St. Vincent's - A Lesson

(Hat tip to my good friend Kathy for this one - I hadn't known the full details until she motivated me to read up)  

I've wondered for a long time about the nature of the relationship between the Lighthouse Project, Nassau County, and the Town of Hempstead.  The Lighthouse has hardened its position of late, but before that the County was content to sit on the sidelines, and people within the Town of Hempstead have openly admitted that they expected the proposal to simply go away.  In the meantime, a small group of opponents who refuse to accept that 25% is not a majority have been trying to curry favor in an attempt to neuter the project beyond any level of usefulness to the community.  I marveled at how the sides did not seem to view each other as partners, with the Lighthouse and former Nassau executive Tom Suozzi repeatedly accusing the Town of Hempstead of dragging its feet and the Town of Hempstead calling Charles Wang a bully.  

I've also wondered what would truly happen if the project were to die....and all of this leads me to the saga of St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan.

St. Vincent's, as many know, is a hospital located at the tip of Greenwich Village, and it gained notoriety for treating many people affected by the 9/11 terrorist attacks.  The hospital has recently fallen on hard times, with a reported $700 million in debt that, as a private institution, it could not easily recoup.  St. Vincent's resorted to a controversial, but creative, plan: build a new campus across the street (current site of the O'Toole Building...which is either a masterpiece or the ugliest building in Manhattan, depending on whom you ask) at a cost of $1.6 billion, partly financed by selling their current hospital building for $300 million so it could be converted to condos....Sound at all familiar?

The plan met with fierce opposition from the community for everything from the proposed height of the new hospital to the demolition of the O'Toole Building, which has landmark status.  Despite approval to revoke landmark status and clear the way for construction, the sides continued to bicker, and St. Vincent's sank deeper into debt.  The hospital recently had to receive a $6 million emergency loan from New York State in order to remain in business, and with hopes of a development dwindling it is highly likely that the hospital will either close or be taken over and re-opened in a scaled-down capacity.

Predictably, many residents are now upset about the very real prospect of losing their hospital, one of the very few in Manhattan below 14th Street, and being left with either an empty or under-utilized shell of a building.  It also means that amateur architects may be able to debate for a few more years (or decades) whether or not the O'Toole Building is ugly (hat tip to Curbed.com on that one).

(Blogger's Note: I'm not saying I'm in favor of the St. Vincent's development, or that I'm against it - I believe it's an interesting case study whose lessons we can apply to the Lighthouse.  No more, no less)

How Does This Relate to the Lighthouse?

You're probably wondering why I am talking about some hospital on a blog about the Lighthouse Project, but I believe it has everything to do with what we're facing now.

The Town of Hempstead has taken full control of the zoning process, leaving many (including our guest blogger, Marc Nicols) concerned that they will scale the project down to such a degree that it's not worth doing for the developer and does not provide the benefit to the community.  It's a very real concern, because we still have little insight into the Town of Hempstead's vision for the site.

I just ask you, quickly, to imagine what happens if the Lighthouse group leaves...

The Islanders are almost certainly gone, depriving Nassau Coliseum of its main tenant and throwing into doubt whether it makes financial sense to renovate the arena at all.

It would likely take years to find a new developer, who would build something that was neither big nor bold.

In that time, the blight would get worse, traffic would get worse, and more people seeking new opportunity will go somewhere other than Long Island.  Neighboring communities like Uniondale, Garden City, and Hempstead will feel the lack of opportunity.

Then, just like those who so bitterly opposed anything that could save St. Vincent's, the people who so roundly oppose the Lighthouse Project will rise up as one and ask:

Why can't we do something?

I don't want to wait that long, when it's too late to effect the greatest possible change.  I call on the Town of Hempstead and the Lighthouse Project to collaborate in the spirit of building something all Long Islanders can be proud of, and something that will put us away from the path of becoming New York's "Sixth Borough."

Let's not end up like the sorry tale of St. Vincent's - let's do something now.

