NEW BRUNSWICK, N. J. – (Nov. 26, 2008) – The Northern New Jersey District Council of the Urban Land Institute (ULI-NNJ) will present the fourth annual Leadership in Land Use Awards at an awards banquet to be held Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008, from 6 to 9 p.m., at The Heldrich Center in New Brunswick. This awards program recognizes leadership in public policy and/or achievement for the full scope of the development process: design, planning, community development and involvement, construction, economic viability, marketing, management and sustainability.

ULI is a worldwide organization that provides leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities by bringing together leaders to exchange best practices. ULI is comprised of developers, builders, property owners, investors, architects, public officials, planners, real estate brokers, appraisers, attorneys, engineers, financiers, academics, students and librarians.

“ULI-NNJ is proud to recognize all of this year’s honorees,” said ULI-NNJ Chair Lawrence F. Jacobs of the law firm of Wilentz, Goldman and Spitzer. “As always, the decisions were tough to make. All of the winners demonstrate high standards with regard to responsible land use. They truly stand out among their peers for their accomplishments and we are happy to honor them for their dedication to smart growth.”

A committee of 10 ULI-NNJ members chose the seven award winners from a collection of 18 nominations. Many of the awards focus on Newark, the largest city in New Jersey, and the site of major redevelopment efforts.

The following award recipients will be honored:

Educator of the Year: Jerry Fitzgerald English Esq. – Fitzgerald is being recognized for her 23 years of leadership in the environmental sector with the Educator of the Year Award. She is currently on the Board of Visitors for the School of Science and Liberal Arts at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), in Newark, N. J.; and is a member of the Leadership Council of Harvard Law School and a trustee of the New Jersey Federal Bar Association. As a former candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, she shares her knowledge of government, as well as environmental problem-solving, with students at NJIT as an adjunct instructor.

Public Official of the Year: Robert Antonicello –Antonicello is being recognized with the Public Official of the Year Award for his outstanding work as executive director of the state’s oldest and largest municipal redevelopment agency, the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency. Antonicello is also vice chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Jersey City Economic Development Corp. Prior to joining the redevelopment agency, Antonicello owned and operated his own commercial real estate company for more than 20 years. His vast knowledge of real estate development and adaptive re-use projects assists him in his work as executive director.

Project of the Year: Eleven80 – Chosen as the winner of the Project of the Year Award, Eleven80 is a 35-story former Art Deco office building that was converted in 2007 by Cogswell Realty Group into the first luxury rental building in downtown Newark in more than 40 years. The completely renovated landmark building located at 1180 Raymond Blvd. now features 317 upscale rental homes and elaborate amenities rivaling those found in luxury Manhattan buildings.

This year the committee decided to give out three Special Recognition Awards: for public policy, infrastructure and sustainable development.

Special Recognition - Public Policy: New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC) – The NJMC is receiving the Special Recognition Award for public policy for its educational initiatives as the zoning and planning agency for a 30.4-square-mile area along the Hackensack River covering parts of 14 municipalities in Bergen and Hudson Counties. The municipalities are Carlstadt, East Rutherford, Little Ferry, Lyndhurst, Moonachie, North Arlington, Ridgefield, Rutherford, South Hackensack and Teterboro in Bergen County, and Jersey City, Kearny, North Bergen and Secaucus in Hudson County.

Special Recognition - Infrastructure: The New Jersey Transit Hudson-Bergen Light Rail – The Hudson–Bergen Light Rail is one of the largest public works projects ever built in New Jersey and connects the cities of Bayonne, Jersey City, Hoboken, Weehawken, Union City and North Bergen. The project received the Special Recognition Award for infrastructure because of the fact that it has served as an extraordinary stimulus for economic development.

Special Recognition - Sustainable Development: Newark Public Schools, First Avenue School – Newark’s public First Avenue School is being recognized in the Sustainable Development category for its sustainable design including a state-of-the-art auditorium, cafeteria with a cooking kitchen, instrumental and choral music room, humanities room, technology lab, ITV lab, media center, community health center, science labs, art room equipped with a kiln, magnificent gym with girls’ and boys’ locker rooms and showers, as well as an underground parking garage for staff.

Award for Lifetime Achievement: Michael Graves, FAIA – American architect Michael Graves is being awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award. He has been in the forefront of architectural design since he founded his practice in Princeton, N.J., in 1964. Graves is an influential theorist as well as a diversified and prolific designer. Since the early 1980s, his work has directly influenced the transformation of urban architecture from the abstraction of commercial modernism toward an interest in context.

Please RSVP by calling (800) 321-5011 and using the ULI meeting code 8140-0904. Tickets to the event are $150 per guest or $550 for a sponsor package, both of which include cocktails and a sumptuous dinner. For more information on the banquet, visit the website at www.nnj.uli.org.

About the Urban Land Institute

The Urban Land Institute is a non-profit education and research institute that is supported and directed by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the institute today has over 34,000 members and associates representing the entire spectrum of the land use and development disciplines. It is comprised of developers, builders, property owners, investors, architects, public officials, planners, real estate brokers, appraisers, attorneys, engineers, financiers, academics, students and librarians.

# # #