By MIKE CAPUTO
On June 5, Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray, whose municipality is conducting an environmental review study, met face to face with Lighthouse developers Charles Wang and Scott Rechler for the first time, at County Executive Tom Suozzi's office in Mineola.
Addressing reporters after the meeting, the parties announced that the town would reach a decision on whether to accept the Lighthouse's 6,500-page Draft Generic Environmental Impact Study (DGEIS), a state-mandated process, as complete at its July 7 council meeting.
"We have been working very diligently to move the environmental process along at a time and a place where we believe we can put the declaration of completeness at the town council meeting on July 7," Murray said. "I feel that was a watershed moment for us to come to that scheduling decision."
Within 10 days after that decision, Suozzi said, the parties will release a draft schedule for the public comment process that follows the completion of a DGEIS. Public comment on the project would be open to all agencies, state and local, which Suozzi said would take the heat off the town and county, which will make the final decision on the Lighthouse.
"The county and town will work together to keep the fire at the feet of the other parties to make sure they act on a timely basis and treat this with the priority nature that it has," said Suozzi, who has publicly stated his support for the project.
The privately funded Lighthouse project would redevelop 150 acres surrounding the Coliseum in Uniondale, near East Meadow. The proposal includes major renovations of the aging Coliseum, a minor league baseball park, a new convention center, hundreds of residential units, retail businesses and a five-star hotel.
The June 5 meeting was set by Murray, Suozzi and the developers earlier in the week, when Murray appeared at a hearing of the Long Island Regional Planning Council, which addressed the Lighthouse project. Her appearance at the LIRPC meeting ended months of indirect contact between her and the Lighthouse developers that included some jabs in the local news media.
Wang, who owns the New York Islanders, had asked the town to provide a clear answer by the start of the next hockey season in October. He has openly criticized Murray and the Town of Hempstead for not providing him with any indication of approval. Wang was all smiles last Friday, however, and refused to discuss the past.
"I think the most important thing is that it sets a new tone," he said. "We are not looking back, we are looking forward."
There has been speculation that if the project is not approved, Wang would consider moving the Islanders off Long Island. He said there have been no discussions with other cities or venues about such a move. "Our commitment is to Long Island," he said. "This is our home ... we don't want to leave home."
Any news on the Lighthouse project has been followed closely by many East Meadow residents and business owners, some of whom are within walking distance of the Coliseum. Warren Kalmenson, an East Meadow financial consultant who closely follows issues affecting the community, noted that the meeting between Murray, Suozzi, Wang and Rechler served as an important step.
"I think it is excellent they sat down and opened dialogue," said Kalmenson, a past president of the East Meadow Chamber of Commerce. "A dialogue can only lead to good things."
Mike Panagatos, owner of the Empress Diner on Hempstead Turnpike in East Meadow and a supporter of the project, has attended countless meetings related to the Lighthouse over the past decade, and said he has never been as confident about it as he is now. "I am optimistic about it," said Panagatos, an active member of the East Meadow Chamber. "I believe they're going to get it done."
Panagatos said he is excited about the prospect of a new convention center attracting more prestigious organizations to the area, and a more attractive Coliseum that hosts more events throughout the year. Even before the Lighthouse is completed, he said, the jobs created in its construction will benefit the local economy on many
levels.
"I feel it's going be the rising tide lifts all the boats," he said. "If that area provides a lot of jobs, it's going to help everybody directly or indirectly."
Comments about this story? MCaputo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 287.
