Speak up on two major proposals

It’s time to speak up. It’s time to show up.

Two major projects are in the works. The first, the Lighthouse — right next door — is being described as the largest development in Nassau County since the creation of Levittown.

The second is in our backyard, at the Nassau University Medical Center. For those who haven’t heard, and for others who need reminding, the NUMC has proposed the development of a “health care village” on the 52-acre property at the corner of Carman Avenue and Hempstead Turnpike. The project is the centerpiece of the Nassau Health Care Corporation’s modernization of its two campuses, the 19-story medical center in East Meadow and the senior living complex in Uniondale. The expansion of the hospital’s Emergency Department and a new veterans health clinic are already in the works.

Planners say the health care village would be funded by private developers. Utilizing vacant space and undeveloped land, the plans include new offices, medical facilities and outpatient centers. There would be improvements to on-campus traffic flow and the structural concealment of most of the parking. Early drawings included landscaped recreational space, to be available to the hospital and the community.

NHCC officials say that a final land use plan could be in place by the end of the year.

The Lighthouse project, estimated to cost nearly $4 billion, would also be privately funded. It calls for the transformation of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum and the land surrounding it into a state-of-the-art arena, a convention center, a sports complex, a residential community, retail stores and restaurants, office space, a movie theater, a five-star hotel, landscaped park land and a canal.

The Lighthouse is at a pivotal moment, as the Town of Hempstead wraps up its public comment period and developers await the town’s answer on environmental and zoning applications — to be followed, they hope, by the county Legislature’s approval of a lease agreement for the land.

While these two landmark projects are not connected, they both have one crucial trait in common: transparency. The Lighthouse Development Group, led by Charles Wang and Scott Rechler, has visited hundreds of community groups over the past few years, including gatherings in East Meadow. The group’s plans have been outlined in detail on its Web site and covered extensively in the media.

The NHCC has held several “scoping” sessions and presentations since the project was first unveiled last year. Those meetings, sadly, were sparsely attended.

While opponents of the Lighthouse, mostly from Garden City, loudly voiced their views at a Sept. 22 zoning hearing, East Meadow and Salisbury residents appeared to be few and far between. While there were the usual civic and business leaders in attendance, the voices of the communities that would most directly feel the development’s effects generated little volume.

Although the NUMC’s proposal has not been the focus of anywhere near the attention generated by the Lighthouse project, its size and scope would no doubt change the center of East Meadow.

We like both ideas. They would revitalize underutilized areas that are dominated by vast concrete parking lots, create jobs and likely boost the local economy. But we want to hear from you, our readers. What do you think of the projects? Do they scare you or excite you? What impact do you think they will have on your future? What questions still need to be answered?

At the end of each Herald story, there is information on how to contact the reporter or obtain more information. Our new Web site, liherald.com, offers readers the opportunity to post comments on the page. The East Meadow desk can be reached at (516) 569-4000 ext. 287.

We welcome your input on the future of your community.