Lighthouse update: Town approves 'jump start' plan

As expected, the Hempstead Town Council unanimously approved its plan to devise a "zoning blueprint" for the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum property. The new legislation authorized the town to retain a consultant to craft a Planned Development District to act as a guide for what can be built at the 77 acres of county-owned land surrounding the Coliseum.Town Supervisor Kate Murray said the zone would allow a development that she has described as “scaled down” and “reasonable.”

This puts the proposed Lighthouse project in question, as lead developers Charles Wang and Scott Rechler said they wanted a yes or no answer from the town. Since October, the developers have been virtually silent.Also, Murray said the developers stopped paying the consultant that conducted the environmental analysis for the town. Instead the town has decided to hire that same consultant, Frederick P. Clark Associates, to create the zoning blueprint by early summer. The town has authority over the environmental and zoning applications filed by the developers.

The Lighthouse project, estimated to be nearly $4 billion, calls for the renovation of the Coliseum and the redevelopment of the property surrounding it with a mix of retail, business and residential uses.

The proposal submitted to the town includes a five-star hotel, a new convention center, a sports and recreation center, a residential village, space for offices, retail and restaurants, a cinema and a canal.

Helen Meittinis, president of the Community Association of Stewart Avenue, a Salisbury civic group, said she supports a new development at the Coliseum site, but is glad that the town has decided to scale the original proposal down.Some of the main concerns addressed by residents include increases in traffic and water usage.

“We have to know that we can handle that kind of substantial traffic,” Meittinis said. “We already have a horrendous situation. We can build it, but they won’t be able to come.”