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Guest Post: The REAL "Sixth Borough"

Marc Nicols, a loyal reader from Deer Park who has been here almost since Day 1, sent me this guest post, and while I cobble some things together for the site, I thought it was too good to keep from everyone.  

Marc writes as a Long Island resident and a father who is concerned his two young children will not have a future on Long Island once they are old enough to move away.  He speaks to many who believe Long Island requires a new way forward and that the Lighthouse Project is the perfect starting point.  

(Interesting sidenote: I witnessed the encounter with an older gentleman who opposed the Lighthouse that he describes in his piece)

Remember, you can email me if you have a guest post you'd like to share.  Also remember that the views in Marc's piece are his own, and by posting it I am saying I believe Marc is making a good, eloquent statement.

Without further ado, here's Marc:

The Town of Hempstead and the Lighthouse Project

by Marc Nicols

There's an old Yiddish saying "A cat who gets bitten by a snake is afraid of rope." This saying always come to mind when I hear opponents of Long Island developments claiming how any change to an area will turn us into a city, or "the sixth borough" of New York City. They seemed to be scared of something based on past experience without taking a good look at exactly what it is.

While the Town of Hempstead has finally take a pro-active step with the Coliseum property re-development by performing it's own zoning study, proponents must be fearful of seeing elected officials lead and determine the scope of this project. While developers Rechler and Wang have been described as "visionaries", I doubt Supervisor Kate Murray or anyone on the Town board has been described that way. Watching these bureaucrats for a few hours at the zoning meeting on September 22nd confirmed that. They reminded me of another saying, provided to me by my Micro-Economic Theory professor 16 years ago: "Anything the government does is inefficient." Let's hope Hempstead doesn't scale the project down so far that it defeats the purpose of turning the site into a destination spot and economic incubator for the area.

For those who fear that a large development will turn Nassau County into the 'sixth borough' of New York City: One must realize that the failure of Long Island to develop and sustain its own economic engines and provide apartment style housing will result in the region being wholly dependent upon New York City for jobs and housing for young adults who were educated on Long Island. That will turn us into a borough faster and deeper than developing 77 acres of asphalt in the middle of a downtown commercial area.

At the zoning meeting, several of us were involved in an animated discussion with an older gentleman, a Garden City resident, who I classify as a prototypical Lighthouse opponent and NIMBY. He was against everything and anything being built on the site for fear that it might disturb his quiet home. He was against any project that might result one more car per day to traverse his tranquil village. When I asked him what he did want, his answer was terse and forceful: "I want to be left alone."

Unfortunately for Long Island, if projects such as the Lighthouse and the Heartland in Brentwood do not move forward, Long Island will be left alone. Our young adults, many of whom were educated on Long Island with our tax dollars will continue to flee to New York City, North Carolina or Arizona. These young adults who someday might purchase a home in Garden City, will buy a one somewhere else. Jobs and industries will continue to leave the area, weakening our tax base. In the past 20 years, nothing seems to get done on Long Island. We've lost Grumman, Roosevelt Raceway, the Jets, and countless companies. With the possibility of losing the Islanders and the Belmont Stakes in the next few years, what will become of Long Island's identity?

I've met many Lighthouse supporters in the past year: Many Islanders fans who just want the team to stay; young adults, looking and hoping for a way to remain on Long Island; and many in my situation - Yes, I'm bleed Islander Blue and Orange, but I'm approaching middle age, I own a home in Suffolk County, and I have a stable job (knock on wood) in downtown Manhattan. Odds are great that I'll never personally benefit from the jobs or housing in a mixed-use development such as the proposed Lighthouse project. 

