Hearing Scheduled September 22 at Hofstra
Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray has announced that she will call upon the Hempstead Town Board to schedule a much-anticipated public zoning hearing on the proposed Lighthouse Project on Tuesday, Sept. 22.
The hearing will focus around the Lighthouse Group’s plan to refurbish the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum and redevelop the 150 acres surrounding the aging arena. The Islanders are scheduled to be in Kansas City that night for an 8 p.m. pre-season game against the Los Angeles Kings.
“This hearing will afford civic leaders, business people, local residents, government officials, labor representatives, regulatory agencies and all interested parties an opportunity to weigh in on the Lighthouse Project,” stated Murray. “The views, opinions and input of the public is invaluable as the town board collects evidence and considers this redevelopment plan.”
It is anticipated the proposed hearing will be held at Hofstra University’s John Cranford Adams Playhouse on the South Campus. Attendees will be directed to hearing parking via signage along Hempstead Turnpike. The hearing is scheduled to be conducted during the following hours on Sept. 22: 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., 2 to 5 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m.
The supervisor has noted on several occasions that progressive development proposals are important to the town’s growth and prosperity. Job creation, economic stimulation and tax revenues are all benefits associated with forward-looking development. While Murray is committed to those imperatives, the supervisor has stated that the town must thoroughly review the proposal, its environmental impacts and the appropriateness of the development for the site at Hempstead Town’s hub. Murray observed that projects of the size and scope of the Lighthouse have the potential to reshape the face of the suburbs for generations to come.
“Hempstead Town is being diligent and working aggressively on its reviews of the Lighthouse Project,” said Murray. “At the same time, we must be scrupulous and vigilant in our review and analyses of the proposal because the decisions we make today will affect our children and our grandchildren.”
For those who can’t attend the zoning hearing but wish to voice their opinions on the project, public comments are being accepted by e-mail and U.S. mail through Sept. 22. Comments can be submitted as follows:
By mail: Town of Hempstead Lighthouse Project Public Comment, One Washington Street, Hempstead, NY 11550. By email: lighthousecomment@tohmail.org.
