An icy situation

Tensions have risen among Lighthouse project principals as Tuesday’s zoning hearing approaches, and the Oct. 3 deadline set by the developer looms.

In two letters released late last week, Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray outlined several provisions the town deemed essential to the lease between the Lighthouse Development Group and Nassau County.

The massive Lighthouse project, which requires environmental and zoning approvals from the town and a property lease agreement with the county, calls for the renovation of the Nassau Coliseum and the redevelopment of 150 acres that surround it.

Murray requested that the project’s developer, the Lighthouse Development Group, headed by New York Islanders owner Charles Wang, commit, in writing, to keeping the team at the site for at least 30 years, and retaining ownership of the development, with the town’s consent. She also urged the developers to make the Coliseum renovations first on the construction agenda, and to promise to hire local workers and to not seek tax abatements. Furthermore, Murray asked that the town be listed as a third-party beneficiary in the lease agreement.

Wang publicly expressed his disdain for the initial letter, which was sent to County Executive Tom Suozzi on Sept. 10. Wang set Oct. 3 as a “certainty date” for the town to indicate its approval or disapproval of the privately funded $4 billion project. Without a definitive answer by that date, Wang, who claims he loses about $20 million a year on the team, has said he would “explore other options,” which could include a move to another city.

“I am disappointed and frustrated that after nearly eight years, Kate Murray has decided to unleash multiple demands to once again delay and jeopardize the Lighthouse project with only a few weeks before the October 3 certainty date,” Wang said in a statement. “This project, with all its benefits in this tough economic climate, constantly falls into political roadblocks. This is a sad day for Long Island but, as I have always said, our commitment is to get the project done for the benefit of Long Island’s future generations.”