But, most importantly, I'm also a parent of two young children. As my children become adults in the next two decades, I don't want to be "left alone." I don't want to have to take a plane ride to see them. If they don't want to have the long commute into New York City for a job, I want local opportunities to be available to them. I want to be able to see my future grandchildren as often as possible. Maybe this is as selfish as the Garden City NIMBY. Yet I feel there is a profound difference. I'm for progress that will benefit the current and future generation of our area. In my field, technology, one quickly learns that you can't stop progress, you can only ignore it. And if you ignore it, you will be left behind. Maybe that's fine for a group of senior citizens in an affluent neighborhood, but it's not for an entire region.

At the August public comments meeting, I had a brief discussion with an older lady who was vehemently against the project. She asked me where I lived (Deer Park) and told me that if it was my backyard I'd be against it also. This is another easy thing to say, but it is in fact incorrect. In October 2007 the new Tanger Outlets opened up less than two miles from my home. I was in favor of the project before, and now. The added traffic that everyone was so concerned about is negligible, except during the holidays. Yet, I am okay with it since I benefit from the tax base and the discounts I receive get while shopping for clothing for my toddler and infant. Also, the proposed Heartland project, whose proposal is bigger in scope than the Lighthouse, is less than 5 miles from my home. I am also greatly in favor of the project for the housing and jobs it will bring to the area.

Long Island was once a brave new place, yet in the past decade we seem afraid to take any risks that might change our landscape. Maybe the Lighthouse and the Heartland projects are a bit too grand, maybe they need some scaling down. Yet, before we make deep cuts in the proposals, let's remember one more saying: "One who is afraid to go out on a limb will never get the fruit."

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The Dirty Little Secret

This Lighthouse process is turning into more of a theater of the absurd by the day.  You have the Town of Hempstead, who steadfastly refused to meet with Charles Wang for 7 years, suddenly congratulating itself for jump-starting the process.  At the same time, you have Charles Wang's tight-lipped Lighthouse Project, which begged for meetings for years and is now suddenly not making any of them.  There has been acrimony on both sides, and with the process having been dark for over 4 months people's imaginations are taking over to a greater degree.  

This came into perfect focus when, on Monday morning, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was a guest on Boomer Esiason's WFAN radio show.  He criticized the Town of Hempstead for not being able to "get this together," and seemed to throw cold water on the idea of Brooklyn as a relocation point for the New York Islanders should the Lighthouse Project go awry.

This led to Newsday, our favorite local paper, doing a two-page spread saying that this "opened the door for Queens" and listed all potential relocation points, including, I can't believe it, Kansas City.  Naturally, this prompted more hysterical blog posts and emails from nervous fans who have been caught in the crossfire o this piss-for-distance contest.

Everyone, take a breath.

There was no news in anything Gary Bettman said.

You could wonder if Charles Wang is feeding the commissioner this information, but let's not forget that Bettman spent months bashing Nassau County for a process that is wholly controlled by the Town of Hempstead, so it's fair to ask whether the commissioner is actually helping or just thought he was.

Let's take a quick detour into the three main options, again, because to me this illustrates the dirty little secret of the Lighthouse saga:

Brooklyn

The Atlantic Yards Project cleared its last major hurdle, and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz (a figurehead in this whole process) has made no secret of his desire to lure the Islanders to the soon to be built Barclays Center in downtown Brooklyn.

Seems like smooth sailing, right?

Wrong.

There is heavy, organized, and well-funded community opposition, and they have spent years filing every lawsuit known to man in an attempt to stop Atlantic Yards based on an alleged illegal use of eminent domain.  This will not stand, as the key legal precedent, Kelo v. New London, is firmly in favor of the government's right to seize private property for private use.  Some want to challenge Atlantic Yards based on the recent decision against Columbia's attempts to have blocks of Morningside Heights condemned, but as my friend "Brooklyn Law Student" pointed out, it's not a solid legal argument.  The courts ruled that Columbia cannot profit off the blight in Morningside because they were found to have contributed to it.  You can say what you will about Bruce Ratner, but you cannot say he is the reason the area was in its condition at the time of the eminent domain.

This is another dirty little secret: the opposition knows they have no solid legal footing.  

They're not trying to win.

They're trying to run out the clock.

