NASSAU COUNTY CIVIC ASSOCIATION, INC. "The government is us, we are the government, you and I." Teddy Roosevelt

Nassau County or New York City?

Yes to development, No to the Lighthouse Project

Last month the Town of Hempstead declared that the Draft Generic Environmental Impact Study (DGEIS) completed by the developers of the Lighthouse Project was ready for public review. The scope of the study was established by the town and was required to address the potential impact the planned development will have upon water resources,  traffic, sewage, solid waste, air quality, emergency services and other related issues. The town held a public hearing on Tuesday, August 4th and is soliciting comments from the public until August 17th.

The Lighthouse Project is one of the largest proposed developments since the construction of Levittown post World War Two. Considering the project’s scale and ten year build out, it is imperative that any review be deliberative and thorough. The Nassau County Civic Association reviewed the DGEIS in its entirety and identified several concerns about the project.   

Density

The Lighthouse project encompasses 150 acres in East Garden City and Uniondale. The plan divides the project into three sub-districts; a core district (the coliseum), a residential district and an office district. The plan calls for the renovation of the coliseum, the construction of more then 2306 residential units, the renovation of an existing hotel along with construction of a new 300 room hotel with 368 luxury condominiums, 500,000 square feet of local retail shops including a 2600 seat theatre (65,000 square feet) and more then 1,000,000 square feet of office space. The project includes two 36 story office buildings, two 20 story buildings both north of Hempstead Turnpike and two 8 story buildings South of Hempstead Turnpike. Several of the residential units will be built on top of parking garages. The exact height of the buildings could go higher as the study notes, "it is not possible to prepare and commit to precise site plans".

The study noted that there are at least seven other developments in the vicinity of the proposed Lighthouse project. An additional proposal for a 6000 seat minor league ball park at Mitchel Field remains to be solidified. Considering the level of development in such an already congested area, the Lighthouse project would certainly bring a tremendous strain on local infrastructure.

Nassau County stands at a crossroad, should we maintain our suburban way of life or move toward an urban environment? The Lighthouse project is clearly an urban project within a suburban setting. The plan includes the term, "Smart grown" which is a euphemism for urbanization. From the environmental study; "as this is Smart Growth development, its intent is to concentrate density". Based on its massive scope and size, the study acknowledges the precedent of the plan, "The lighthouse would be a community that exists nowhere on Long Island".

While the Nassau County Civic Association, Inc supports the decision to redevelop the noted area, we believe that this plan if approved will hasten the urbanization of the town and will set a precedent for the building of similar projects in other areas of the town.

Water

The Lighthouse will require 1,305 million gallons of water per day (mgd). As this exceeds the current supply of water, the project will require additional sources of water. The study indicated that several well sites were considered, however the most logical well site was #6 which is located at one of the runways of the former Mitchel Field Air Force base. The report failed to address the impact of the expansion of the Covanta plant located near the project in Westbury. This planned expansion now pending before the town requires an additional 270 million gallons of water per year or 739,000 gallons per day. The study did acknowledge that the other seven planned developments will increase the need for and usage of water. No information was provided as to whether the total increase in water demand can actually be met and what effect this will have on the region’s aquifers. 

Traffic 

The study fails to offer a realistic view of the impact the development will have on traffic. The report actually says, "It [the project] will provide a framework to curtail the region's reliance on automobiles and utilize public transportation." Currently, the majority of Long Islanders rely on automobiles for their transportation. This dynamic is consistent with minimal public transportation infrastructure and the suburban character of Long Island. Any transformation from an automobile based transportation system to a public transportation system would take decades to achieve.

The study relies on the completion of the Long Island Rail Road’s Main Line Corridor Project to remediate increased traffic. This proposed project would add a third track on the ten mile Port Jefferson line which includes the Mineola station. State Senator Craig Johnson who is a MTA board member has come out in opposition to the MTA’s plan. Considering adjacent property owners oppose the plan (the Senator’s constituents) and the lack of capital funds, it is questionable whether the third line expansion will go forward. Even if additional limited public transportation options are implemented such as the proposed local trolley system, it is unlikely that it would offer any significant remediation of traffic.

