One small step forward for Lighthouse Project
by James Mirtle on Feb 24, 2009 10:55 PM CST
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The plan says Lighthouse Project founders Charles Wang and Scott Rechler pledge to put $55 million into mitigating traffic and transportation fallout from the project by re-engineering traffic flow with additional traffic signals, re-configured U-turns, a 1.59-mile bicycle/walking/trolley path and an express shuttle to the Mineola train station.
At Tuesday's town board meeting, a crowd ranging from 150 to 200 greeted Wang with thunderous applause.
Guess they didn't hear about the Yashin contract.
The Lighthouse project has been doddering along for years now, but it's finally beginning to sound like Wang and company have found some support. The economy has apparently been hit hard in Long Island, and LP supporters are touting this massive development as the tonic for the area's woes.
"Getting to this point has taken seven years," said Michael Picker, President of Lighthouse Development Group. "However, Long Island can't wait any longer. That is why, as the Town of Hempstead and its consultants were working diligently to prepare the final scoping document for environmental review, our team has been working day and night on that next step — the DGEIS, which we submitted to the Town this afternoon."
Isles blogger extraordinaire Chris Botta has more, including this tidbit I found interesting: "Today’s hearing was a positive step, a good day for the developers and the Town. Plenty of bouquets were passed back and forth. Will it lead to groundbreaking this summer? No way to know right now."
That anyone is even contemplating a timeline for getting this off the ground is good news for Islanders fans. As I've said in the past, this team cannot survive much longer without a new building and relocation is not out of the question.
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Geez.
Good luck to Wang and Company.
It must be incredibly frustrating to try and get a project running only to be held up by myopic politicians and NIMBYs that yell, scream and obstruct at every opportunity.
by Exit716 on Feb 24, 2009 11:02 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Regarding the NIMBYs...
Somewhat amazingly, there is a distinct lack of NIMBY-ism regarding this project.
I have looked, as have others, and there is actually no organized opposition to this project that any of us can find.
Lets go Islanders...
by TheMetalChick on Feb 24, 2009 11:06 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
It’s interesting – I wonder if that’s because it’s not a “build us a stadium” corporate welfare deal like so many arena proposals?
Nick (who — for non-followers — has been blogging this relentlessly) said 19 of 20 speakers at the forum were in favor, and the one against just wanted affordable housing included. That’s impressive.
Lighthouse Hockey: SBN's New York Islanders blog with hip issues.
by Dominik on Feb 24, 2009 11:28 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Best of luck to them
if they can get this rolling, we could be looking at a shot in the arm for the league almost as big as that which the Blackhawks are providing this year. That’s good news for the entire NHL.
More fun than a stick to the face!
by Dirk Hoag on Feb 25, 2009 9:07 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
You fanboys need to hit a dictionary
NIMBY is Not In My Back Yard and it generally refers to people who don’t respect private property rights enough to allow property owners to do what they want on their land.
It does not refer to taxpayers who object to being r@ped of their hard-earned money so a carpet-bagging owner of dubious merit can extort concessions out of a government that is functionally insolvent.
Any half-@zzed developer can stack a meeting with proponents. I’ve been on that side of the ledger plenty of times.
This might prove to be a shot in the arm to the spoiled millionaires in the NHL, but it’s another shot in the head to taxpayers.
I used to think like you guys. When I was 20 and the concept of paying taxes for the rest of my life was more of a concept than a reality.
Check back in when you’ve been in the workforce for 20-30 years. You might not be so enthusiastic about your money being used as a welfare handout to millionaires.
by Dr Van Nostrum on Feb 25, 2009 3:13 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Dr Van,
Practice what you preach – this time you should do research before posting instead of hitting a dictionary.
The amount of money out of pocket from the tax payer is almost nothing. Wang and Rechler are privately funding almost the entire project through their own capital, loans and investors.
http://lighthouseliblog.blogspot.com/
http://lettherebelighthouse.blogspot.com/
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey: SBN's New York Islanders blog who's lost the most man games to injury.
by Michael Schuerlein on Feb 25, 2009 3:43 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Two Sides.
There are always two sides to every argument. But the truth of the matter is we need jobs on long island, and this will bring them along with tax benefits for the county.
This is not just a hockey project. This is a way to bring dollars to long island.
Those who do not like Wang for one reason or another will blast him for wanting to make money. Last time I looked, that’s what businesses were supposed to do. Make money to pay others for doing jobs so they can pay their rent and feed themselves.
Hopefully this gets done. It will be a shame if that land stays vacant, the team moves, and the county loses more residents because they can’t afford to live here.
by 7th Woman on Feb 25, 2009 8:09 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
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