They are hoping that a continuous flood of lawsuits will deflate Ratner, cause him to refund the bonds he sold for arena construction, and move on from the project.  With the New Jersey Nets moving "temporarily" to the brand-new Prudential Center in Newark, one wonders if Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov would be tolerant of any delays.

Brooklyn may well happen, the courts and city are on Ratner's side, but it's not quite there yet.

Queens

Not surprisingly, the statement from Bettman touched off another round of Queens hysteria, but this too is a bit premature.  As I've said previously, Queens merely issued a Request for Qualifications, to which 29 developers responded, and we don't even know whether Charles Wang and Scott Rechler were included, because nobody is talking.

In addition, calls from the Queens Chamber of Commerce President (a man about as useful to that process as Marty Markowitz is to Atlantic Yard) have not been returned by Charles Wang or anyone in the Lighthouse offices.

First off, there is another organized opposition in Queens that will almost certainly fight the Willets Point development as rabidly as those in Brooklyn have stood against Atlantic Yards.

Further complicating things, Queens is only planning to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) later this year.  It's over 5 years since the Lighthouse Project was first unveiled, and 4 since it won the competitive bidding process that Nassau County set up after the fact.  Even if Charles Wang were to go all-in on Queens (something that would completely end the Lighthouse, because the Town of Hempstead would not accept it) and get the buy-in from Mike Bloomberg and the city, it would still take years to get off the ground, as this does.

I have yet to hear a cogent reason why starting from square 1 is inherently a better idea than continuing a process that is far along, despite obstacles.

Lighthouse

I've said repeatedly that political will was the one key ingredient missing from the Lighthouse Project, and despite the fabrications from its enablers, the Town of Hempstead has finally developed this through its decision to put forward a zoning plan.  It guarantees that something will eventually be done at the Lighthouse site.

We of course don't know what will come out of it, and I and others have repeatedly pushed the idea of the Town making a proposal bigger than it may be comfortable with in order to prove it is negotiating in good faith.  We do, however, know that Ed Mangano, the new Republican County Executive, is eager to present an image as a uniter, separate from the hyper-partisan Tom Suozzi, and he controls the keys to any future promotion Kate Murray may want in the future.

It will not be better immediately, but the seeds have been planted for an agreement if both sides want it badly enough.

Bottom Line

From a hockey perspective, there has never been a team in the modern NHL to leave a location where it won a championship, and given the recent fiasco with the Phoenix Coyotes I can't imagine the league wants to risk a nightmare with the Islanders.  

In the same vein, you have two main relocation offers full of issues that have never happened with the Lighthouse Project, and sudden political will at the Town and County level to get something done at the Coliseum site.

If Charles Wang were to walk, it would take years to choose another developer who would wind up producing...the exact same project as the Town of Hempstead chooses in its zoning plan.

When you look at all these issues, this becomes the Dirty Little Secret: The easiest thing for all parties to do is make a deal with each other.

Whether or not that happens is a story in and of itself.

Coming soon: What we and the Lighthouse opponents can learn from St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan.

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Guest Blog: Charles Wang's Responsibility

When I'm approached by people with something valuable to say, I do my best to accommodate them on this blog.  Today, we have a guest post from Joe Conte, a great friend of this blog (and someone who bears a striking resemblance to Frans Nielsen, for all you Isles fans).  You know Joe from the "Blow it out Your Dufflebag" incident with former State GOP Chairman Joe Mondello, and you know him most recently as the man who volunteered to captain Kristen McElroy's sinking ship in the last month of the campaign.  

Now that the Town of Hempstead has made its move and authorized its own re-zoning plan for the Nassau Coliseum property, Joe has turned his eyes to only the Islanders.  

Please understand, also, that while I completely agree with Joe's sentiments about Charles Wang, I do not necessarily share his pessimism about the recent news.  As I've said, there is an optimistic view of the news, and there is a pessimistic view.

