By Hank Russell
Local elected officials, real estate professionals and labor unions turned out for Vision Long Island’s 2026 Long Island Smart Growth Awards, which was held at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury on June 12. The event highlighted innovations in residential real estate, such as mix of land uses, using compact building design and clean energy, preserving open space and creating walkable neighborhoods, among others.
Five municipalities and developers were recognized for its transit-oriented developments. They were:
- The Village of Westbury and Alpine Residential for its Scaly Place project
- The Town of Islip and Georgica Green Ventures for the One Carleton Green project in Central Islip
- The Town of Hempstead and Breslin Realty for The Grand in Baldwin
- The Town of Smithtown and Terwilliger & Bartone for The Cornerstone in Kings Park
- The Village of Patchogue and Nord Development for the latest residential developments throughout the village
Sisters of St. Joseph’s and Concern Housing was honored for its efforts to revitalize communities with Joseph’s Village in Brentwood, as was the Village of Mineola and Adam Mann for 199 Jericho in Mineola. The Town of Babylon was recognized for planning with its East Farmingdale Master Plan.
United Way and National Grid was honored for serving the needs of the community with Project Growth, which assists low-income individuals and families with energy emergencies. The Town of North Hempstead was also recognized for Project Independence, which lets seniors in the town age in place.
The three affordable housing projects that were recognized were the affordable housing program in the Town of East Hampton, the Town of Babylon and D&F Development for its Wyandanch project and the Town of Hempstead and Tunnel to Towers for its work to convert a dilapidated motel in Island Park to housing for veterans.
The Village of Amityville was recognized for its walkable downtown and Suffolk County was honored for its work in the environment with its Working Waterfront Program.
The Corporate Leadership award went to Elizabeth Custodio of M&T Bank and Joye Brown of Newsday received the Community Leadership award.
“It shows the power of local planning, the proof of the concept of getting the communities to work together with any developer or any municipality to tailor the projects to meet the needs of the community, as opposed to overbuilding or the false choice of no building,” said Eric Alexander, executive director of Vision Long Island.
Alexander said there are two sides — one side that wants to “steamroll everything” and another saying “not to touch even a blade of grass,” but he said there is a middle ground that can be reached.
“What we have to do is take the best of both sides and apply it to the local community with the proper planning,” he said. “But the most important thing is that there are market forces that support these types of developments — whether they be multifamily housing, mixed-use development or even parks development, people who use the parks, downtown businesses where people are going to shop or various traffic calming projects.”
He also said that he asks doubters to “suspend their disbelief” and let them know that “there is a third way,” adding, “There is a way to get a project done or come to a consensus or agreement that can make everything better.”
Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine also spoke at the event. While he pointed out some positive developments in the county, including the construction of a new hospital from NYU-Langone in Melville, he said there is room for improvement.
He emphasized the need for transporting freight by rail, as opposed to delivering it by truck, which “clog[s] the highways.” He added that he is looking for the MTA and the LIRR to “step up to the plate” because “they have the ability to change the dynamics of this island.”
He also said that, besides transportation, there is a need to address affordability and energy. He also called for “alternatives” to affordable housing.
“When you’re on a tightrope, you either move forward, or you’re going to fall,” Romaine said. “We’re not going to fall and we’re not going to fail.”
Long Island Board of REALTORSⓇ President Rao A Shaan Khan stressed the importance of affordable housing. “Affordable housing doesn’t form in a vacuum,” he said. “It takes everybody here — every part of government, the public sector and the private sector.”
In order to defray the costs of these projects, Alexander said municipalities should ask the federal and state governments to provide funding. “That cuts costs along the way,” he said. “Costs are going up and people are hurting, but if we can get our fair share of public funding, that can get those projects moving.”