be,” said Rockwell. |
Even though this was done around the country to promote The Simpsons Movie two years ago, nothing says community like a trip to your corner store. Check out the crowds as 7-11s around the country were transformed into the infamous Kwik-E-Mart!
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SMART GROWTH NEWS Newsletter Editor: Michelle Dutchen, Director of Communications We strive to provide continued quality publications such as this each week. If you are interested in becoming a newsletter or news blast sponsor, please call the office at 631-261-0242 for rates and opportunities. If you have any news or events that you would like to add to our newsletter, submit them to info@visionlongisland.org for consideration.
For more information about Vision Long Island, visit http://www.visionlongisland.org or contact us at: |