With that, here's Joe:

Charles Wang Has One Responsibility Now: Keep the Islanders in New York

by Joe Conte

As a fervent supporter of the Lighthouse Project-and no its not because I’m an Islander fan, its because I’m 25 and will follow most of my other college educated off the Island due to a myriad issues the Lighthouse would have moved towards solving (and which Nick so eloquently lays out), I now turn my attention to my other Long Island cause célèbre, and that IS the Islanders.

Throughout Mr. Wang’s impassioned selling of the Lighthouse Project, one theme he constantly stressed was that fact that he is a Long Islander, it is his home, and his passion to build stemmed from that burning desire to give something back to the place that gave him so much.

Now that the town has seemingly wrestled the fate of the project away from the Lighthouse Group, there is another way Mr. Wang can give back to the people of Long Island-and that is committing to keep the Islanders in New York.  If he and the town can agree on a development of Nassau’s hub-great, but if not, it is on Mr. Wang to find a way to get the team to Brooklyn or Queens.

Mr. Wang owes it to Islander fans to make this commitment, and here’s why: Islanders fans, some of the most tortured in all of sports, have stuck by this team through thick and mostly thin.  And when Mr. Wang asked for us to support his Lighthouse Project, we responded with a tremendous amount of time and energy.

As it appears the team has finally turned the corner, the elephant in the room is will the Islanders be around for Long Islanders to enjoy their future success.  Well, it’s an uncertainty that shouldn’t be.  

Mr. Wang must commit to a New York home for the Islanders.  When he needed us, we were there for him, and it’s not unreasonable to expect the same. 

(Blogger's Note: You can email me if you'd like to submit your own guest blog, and I will run it if I believe it adds to the experience)

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Movement

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

(Media Alert: I was on the excellent Preds on the Glass radio show this past Monday, sharing the new Lighthouse news and handicapping yesterdays Islanders/Predators matchup.  The excellent Michelle Kenneth and Anthony Curatolo of Crash the Crease and The Hockey Guys podcast also appeared.  Check it out)

Yesterday at Town Hall, before a "roll back the raises" protest began, the Town of Hempstead voted unanimously to authorize its environmental consultant, Frederick P. Clark Associates, to prepare an alternative zoning plan for the Nassau Coliseum property.

This represents a major reversal for the Town of Hempstead, which has since 2003 refused to meet with the Lighthouse Development Group or Nassau County to discuss their vision for the 77-acre county-owned property, even though they hold final zoning authority over whatever is built there.

The Town of Hempstead credited itself for taking this "unusual step" in an effort to "jump-start the zoning process," which has stalled in previous months as the Lighthouse Project has gone dark and apparently ceased paying its bills to F.P. Clark, as it is required by law to do.

The Town of Hempstead, which appears to be financing this alternative zoning plan itself, outlined three main goals for the plan, which they expect will be finished in the summer of this year:

1. It has to be a mixed-use development.
2. A renovation plan for Nassau Coliseum, to keep the New York Islanders in the Town of Hempstead, must be included.
3. The plan must serve as a model for "responsible" development.

The Town of Hempstead repeatedly indicated a willingness to work with Charles Wang, who was not present, because of the still-in-effect Designated Developer Agreement (DDA) between Nassau County and the Lighthouse Development Group.

Very few speakers attended, though our old friends from the Garden City Eastern Property Owners' Association made sure to tell the Town every problem they had with the project, and to characterize the behavior of Lighthouse supporters and the hearings in general as "awful" (I know, nice touch).  Many others continued to use the same tired and discredited arguments against the project, such as citing current vacancy rates for office space and retail (Long Island has an abundance of Class B office space but is in dire need of Class A - the Class A space in the Lighthouse would actually grow the market, as would the retail, rather than cannibalize what's currently there).  Still others cited the terrible conditions of the economy, because apparently the current conditions will hold in perpetuity and we should not do anything, anywhere, ever.

