Lighthouse Project's Impact On Village Uncertain
The government relations and public affairs consulting firm hired by the Garden City Board of Trustees in December to research how current transportation proposals and those in development could affect Garden City are currently sifting through the many documents involved with the proposed $3-billion Lighthouse Project.
Developers Charles Wang and Scott Rechler submitted a 6,000-page report to the Town of Hempstead board this week which details how they believe their project will impact the environment. Just before the environmental impact statement was submitted, the board approved the environmental review's scope. The project includes 150 acres surrounding Nassau Coliseum and includes a total renovation of the existing coliseum; 2,300 apartments and townhouses; a minor-league ballpark; a sports technology center; a live-performance theater; a five-star, 300-room hotel; underground parking; and a trolley system connecting key points.
At a May 1st Garden City Board of Trustees meeting, Mayor Peter A. Bee expressed concern about the Lighthouse Project's impact on Nassau County's Hub plan. He said: "By itself, the development of the coliseum property has no direct connection to the issue of mass transportation running north-south in Garden City. However, some have suggested that the success of the coliseum project is ultimately dependent upon a larger development of the so-called Hub area, which includes Garden City. Others have pointed out, including the county executive, that the ultimate success of the Hub development may involve mass transportation, the ability to move people within that Hub, including the possibility of north-south transportation through Garden City. I believe, as one individual, that that interconnection makes us very interested and properly concerned..."
Mayor Peter A. Bee referred a call for comment to Daniel A. Ruzow, a partner in the Albany-based government relations and public affairs consulting firm Whiteman Osterman & Hanna, LLP. Ruzow said the project's impact on Garden City has not yet been determined since his firm has not had a chance to analyze the entire proposal. One of the ways the Lighthouse Project plans to mitigate traffic issues is to include a shuttle bus system along Old Country Road to the Mineola train station.
The Hub plan calls for a transportation link in the center of Nassau County connecting Long Island Rail Road train stations with activity centers. The technology being considered for the transportation link includes a Bus Rapid Transit system, Light Rail Transit system or an Automated Guideway Transit system similar to the Airtrain JFK at John F. Kennedy Airport.
The Hub includes the EAB Plaza, Nassau Coliseum and Eisenhower Park on the southeast side, and the Source Mall to the north. It encompasses Nassau Community College, Hofstra University and Roosevelt Field, and extends west to the Nassau County Government offices in Mineola. Hempstead Village and Mineola are also included because of their Long Island Rail Road lines.
