About 20 participants, including officials of South Country Ambulance and the Boys & Girls Club of the Bellport Area, local businessmen, church leaders and residents cast recommendations for projects for inclusion in the $4.5 million New York Forward grant the community received to revitalize North Bellport.

“The Town of Brookhaven submitted the grant and we got approval in May,” said Land Use Planning Committee co-chair Regina Crawford.  “We had an open call for projects in June and July and contacted local community people to present plans. The deadline was Aug. 8.”

There was another meeting for small projects, under $75,000. Overall, the committee met five times.

Among the projects requested were more lights, signage, landscaping, and a mural that represented the community at the LIRR train station.

Crawford said Reynolds Insurance will remain where it’s located. But the business is adding a mixed-use office space in a commercial development with a second-floor office that has 500 square feet of community space so the Greater Bellport Coalition can meet.

The submission victory lap was celebrated recently with a dinner at Porters on the Lane with Brookhaven supervisor Dan Panico.

“We were required to set up a local land use planning committee with members on a volunteer basis,” said Panico. “The committee was tasked with making recommendations for land use and allocation. I wanted to thank them and invited them to dinner. We spoke in a congenial atmosphere about North Bellport, improving it, and the process. It was a beautiful night.

“Now it’s up to the state to get back to us all,” Panico said.

“North of Montauk, we had great success on first development with the Gleneagle Green affordable-housing apartments. This next development will involve a supermarket and a bank.”

In August, The Long Island Housing Partnership announced plans to build 32 affordable, single-family homes in North Bellport. It’s slated for first-time homebuyers through a partnership with the Town of Brookhaven on Ecke Avenue.

Plans have been also afoot with D&F Development Group LLC principal and developer Peter Florey to build Alegria South north of Montauk Highway, a 96-unit affordable apartment complex west of Station Road. A Bethpage Federal Credit Union branch bank is planned.

Crawford joined the Greater Bellport Coalition in 2007 and attended a robust two-day visioning conference at St. Joseph the Worker back then with 200 people attending, when councilwoman Connie Kepert and Legis. Kate Browning were involved. Since that time, she said, “Residents have been chipping away at improvements.

“The Bellport Outlets were a crumbled mess of retail stores,” she said.  “The town worked with us and brought in BJ’s. Miracle Plaza brought in Family Dollar. Dunkin’ came in and the gas station revitalized Station Road. They required zone changes.”

There were more improvements that took place.

“Kepert did a lot for us, including lighting on Station Road and planting trees,” Crawford said. “We had funding for ShotSpotter. And Sustainable LI also helped us.”