The study also notes several changes to the traffic flow and reconstruction of local highways. One notable change is the expansion of the southbound roadway of the Meadowbrook Parkway from the Southern State Parkway to Hempstead Turnpike. Even with an additional fourth lane added, the study fails to take into consideration the current high level of traffic congestion in the subject area or on the Meadowbrook Parkway and the effect of other development projects underway or planned.

The Environmental impact study acknowledged that no analysis was conducted for traffic relating to the minor league ball park and no studies were yet conducted for the seven other projects relating to traffic. The current estimates are as follows; 1610 new net vehicle trips in the morning at peak hour, 3887 new net vehicle trips in the evening peak hour and 3089 net new vehicle trips on Saturday, mid day peak. No estimate was provided for multiple public events occurring simultaneously. Based on the foregoing, how then can their traffic estimates be accurate?

Parking

The estimated peak weekday demand for parking is 18,388 spaces. The estimated weekend demand is 16,209. The current number of existing spaces is 14,160. At the completion of the project, a total of 19,926 parking spaces will be available. This number is severely deficient as the project requires 27,677 spaces. The DGEIS asserts that with a "shared use parking strategy", they can adequately address the deficiency yet they offer no documentary evidence.

Sewage

The project will increase the amount of sewage by 1,945,496 (gpd). The sewage treatment plant that will receive the sewage is the Cedar Creek plant in Seaford. According to the county, the plant currently treats 56 (mgd) and has the capacity for 72 (mgd). Considering the increase in sewage from the other seven developments and the proposed diversion of sewage from Great Neck, it is likely that Cedar Creek may not have the capacity to receive the additional sewage from the Lighthouse project. When there is a limited margin between sewage processed and plant capacity, will a significant rainfall event limit the ability of the plant to prevent a discharge of sewage into south shore waters?

Solid Waste

The plan calls for the Covanta plant to process the project’s solid waste. It is anticipated that the project will generate 2659 tons per month or 32,000 tons per year. The Covanta plant currently processes 960,000 tons per year and has a capacity to process 975,000 tons per year. As the Covanta plant has accepted the projected solid waste from the other seven developments, the plant will exceed its capacity. While the plant has plans to expand its capacity by 40% or 1100 tons per day, how can Covanta agree to accept the projected waste without receiving an approval on their application to expand? Even if their application is approved, the timeframe for the expansion is at least four years.

Air Quality

The Light house project will dramatically increase the amount of local traffic and traffic congestion. As indicated above, considering the Covanta plant will expand its capacity by 40% or 1100 tons per day, the effect on air quality by all sources in totality cannot be over looked.

Emergency Services

The height of the proposed buildings significantly exceeds the average height of local area buildings. The local fire district does not have the apparatus to effectively address high rise fires and emergency rescue. The only apparatus available for purchase is a Bronto 235 Aerial truck which can reach 235 feet or 23 floors. As the buildings are 36-40 stories, the only other option is the use of a helicopter to affect the rescue of individuals trapped on the top floors. This was actually preformed by the NYPD during the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.  

The project is currently served by two precincts, the first precinct in Baldwin and the third in Williston Park. The current plan relies too heavily on security provided by the Lighthouse. The plan calls for only one new patrol sector and assigning one Precinct patrol jurisdiction. Considering the size and scope of the project, a significant level of Police patrol services will be required.   

Conclusion

The majority of residents in the Town of Hempstead support reasonable development of the Coliseum and the surrounding area. Most do not support the scope of the plan for the various reasons specified above. While we would support a smaller scaled back plan, Charles Wang has indicated that he will not accept any other alternative except for the plan now before this board.

While the current matter before the board is the Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (DGEIS), it is our belief that the application to re-zone the subject area and create a Planned Development District consistent with the current Light house plan be rejected for the reasons indicated above.  

*Our opinion of the Lighthouse plan was forwarded to the Town of Hempstead during the public comment period.