Friday, July 18, 2025
Elected leaders, developers and advocates of smart growth gathered to celebrate innovation and forward-thinking design at the annual Vision Long Island Smart Growth Awards at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury last Friday.
Vision Long Island, a Northport-based nonprofit, honored standout projects across Nassau and Suffolk counties that are improving quality of life, revitalizing neighborhoods and setting a standard for the future of the Island.
The organization has been a champion of smart growth — a planning approach that emphasizes walkable communities, transit-oriented development, mixed-use projects, affordable housing and sustainability — for more than 25 years. Its advocacy, educational outreach and planning assistance have helped make possible some of the region’s most transformative developments.
Among this year’s award-winning projects are examples of how collaboration among civic leaders, developers and communities can lead to impactful change. Transit-oriented development stood out prominently.
One of the honorees, the Langdon, in Lynbrook, developed by Breslin Realty, Fields Grade and the village, has 201 luxury rental units with concierge service and upscale amenities just steps from the community’s Long Island Rail Road station.
Smaller-scale projects are equally important. In Babylon, Zucaro Construction developed a 27-unit residential building that is bringing new life to the downtown corridor.
These kinds of developments are helping young professionals and families stay on Long Island, close to work and transit, and energizing local economies.
Affordable housing remains a critical need across Long Island, and projects like those spearheaded by the Uniondale Community Land Trust demonstrate how nonprofits can drive change. The trust, which recently hosted its fourth annual Long Island Housing Symposium, continues to champion homeownership and affordability, and held its most recent housing lottery in February.
In Rockville Centre, a $32 million project by the village, its housing authority and D&F Development renovated the Rockville Manor senior housing complex, adding six new units as well as an elevator, funded in part by New York State Homes and Community Renewal and the Nassau County Office of Community Development.
The Smart Growth Awards also spotlighted innovations in clean energy. The Town of Hempstead’s Clean Energy Park, in Point Lookout, conceived in 2006, has become a model for sustainable municipal operations. It features a wind turbine, a hydrogen fueling station, a solar-powered shellfish nursery, a geothermal government office and a 100-kilowatt solar field. It not only powers services sustainably, but also serves as a public education hub and an example for the private sector of the advantages of clean energy.
Efforts to strengthen local businesses and Main Streets were also recognized. The village of Farmingdale, in partnership with the Nassau County Office of Community Development, implemented a $150,000 program to replace signs, lighting and awnings using federal block grant funding. Landlords and tenants are covering just 20 percent of the cost, with the rest paid for by the grant. The initiative has created a visually cohesive downtown, boosting “curb appeal” as well as foot traffic.
These projects represent more than just physical improvements — they reflect values that matter to Long Islanders: sustainability, affordability, accessibility and smart investment in the future. They also prove that strategic planning, when guided by community input based on local needs, can transform neighborhoods and enhance residents’ lives.
As we celebrate the achievements recognized at the Smart Growth Awards, we urge municipal governments, civic organizations, village leaders and developers across Nassau and Suffolk to take note. Whether it’s revitalizing a main street, building mixed-use housing near transit, greening public spaces or supporting affordable homeownership, now is the time to adopt what works.
Smart growth isn’t a one-size-fits-all endeavor — it is a flexible, community-centered approach to planning for the future. The blueprints are in place. The success stories are multiplying. Let’s keep the momentum going.
