WANG, MURRAY, SUOZZI, RECHLER TO MEET
Only real news to come out of Council hearing
Jim Baumbach of The Final Score blog on Newsday blogged the hearing live. Read all about it here.
The one major news item to come out of today’s meeting with the Long Island Planning Council is that Charles Wang, Kate Murray, Scott Rechler and Tom Suozzi are finally going to meet to talk about process. The meeting is on Friday at an undisclosed location.
There were moments of passion, even borderline anger, at the hearing. At least half of it wasn’t boring. Parts were downright exciting. Baumbach’s got the blow-by-blow.
I’ll have my thoughts on the hearing somewhere down the line. Working on a hockey story, which is always my preference.
Comments on the Lighthouse here.
76 Responses to WANG, MURRAY, SUOZZI, RECHLER TO MEET
Only real news to come out of Council hearing
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Matt says:
wow, this could be great news.
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Strummer's Army says:
Love this website! Get her Charles!
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Directions says:
NLB at Old Country Rd and Franklin Ave?
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Mike 8 says:
Is there another meeting at 7pm tommorrow as well? i think 11am is tough for a lot of us.
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Knight of Cups says:
Sounds like she is scrambling to conjure some credibility. Think the damage is already done.
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Pete M says:
She couldn’t keep ducking meetings forever, but I doubt she’ll go on record either way.
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michael says:
if wang misses this meeting i think we’re gonna tear a hole in the space-time continuum .. someone better call doc brown.
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hathead68 says:
Is it too much to hope that some real constructive dialogue takes place and maybe a smidgen of progress, thereby giving a little reason for optimism?
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KO21 says:
Lets Go Islanders!!!
clapclap clapclapclap
Lets Go Islanders!!!
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John G. says:
Wish I could go, I’ll be at school at 11:00
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Just came from a very interesting meeting in Garden City at which Murray spoke – will have a writeup either later tonight or tomorrow morning.
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thor says:
something tells me that Wang will NOT show and will be a pissing fight.
Btw…Nick Classic…please do tell about tonight’s meeting. Was it somthing positive???
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Willis says:
Good, I’m glad she’s going and I hope they DO open a dialogue.
I can’t help feeling that if she has real future political aspirations, it would be so much in her best interest if she could try and help get this worked through (even toned down)and she can take the credit for being instrumental in beginning the new era on Long Island. I hope she’s smart enough to see that. There’s not that much time before the election so I hope they can finally get down to business.
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Eric says:
Nassau County Legislator Dave Mejias is sponsoring two Lighthouse Development Informational Forums this week. The first one will be Wednesday, June 3rd from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Farmingdale Library. The second one will be on Saturday, June 6th from Noon to 2:00 p.m. at the Levittown Library. Representatives from the Lighthouse Project will be in attendance. For additional information you can contact Legislator Mejias at (516) 571-6214 or dmejias@nassaucountyny.gov.
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CB, your work has been incredible. Thanks for keeping us so well updated. Wish I could make it, but work is tough to get out off. Are there any open meetings that aren’t during business hours?
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bossy22 says:
Please. If you are a resident and can make these meetings to support the LOH, attend. We need numbers. This is so important, and we as individuals cannot sit back and assume that others will attend these meetings.
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TimQ says:
Kate got slammed in a letter to the editor published in today’s Newsday. Need to keep the pressure on her so this was good timing
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Crackhead Theo says:
TimQ, can you post the link? I cant find it for some reaosn. Unless its in front of my face and im too stupid to see it.
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Robby D says:
Probable? Wang could be on the Space Shuttle and he would make this meeting. This is where our wishes start coming true. We all deserve it!
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kevin fitz says:
Hope neither of those 2 become good players. Highly unlikely they would, but it sure would hurt!
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bergie20 says:
lacroix is a decent prospect that got hurt by the 50 contract limit. can’t sign everybody. don’t think grachev will amount to anything. can’t wait to see how today’s meeting goes.
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ME says:
I just read Nick Classic’s article in the meeting he attended. I said what he mentions in this article as far back as a year and a half ago. Garden City has pull like no other village and they are responsible for Murray getting elected. GARDEN CITY DOES NOT WANT THIS PROJECT. I said it a year and a half ago and I will say it again. This project is doomed because of the power Garden City has. Murray will not tick off her Garden City voters who are most important to her. Unless Wang and Rechler scale back this project by alot [which is not in their best interest], the time has come for them to move on and forget this project.
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Spartiarti - RVC says:
Why doesnt Garden City want this? What does it have to do with them. NVMC is in waste land of uniondale.
Its like me complaining about something in hempstead from Rockville centre. Who the hell cares.
If you want to find out what happens today the answer is nothing. KATE MURRAY GOING TO GO IN AN SAY JUST FIX THE COLOSEUM.
