By Hector Flores
³I am honored to receive the award from Vision Long Island,² Bivone said. ³They are on the cutting edge of development and planning of Nassau and Suffolk counties. I have been working with them on many different projects, and I find our relationship to be a team effort.²
Bivone added that Vision and the Council of Chambers of Commerce are major stakeholders in the Nassau County Hub and Coliseum redevelopment projects currently taking place. ³We are at the front row of any new development, to make sure that there is positive feedback and smart growth,² he said.
Eric Alexander, executive director of Vision Long Island, a self-described ³smart growth planning² organization, said that the Regional Leadership award is presented to people who make connections between local issues and difficult regional issues facing Long Island. ³Rich has put a coalition together of village officials, civic and environmental organizations and chambers of commerce to look at issues facing the Nassau Hub, Coliseum redevelopment and the impact to Nassau¹s downtowns,² Alexander said.
According to Alexander, Bivone played a key role in forming the Nassau Business and Community Planning Coalition, a partnership of the Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce, the Nassau Village Officials Association, Vision Long Island and environmental and civic groups. The coalition meets regularly to learn about and provide input on county efforts focusing on the Hub and other key initiatives. In 2005, the coalition hosted interactive presentations by county officials and possible Coliseum developers.
Vision Long Island promotes livable, economically sustained and environmentally responsible development, or ³smart growth,² on Long Island. Smart growth offers solutions to the problems caused by Long Island¹s suburban sprawl and the accompanying traffic congestion. It focuses on preserving community character, protecting open space, the environment, and strengthening local economies. The principle embraces communities where residents can walk, work, shop and enjoy the downtown areas.
Comments about this story? HFlores@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.
