EDITORIAL: Move the Lighthouse Project along
Meanwhile, in Hempstead Town, it's time to move the Lighthouse Project along.
This very public drama involving Long Island's other mega, game-changing development, is entering its final act. But there needn't be any suspense about how it ends.
Town Supervisor Kate Murray has set Sept. 22 for a daylong zoning hearing on the Lighthouse, which holds the exciting promise of getting Long Island growing again with jobs, new housing and a new destination. This hearing at Hofstra University will provide details on the size and shape of the residential and office spaces, as well as the hotels and shops that will be built around a reinvented Coliseum.
The town board should vote very soon thereafter. Unlike Gerald Wolkoff, who seems willing to wait out approval in Islip, Lighthouse developer Charles Wang says he is ready to walk away and take the Islanders hockey team with him.
A month ago, Hempstead held its environmental impact hearing - although it still hasn't issued its final report. By the time of the zoning hearing, it will have been seven weeks between these critical steps. The town insists it's moving as fast as possible. And Murray's press release says "projects of the size and scope of the Lighthouse have the potential to reshape the face of the suburbs for generations to come."
So the supervisor understands what's at stake. What's unclear is whether that's something she welcomes or fears.hN
