The Town of Brookhaven, New York has been working to support development and revitalize its Greater Bellport neighborhood, one of the most economically distressed communities on Long Island. Last year, Tri-State Transportation Campaign and the One Region Funders’ Group awarded $48,500 to the town to further these efforts, and the town is already seeing dividends. Last week, Brookhaven was awarded a $304,000 brownfields grant from the NYS Department of State to assess 24 brownfield properties and plan a “transit village“-style development around the Bellport Long Island Rail Road station.

It’s one of many success stories for the Transit-Centered Development grant program administered by the Tri-State Transportation Campaign and funded with the support of One Region, a collaborative of foundations from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. With a similar philosophy to venture capital, the program jump-starts cities and towns that have developed compelling concepts for TOD but are still early in the planning process. Since 2008, Tri-State and One Region have awarded 11 grants totaling $335,000 to municipalities in three states. These have been matched by $135,000 in local funds and have leveraged $6.7 million in county and regional funds, $23 million in state grants and loan guarantees, and $4 million in federal funds.

[To learn more about the program, check out our brochure which showcases how philanthropic support has been a driving factor in TOD investment.  The continuation of the grant program is contingent on this support.]

Another grantee, Stratford, Connecticut, has also seen recent progress. After receiving a grant in 2009 to study downtown land use, Stratford passed new zoning to support transit-oriented development. The first project to take advantage of the zoning was a 128-unit apartment development, 1111 Stratford. The development is now open and tenants began moving in last month. And Babylon, New York received permission to use $2 million in federal highway funds to make improvements to its train station.

Grantees previously showcased their work at a conference in New York City in 2011.