The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the "Lighthouse At Long Island" development proposed for the Nassau Coliseum area has been released by its developers and should be of interest to Garden City residents.

The Lighthouse project, which encompasses 150 acres includes a redevelopment of the coliseum, a new 300 room hotel, a minor league ballpark, a theatre and 2300 new housing units (a mix of townhouses and apartments). Obviously, a development of this size and scope will have a wide regional impact on everything from transportation to water usage.

Of most concern is a proposal that has been floated regarding the entire Nassau Hub plan (of which the Lighthouse is a key part). The Hub plan suggests that a transportation link be built between the Mineola train station and the coliseum, possibly using a light rail system.

The only thing that stands in the way of the light rail system is... Garden City. Since the village is right smack in the middle, it behooves us to keep close watch on this one. We think running light rail tracks and trams straight through Garden City would be a disaster for the character of the Village, and we hope residents get as riled up about it as we did about St. Paul's. While light rail is not yet on the table, now's the time to pay attention.

Anyone who has the interest in wading through the 6,000 page DEIS, can find it online at www.lighthouseli.com

Meg Morgan Norris

Publisher