You can look at this development, the first significant movement in the Lighthouse approval process in months, with either an optimistic or pessimistic view:

Optimistic View

The Town of Hempstead is finally coming forward with its own counter-proposal, and it is pledging to work with the Lighthouse every step of the way in an attempt to craft a compromise.  Given the changes and issues we have seen, and the issues facing all other options for Charles Wang, the political will shown from the County and Town should provide the push to get this done.

Pessimistic View

The Town of Hempstead has repeatedly stressed the need for "responsible" development at the Coliseum site.  That could be interpreted as either seeking prudent compromise or seeking to gut the very boldness that made the Lighthouse Project such a seminal moment in Long Island history.  The pessimistic view is that the Town will gut the project to such a degree that the Lighthouse has no choice but to abandon its pursuit and clear the way for another developer.

Bottom Line

Yesterday was a step toward final resolution of the Lighthouse Project.  Hopefully the negotiations will proceed in a positive way, but I am for now reserving judgment.

Coming Soon

We will be discussing transportation, financing, political issues, and many many more things.  I have no shortage of material, just time.

Please share your thoughts in comments. Petition. Email. Twitter. Facebook.

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Forget the Last End-Game...THIS Is End-Game

In a stunning move that reverses years of policy, the Town of Hempstead has truly entered end-game in the Lighthouse Project negotiations.  At a press conference that began at 11 AM today, the Town called on Charles Wang to pay the over $150,000 in outstanding bills to environmental consultants Frederick P. Clark Associates, and they then took an even bolder move.  The Town announced it has retained F.P. Clark to devise a "zoning plan" for the Coliseum property, the most direct sign we have ever had that the Town will only accept the Lighthouse Project in a scaled-back form.

This represents the biggest news since Mr. Wang's "deadline" passed on October 3, something I'd been saying for weeks, if not months, earlier.  Since then, the Lighthouse has gone dark, allowing its opponents, people with an agenda, and bloggers with very little information (not a swipe, I'm including myself in that) to control and dictate the public discourse.

The whole time, Mr. Wang has repeated his mantra, which became hardened in the steamy summer months: Just tell me Yes or No.  Interestingly enough, the Town of Hempstead appears to have adhered to his previous mantra: Just tell me what I can build.


While Mr. Wang repeated his mantra, however, the behavior has been downright odd.  An organization that built its base of support through open engagement, which allowed the Lighthouse to be the most widely-supported large building project in perhaps Long Island's history, suddenly turned inward.  F.P. Clark was not paid, as the Lighthouse is obligated by law to do.  In fact, source within the Town claims the environmental review could be finished by now had the bill been paid.  Requests and pleas for any kind of indication largely fell on deaf ears.  Lighthouse representatives, including Mr. Wang himself, repeatedly denied that meetings happened with the Town since the October 3 deadline, even though multiple sources are reporting they have.

This sort of behavior is inexcusable, and it's not a stretch to ask why an organization supposedly committed to doing something on Long Island was suddenly acting like it wasn't.

The political chickens began coming home to roost, as well, an unfortunate consequence of the Lighthouse deciding to tie itself closely to a Democratic Party that no longer controls any piece of this process.  Representatives of Ed Mangano, the new Republican County Executive, claim their calls to Mr. Wang have gone unreturned, and the Town of Hempstead has allowed itself the ability to spread misinformation (such as the asinine "the Lighthouse is as dense as Manhattan's Upper West Side" argument).

The Town, as I mentioned, has decided to force Mr. Wang's hand, because they believe these amount to stall tactics.  They don't believe the Lighthouse has financing, with some sources claiming that people connected to Scott Rechler have admitted as much, and they want to back the developer into a corner.

Here's the biggest piece: a new zoning plan, puts the chance of a groundbreaking in 2010 in serious jeopardy, and it opens up the possibility that the project will be handed to another more connected developer if the Lighthouse chooses to walk away.


As per the press conference, Kate Murray re-iterated that she does not want the New York Islanders to move, and she stressed that the plan will include a renovated arena.

