'Certainty' day passes

The “certainty date” set by Charles Wang, who wants a clear answer on his proposed Lighthouse project, was on Saturday — which was also the first game of the season for his New York Islanders.

For Wang and co-developer Scott Rechler to go forward with their privately funded $3.7 billion megaproposal to refurbish the Coliseum and develop the 150-acres that surround it, they needs approvals from the Town of Hempstead. The town has authority over zoning and the environmental report.

Supervisor Kate Murray has said that the town does not adhere to deadlines set by developers. Town sources suggested that a final decision by Saturday was unlikely, as officials continue to pore over more than 4,000 pages contained in the final environmental report and information from the zoning hearing on Sept. 22 at Hofstra. Without providing an answer, Murray reportedly phoned Wang on Friday to set a meeting with the developer early this week.

Wang stuck to the Oct. 3 date, saying that he would now  “explore all options." That could include discussions about a possible relocation of the franchise to another city, which has reportedly received interest from Kansas City and Ontario, and even developers in Queens and Brooklyn.

The Islanders owner, who is said to lose $15 to $20 million annually on the team, has vowed to do everything he can to keep Nassau’s only major professional team on Long Island.

The Islanders currently have a lease with the county, which owns the Coliseum property, through 2015.

The Lighthouse Development Group officially submitted the Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement, at the town’s zoning hearing. At that hearing, which lasted nearly 12 hours, town officials questioned various aspects of the proposal, on issues that included traffic, quality-of-life, economic impact and building heights. Members of the public also had an opportunity to provide comments at the microphone, or through mail or e-mail to the town.

The atmosphere was contentious at times between town board members and presenters from the Lighthouse group. An active audience also added to the tension, as supporters let their disapproval be heard after project opponents spoke.