By Adam Malmut
The session was the 180th time that the project's developers have met with the public to field their questions and hear their concerns. The project, which needs approval by the Town of Hempstead, would remodel Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum and the surrounding area. The first speaker of the night was New York Islanders owner and Lighthouse project co-developer Charles Wang.
Wang and partner Scott Rechler of RXR Realty told the crowd they are insisting that town officials finalize their decision on the privately funded Lighthouse Project by October.
"It is unprecedented for us to get to 180 meetings," said Wang. "Seven years have passed, and the one question I get wherever I go is, 'Why haven't we started yet?'"
While there was a strong showing of hockey fans hoping to hear that their favorite National Hockey League franchise would remain on Long Island, they were joined by a large group of labor union members and representatives. John Durso, president of the Long Island Federation of Labor, called for union members "to stand and be heard."
"This project needs to be done union for it to be done right," said Durso. "One in four families are union families...We will go to the end of the Earth to make this happen, and we will hold accountable any person who doesn't let this project happen."
Durso's statement was met with a thunderous roar of agreement by the labor union members in the crowd. "This project will give us 10 years of work that will strengthen the Nassau County economy," said Durso. "We won't get another team if the Islanders move, and [Nassau Coliseum] will turn into another eyesore. If we don't tackle this now, we will lose all of our young people, and that would be disastrous for the Island."
Of the projected $3.74 billion development price, labor costs are estimated at $2.2 billion. If the project is approved, about 75,000 construction and support jobs will be created over the decade-long construction period.
Rechler said this is a defining moment for not only the Islanders hockey team, "but for future of Nassau County."
"The Lighthouse is the future of Long Island," Rechler said. "Whether we succeed or not, it's this moment that will decide Long Island's future. We don't want to be irresponsible, but this needs to get done with a sense or urgency."
Also at the podium was Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi, who said that the Lighthouse project would encourage young people to live on Long Island again. "We have 10 of the top 100 schools in the country here," said Suozzi. "We want our youth to stay here, and we have to start playing offense to make this place better than it's ever been before."
Suozzi compared Nassau and Suffolk counties, noting that Suffolk has two times as many housing starts and generates more than $100 million in tax revenue than Nassau. Suozzi also said that Nassau County hasn't had the growth it needs and suggested that the Lighthouse would add $71 million in tax revenue for the county.
One speaker confronted Suozzi with concerns about future traffic congestion in the area if the Lighthouse project is finalized. "We knew going in that this would be a number one concern," said Suozzi. "We want people to be able to get to the Mineola [train] station without taking their cars. If a commuter comes to work and wants to avoid traffic, it would make sense to take the train to Mineola station and then a 15-minute bus ride to the Lighthouse hub.
A Lighthouse Project press release said that $55 million of developer money would be spent on transportation initiatives to mitigate traffic. The project plans to incorporate the currently underused Long Island Bus system, along with a Traffic Demand Management program that would encourage the use of trolleys, pedestrian bridges and the existing mass transit system.
When Wang was asked why there is such urgency to get the project started, he said that the development team has been waiting almost a decade, and it was time to speed up the process. "We can do this," said Wang. "We elect our officials, and it's up to them now."
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