SimNassau?

Some years ago we became addicted to a computer game called SimCity, which was the predecessor to a generation of simulation games. In this game, the player was the ultimate urban planner who could set up districts for housing and industry, roads, utilities and commercial sectors. As you played, you built up one area, while other areas developed problems which would need to be addressed by adding additional services. Eventually, the entire board would become filled with urbanized areas, and yet they would continue to have problems.

We think that some developers have the same mind-set that the game creates. They argue that since Nassau County has some problems we should try to build our way out of them. And, as in the game, we think that further urbanization of the county will not solve the issues that exist now.

Proponents of the Lighthouse say that it will go a long way to addressing the problems of Long Island. At Tuesday’s Town of Hempstead zoning hearing they were given an opportunity to prove the benefits of the project. We don’t think they proved their case.

As we see it, there are three major problems with life in Nassau County. They are:

Overcrowding - too many people are competing for the same resources from water to space on the roads.

High taxes - the schools are excellent and villages such as Garden City do a good job delivering municipal services, but people are finding it hard to manage their high tax bills.

Lack of affordable housing - Long Island loses many of its young graduates every year to other states because they can’t afford homes.

Here’s why we think the Lighthouse wouldn’t help any of these problems:

Overcrowding - it is clear from the questioning at the hearing that the members of the Hempstead Town Board did not all swallow the idea that there would be minimal impact on traffic, and that it would be mitigated. Anyone who has driven the surrounding areas during rush hour knows that there are way too many cars trying to use the same roads at the same time. Adding that much new development will only cause gridlock on the streets and start the drumbeats for mass transit. The only transit plan on the table now includes running light rail behind homes in residential areas of Garden City.

Water usage is also problematic. Long Island lives on top of the water it drinks. Although we have ample water for our current needs, if Nassau becomes more urbanized this may not hold true for long.

Taxes -The Lighthouse project as it stands now will only exacerbate those problems.

Although the project could generate up to $43 million in new property taxes, more than half of that will go only to the Uniondale School district, which would receive an estimated 333 additional students as well. The rest of the taxes may offset the additional costs for providing municipal services to the project. But one of the things that Town Supervisor Kate Murray asked for in a recent letter was an assurance that the developers would not turn around and ask for tax abatements once the zoning was approved. Charles Wang and Scott Rechler have not given that assurance.

Beyond that, the massive amount of commercial development included in the project will very likely harm the already fragile downtown areas of surrounding towns (and not just Garden City’s). Many people may not realize it, but commercial landowners can apply to have retroactive reductions to their property taxes if their land’s value drops. These tax certiorari proceedings have been onerous to many villages in Nassau and would only get worse. This directly translates to higher taxes for the homeowners.

Housing - One of the most reasonable arguments we had heard for the Lighthouse was that it would provide housing for young people so that they wouldn’t have to move off Long Island to begin their families. Well, as it came out in the hearing, that “affordable housing” isn’t so affordable after all. Most young adults can’t afford $2300 per month for a one-bedroom apartment, and the purchase prices quoted were similar to the prices of single family homes in some areas of the Town.

We hope the Town of Hempstead board should think about whether approving a vast new urbanization will actually solve any existing problems, or whether it will just make them worse.

If you find that you are in a hole, it’s time to put down the shovel and stop digging.

Meg Morgan Norris Publisher