Hofstra’s bid for tax-free Start-Up NY zone delayed

Hofstra University’s bid to win state approval for a tax-free zone on campus for technology startups has been delayed because of the objections of a state assemblywoman, officials said Monday.

The university’s application for entry to the Start-Up NY program was to be voted on Tuesday afternoon by a three-member state approval board. Its meeting in the state Capitol was cancelled Monday afternoon, according to a media advisory from Empire State Development, which administers Start-Up NY.

Two sources familiar with the matter said the decision to scrap the meeting was made after Assemb. Earlene Hooper (D-Hempstead) said she hadn’t been given sufficient time to review Hofstra’s application.

Hooper, who serves as deputy speaker of the Assembly, did not respond to voicemails left Monday.

She isn’t an approval board member but could potentially request that the Assembly’s appointee, Edward M. Cupoli, vote “No” on the university’s application.

Since the board’s establishment two years ago by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, it has unanimously approved applications put before it. The sources said the Cuomo administration didn’t want Hofstra to have a split decision.

They also said a board meeting had never before been cancelled because a state lawmaker needed more time to read an application.

A Hofstra spokeswoman declined to comment.

In an email obtained by Newsday, an Empire State Development official told the approval board Monday “that due to requests from stakeholders for more opportunity to comment upon one of the plans submitted for your consideration, this meeting will be postponed until late March.”

The sources identified the “stakeholders” as Hooper, whose district includes Hofstra.

State Sen. Kemp Hannon (R-Garden City), whose district also includes the university, said its application didn’t take him long to review. “I’m not under the impression there is any type of approval process from legislators…I read [the application] and I thought it was logical, coherent and meritorious,” he said Monday.

The approval board only considers tax-free zones for private colleges; Empire State Development approves zones for SUNY and CUNY.

C.W. Post was admitted to Start-Up NY in August 2014.

In addition to Hofstra, the approval board was to consider an application from New York Institute of Technology.

Businesses in the zones do not pay state and local taxes for up to 10 years. Their employees don’t have to pay state income taxes for as long as 10 years.

Long Island has 22 participating companies; most are located on the Stony Brook University campus.