Wang spend 10MM of his own money to fix up the coloseum when he bought team as friendly jesture to Town of Hempstead. They dont care in the town. They are masters of telling you how to spend you own money. I say its time to look to QUEENS. get near a trainstation. I love having the isles 15 mins from my house but i cant support team if they out of NY.
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I’m curious to hear Wang’s reasoning for not doing the project in stages when it would have to be done in stages anyway starting with the Coliseum renovation.
I’m sure that will be Murray’s ammo if I’m not jumping to conclusions.
I completely get the whole Wang sob story of how the entire LH project is paramount to the economic stability for the franchise going forward but I also know that the concerns raised by Murray are not just things that get signed off on just to expedite a project.
Either way…it’s great that she’ll finally be in the same room with him so we can get a better idea on both. -
I think after this draft the Isles need to stop hording picks and start making some smart trades and FA signings to balance out the roster. With a cap on contracts, the Islanders are going to have to start weeding out players.
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Giaco says:
A guy I work with lives in Garden City and is not a hockey fan at all. He is 100% against this because of “clutter, traffic, and it being uneccessary, etc.”
The only way it will be built is if non hockey fans want it built.
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Valentino says:
Its clearly time to start thinking along the lines of QUALITY of prospects rather than QUANTITY.
No more trading down. No more overanalysis. Take the # 1 consensus pick and don’t look back.
John Tavares is the pick.
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#31 – Of course people in Garden City see this as unecessary. They all have their multi million dollar mansions and 8 figure bank accounts. What need do they have with affordable housing? They will donate to Kate’s cause as long as she keeps their little Malibu wanna be community as is.
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All of you need to click onto NicK Classics name and read, then bookmark his Lettherebelight(house)blog.
Bottas blog, here, is phenominal for Isles fans and info on the LHP but if you want to join our “movement” to save the Isles and our future, you should join us in the discusion. His insight is 2nd to none regarding the LHP. I have no interest in the blog except for my love of the Isles and belief in what the project can do for all of us.
Join the revolution!
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NVMC is in UNIONDALE. People dont go thru Garden City to get there. Garden City has worse train ride to NYC and trust me, When i have to get somewhere i take the Meadowbrook parkway.
IN all honesty a compromise can be made. Decrease the size of the lighthouse project. But PASS IT.
Garden city is not that many votes to the overall Town of Hempstead vote.
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Harry says:
Regarding the GC people, yeah they want to keep their neighborhood pristine. That’s why you move to a community like that, to stay away from the urban buildups. I think the one issue is that light rail term Suozzi threw out there. First off, it absolutely runs through the residential area, that is a fact. HOWEVER there is no mention of it in the plan, so I think if that is a stumbling block, it will be off the table soon enough. Also GC borders with Uniondale, but honestly I don’t know what their issue with that would be. I mean, would they have issue with a store on Hempstead turnpike? That doesn’t make sense, I wonder what the real issue is.
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Voteherout says:
newsdays live blog says both murray and wang are there
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dave chyzowski says:
CB, as far the prospects go, i see from your list that you have Aaron Ness at umber 1. it seemed to me that he had a dissapointing year in U of Minn. he had very little production. Any thoughts? Why is he higher rated than Marc Katic, who has similar game and was one of top offensive forwards this year for Sarnia?
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Geli says:
#37 – Ness had a very succesful season. Keep in mind that he’s a defenseman, he’s a freshman, and he’s playing on one of the top college teams in the country. Someone that watched more Gopher games than me can cmment, but I believe he was getting top four minutes, PP time, and overall was considered to have had a succesful freshman year.
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C. Felix says:
THEY’RE TAKING DUCHENE?!
At not even trading down to do so?
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isles99 says:
did you just say that “little does she know that they’re taking duchene”….i hope you elaborate or are mistaken becuase im about to have a heart attack.
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Wow go Wang!!
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Blizzard says: What!!??Duschene!!!!? WTF? follow up please!!!
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Blizzard and C. Felix…I think that was just Botta getting a good laugh, no need to worry. If the Isles had claimed they were taking Duchene, dont you think the entire hockey world would have already made a comment about it / don’t you think Botta would have written up an article about how they are messing up not taking Tavares? No need to worry, it’s just a joke.
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the1gwiz says:
The Duchesne comment was a joke at the expense of Murray’s assumption that they were to discover if either Tavares or Hedman were being drafted. Keep the fire extinguishers in place, people
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Wang deserves an answer, after all this time, either they want it or they do not. Either the TOH is all in or just playing games to save their political careers.
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Will SOMEONE PLEASE publicly hit this woman with that farcical petition/website asking for stimulus funds for a Coliseum-only renovation!? I can’t fathom why Wang, if not the media, isn’t screaming as loudly as they can about that mess whenever the concept of Murray’s “impartiality” is brought up. I just cannot believe how this is ignored.