In fact, sources say the Town of Hempstead will vote on this "vision" tomorrow night at the Town Board meeting.  (I'm sure they'd love to see all of us...Hint, Hint.)

The Lighthouse has engaged in severely misguided behavior over the past few months, but that does not mean I'm ready to throw the Town of Hempstead a parade either.  I heard from multiple sources involved with the discussions at the time that Kate Murray has refused to participate in discussions along these lines for 7 years, citing the ridiculous reasoning that she would eventually have to vote on the project.  She believed that simple fact absolved her from any responsibility for shaping the project and any role in guiding the approval process. An open discussion could have resolved any issues before they started


Now, all of a sudden, it's happened.  What changed?  Is the Town of Hempstead suddenly not concerned about this policy, and, if not, why have they hidden behind it for years?


A source in the Town of Hempstead believes the passion of citizen supporters motivated the Town to suddenly take the Lighthouse Project seriously, since most considered it to be a sideshow.  This is not an achievement of representative government, nor should the Town be credited for suddenly taking its fingers out of its ears.

However, regardless of how we got here...we're here.

The Town is voting on this vision tomorrow night, and we now have a clear path to end-game.  There are 3 main variables:

Will the Town of Hempstead be willing to budge? As we've seen, the Town of Hempstead is prone to overreaching and has a reputation of being arrogant in its dealings with developers.  Will there be any wiggle room, or will this zoning plan be treated as a take it or leave it offer?

Will Charles Wang play ball?  The Town is doubting his motives, and the recent dark period has all but obliterated all the positive momentum. However, I have heard from sources the plan was built with compromise in mind, and we know from our back to basics post how economic benefit will be calculated.

How far apart are the 2 sides?  It has been clear for months that the Lighthouse Project will not be approved in its current form.  It will be interesting to see how much smaller the Town of Hempstead's proposal will be, because if the 2 sides are far apart and cannot bridge the gap the whole project could fall apart.

Are we nearing the end?

Ed Mangano has repeatedly said he wants the project to move forward, and now it's time for him and all the rest of us who want this to step up.  Now is the time for Ed Mangano to bring the sides together like he told me he can.  Now is the time for all of us to make one last push, urging both sides to come to a mutually-beneficial solution.

We've done so much...and we need to move forward one more time.  It appears this will be over soon.

After all, despite the rancor from both sides, one thing is clear: the easiest solution for all parties is for the Town and the Lighthouse to come to a deal.

UPDATE: The Supervisor also shared that she called Charles Wang an hour before the hearing and had a "pleasant" conversation.  She claims Mr. Wang said he is "looking forward" to the new plan.  Stay tuned tomorrow for more details.


MEDIA ALERT: Looks like I'll be sharing a reaction with News 12.  Stay tuned for more information.

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A Preview of What's to Come

When you're a blogger, you already have a reputation as someone who plays free and loose with journalistic integrity.  Therefore, when you are asked to adhere to ethical standards and respect news embargoes, you need to be that much more respectful, lest you destroy your reputation and be forced to play catch-up for eternity.  

My friend B.D. Gallof and I had much of this information a few days ago.  We knew there would be a Town of Hempstead press conference today, and we knew in vague terms what it would mean.  Now, the Long Island Herald got the green light and shared the story: Today, at 11 AM, the Town of Hempstead will announce its intention to vote on a "zoning plan" for the Lighthouse Project.  

Some people are already going into hysterics, saying this, at long last, means a "No" for the Lighthouse Project.  Not quite; it may simply be what Charles Wang has been asking for: Just tell me what I can build.

I'm not going into more detail now...I'll be back in a couple of hours with detailed analysis.  Check out Hockey Independent if I don't have anything up by 11.

This post updated at 10:25 AM on February 10 to remove the suggestion that the reporting of this news was unethical...I don't think the Herald's actions were at all unethical; I just knew that the bloggers couldn't break the story.