The City of Glen Cove was awarded $150,000 from New York State’s Smart Growth Community Planning Program, designed to encourage affordable housing, walkable downtowns, small businesses, and more.
The $150,000 designated for Glen Cove was a part of $3 million that was distributed to 15 communities across the state. Thirteen of those 15 awards will serve communities identified by the state as disadvantaged.
Glen Cove was the only municipality on Long Island to receive funding from this series of grants.
The program awards funding to communities to develop or update local and countywide comprehensive plans, area plans or zoning codes that emphasize and integrate Smart Growth principles.
Smart Growth is a forward-thinking approach to planning and development that supports and integrates four key themes: equity, economy, environment and climate, according to the state.
Eligible applicants for grants include counties, cities, towns, and villages, counties and regional planning boards as well as not-for-profit organizations acting on behalf of a municipality.
Its funding comes annually through the Environmental Protection Fund, according to the state.
The money Glen Cove receives comes from The Brownfield Opportunity Area Program, which transforms brownfield sites, neighborhoods or areas within a community negatively affected by real or perceived environmental conditions.
The program reuses and redevelops previously developed areas and buildings—primarily vacant, abandoned and underutilized neighborhoods with known or suspected contamination, most of which are located in communities identified as disadvantaged, according to the state.
“We’re very pleased to be the recipients of an award. We recently completed and adopted our comprehensive plan, giving us an opportunity to qualify for programs like this,” said Glen Cove Mayor Pamela Panzenbeck in a statement to Schneps Media Long Island.
Glen Cove’s Comprehensive Plan was last updated in 2009, according to the city. After receiving the grant money, the city said it plans on updating its Comprehensive Plan to incorporate Smart Growth and Sustainability Elements.
Glen Cove’s plans for sustainability include alternative modes of transportation, promotion of smart growth principles in land-use policies, conservation of natural areas, fostering of a healthy community, increasing equity in housing, schools, transportation, recreation, food and protecting drinking water sources from pollution.
“The Department of State offers a robust suite of community planning and development programs that are transforming neighborhoods in every region of the state,” said New York Secretary of State Walter T. Mosley.
“New York State is experiencing an unprecedented renaissance in community revitalization and economic development, in part fueled by these essential programs,” Mosley added.