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-Big Van Vader says:
I’m glad Wang put it that way. Enough is enough. Political games would and should not be tolerated. Murray and her cronies have to be dragged out of the darkness that is their Town Cave, err, Hall and held up to the light, i.e. public view. Answer the damn question, Kate. Islip’s Supervisor has NO PROBLEM saying he’s for Heartland. Should he be subject to a lawsuit?
Enough is enough.
Yes or no.
And if it IS indeed no, maybe Suffolk should be the home of the Islanders.
Nassau is living in 1970 anyway.What a joke. And Garden City can bite me.
Sorry, CB. -
Nick Isles From Brooklyn says:
Murray pretty much said they will not get an answer by october – Wang kind of put the ball in their court – give me my answer – now if he sells – he can say that he said if the answer was no – it was ok but he wanted an answer. This is gunna keep dragging!
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And Baumbach’s coverage closes with something resembling a happy ending. Interesting comments by Wang there at the end.
To be completely honest, I feel a great sense of relief that these things were hashed out today face to face, and if I’m feeling this was cathartic, I can only imagine how Wang feels.
Now someone PLEASE start whacking Murray with the petition stick! -
From reading the live blog on newsday, I think Wang got the answer he needed today to go search elsewhere. Wang said OCT – Murray said No –
QUEENS – CITI FIELD – ARTHUR ASHE – NEW COLISEUM
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West Coast Fan says:
Nick Classic, great read on your blog.
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Blizzard says:
Politicians, especially in election years, cater to their constituents. As much as we all dispise Murray and vilafy her, she isnt stupid. What ever her motivations are, its with holding on to her post.
The LHP status doesnt look good.
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Dino says:
That NEW PLAN sounds like a scaled back project which is something the TOH wants
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TM says:
So, what’s the new plan? Queens? Brooklyn?A scaled down version of the LH project?
Now, that Wang knows the deadline won’t be met, he should explore his options in Queens/Brooklyn starting NOW!!!
Actually, he should’ve done this already but since he wasted the last 5 years waiting for an answer and the last 2 years fighting the 60 story thing he should move fast now.
TOH and GC don’t want this project. End the charade and go to Queens already!!
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frank says:
Im so curious to hear about his “new plan”…any ideas what they might be??…
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Guthrie w/ his 6’3″ size and hockey sense seems like he’s worth a contract. He may turn into the perfect 4th line center. While Bailey, Tavares/Duchene, Nielsen, Trivino aren’t the biggest or the smallest it would be nice if Guthrie, Marchinko, or Ullstrom developed into the 4th line guy with size.
Ya, I don’t really know what Wang is waiting for I’d be 100% exploring all options in order to really turn the heat up on them.
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It sounded like the “new plan” referred to the process.
Isles say it will be interesting to see what comes out of Friday’s meeting.
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mike says:
I just returned from the meeting and have the following information I feel was important from a person educated in plannings point of view:
All agree, including TOH officals, that this is a project of regional impact which alows for the Commission to expend time and influence to help come to a decision.
The Commission seems to side more with the developer and the County stance that it is possible to designate the DEIS as complete with stipulations attached regarding areas of dispute. This would allow for the project to go to public hearing and for outside agencies that might have their own concerns ( DOT, DEC, Dept of Health, ect…)to voice their concerns with the principles. This is important because it might turn out to be the time saver that get’s things done on time.
The commission is suggesting that a “punch List” be submitted so as to outline all the issues and submissions necessary to get to a decision in a timely fashion (there was discussion of Wang’s Oct. deadline). This is important because it will bring to lite any politically motivated delays or developer inflexibility in the process.
In the end though, none of this has to happen. The municipality reserves the right to proceed as it sees fit under the guidelines of SEQR. What your looking for going forward is how the TOH acts now that an independent body full of experts has made the suggestions.
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Darren says:
That’s it I’m gonna put a Bodega right next to Waterzooi.
How you like that Garden City! -
art says:
How about Wang getting a net lease from Nassau to operate the coliseum? That would mean buying out the current management. But then Wang for a nominal payment to the county would then control everything, A rebuild, concessions, parking, revenue from concerts. other sports events. ice follies, the circus, etc. During this period he continues on the LH and at the same time explores his options. He would break even with the Isles and we would have NHL hockey at least for several years.
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a REAL hockey fan says:
I want something resolved as much as the next guy, i really do BUT YOU GUYS HAVE to understand that some people are ‘skeptical’ of bldg near their house, this ALWAYS happens with developments and *IF* this was your area you might be against it also, lets be real + NO NEED TO HATE BCUZ they pay a TON OF TAX DOLLAR$$$, they do….. As far as the pick, the Isles must must pick Tavares, even if his celiging is a 35-40 goal scorer they NEED that and they need some box office draw… Cmon Isles..
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After reading Newsday it almost feels like there is progress with the LI project. Anyone else sensing that?
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alex says:
CB… any guesses in what this “new plan” could be?
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It looks like Wang has something up his sleeve…Murray gave a “big fat no” for the Oct deadline and Wang said he still wont budge from that date for when he must start looking to move the Isles elsewhere…Wang also said he has new plan so he must have some ideas for expediting the process…
I am feeling a little better today…
Lets Go Islanders!!!
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Murray needs to stop using past failures to get things done in a timely manner as an excuse to fail to get this done in a timely manner….
Murray sounds like she’s “taking time for times sake”…
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nkay says:
i was sitting next to three 14-16 year old boys at the meeting this morning. i heard one of them say they were there because “they wanted to be able to live on LI.” i want to know the last time the council saw teenagers come to one of those meetings on their own. i wish someone drew attention to that, because i thought that was extremely significant.
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One more thing, Wang told Murray, “if its “NO then tell me NO, its okay”…
Murray was asked about the possibility of getting this done by Oct and she gave a “big fat NO”…
If Wang wanted an answer he got his answer it is a “big fat no”…Why would he even entertain wasting anymore time???
Is it the new plan???
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Jack says:
Haven’t had time to read all these posts but I was at the meeting and one thing was very troubling to me. During Wang’s presentation he actually said “this gets you 10 more years of the Islanders till 2025.” So, I’m assuming the current lease runs out in 2015 and if he gets everything he wants he’s only signing on for 10 more years!?
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19 ISLE in NJ 22 says:
Between 3:30pm today and 4:30pm today Mike Francessa brought up the Light House Project … even after admitting he knew very little about it he painted it in such a horrible light … he said NO WAY NO HOW does it get done … I have to say … I like Mike Francessa … when he’s talking baseball … he knows nothing about the Islanders or Hockey for that matter … he couldn’t get a clue about hockey if a hockey stick was included as a playing card for the board game Clue.
Some fan called up … clearly passionate … but you could tell he was at a loss of words in debating the issue with MF since MF was so clueless … he struggled to clarify the issue … MF was calling it a city … more than an arena … and asked why they just can’t build the arena … even when the fan stated Wang was doing it with his own money … MF dismissed him … I see nobody commented on MF so I don’t know if anyone else heard it.
Someone with more back ground needs to set MF and WFAN’s listener’s straight …. someone who can more eloquently detail the entire process … ::cough:: Nick G. … LOL!
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In the comments section, there are allot of Wang bashers….They sound like people who don’t know wtf is going on and aren’t reality…
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I’ve stated this recently … but I’ll state it again … recently I looked up information about the SEQRA process … Nick G. has pretty much broken it down on his site … it made me dig a little bit more on existing and previous projects affected by the SEQRA DEGIS process … I’ll first mention that there has NEVER been a project of this magnitude tackled by a municipality as the Lead Agency before … so I’m willing to give the TOH a break … secondly … the entire process can average about 36 months from the first filing to shovels in the ground … Nick explains the process … but from what I’ve seen the TOH and LHP have an uphill climb the rest of the way … Other projects seem to have more of a cooperative spirit in making things happen … but by law … there can be no shortcuts … So seeing how Kate seems to be sticking to her guns … I don’t see why Wang continues to try and run into that brick wall (forcing TOH’s hand).
I just wish Kate Murray would be more open with Charles about where they stand … I think it’s the unknown that is driving Charles mad … just like the rest of us.
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… and finally … an old colleague of mine and Islander fan that has sinced moved to NC gave me some feed back about his thoughts of the Light House Project … he’s both a developer and marketing guru … He said his VERY FIRST THOUGHT … “This is why I moved out of NY”.
He said nothing has gotten done the right way in NY since the 60s … and even that is questionable… he said everything gets done as acompromise … the vision of developers (like his dad who started the biz) are always watered down by politics.
Secondly he told me to stop calling it the Light House Project … he said just calling it a Project scares the heck out of more afluent populous who may compare it to urban projects … he calls the area The Light House Complex.
He said if he was developing that area … he’d renegotiate with Nassau Cty to reduce the housing units … way to ambitious … and ask for tax abatements and favorable lease terms … He feels that since Charles and Co. have and will continue to put much energy and capital in this project that they will barely get a return on their investment of time and money for at the least 15 years … that Nassau should be a bit more flexible … and with regards to the TOH … They should provide an outline of what could be built with what they know … this way it gives Charles an idea of what he needs to improve on his design.
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Jim Clark says: If Wang wants this built, he needs to hire some of Murray’s and Gulotta’s relatives as “consultants”.
#72 you’d have better luck teaching a pig to fly than to educate Mike Francesa on hockey or the Lighthouse Project.
That would be priceless.