Lighthouse Plan Dims

A plan to develop the land surrounding the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum has hit a snag after officials in the county proposed some limits for the project.

Charles Wang owns the NHL’s New York Islanders and has been attempting to replace the Coliseum and build his $3.8 billion, mixed-use Lighthouse development in the area surrounding the venue for several years.

However, leaders in Hempstead Town have zoning jurisdiction over the property and recently reined in the plan, reportedly recommending scaling it back by nearly half.

Wang’s Lighthouse proposal includes an updated coliseum, conference facilities, a high-rise hotel, residential, retail and office towers.

Hempstead’s revision, which also includes a renovated Coliseum, puts a nine-story limit on hotel construction, with residential and office buildings limited to three and four stories, respectively.

Wang’s Lighthouse Development group didn’t seem thrilled by the town’s proposal.

“While we have not yet had the time to review the ‘new vision’ just released by Supervisor [Kate] Murray and the Town of Hempstead for the redevelopment of the Coliseum site, it does not appear to achieve the goals of the County and the developer,” they said in a statement. “Without this, the Town of Hempstead’s ‘new vision’ looks to be economically unviable for both the developer and owner of the site.”

But Hempstead spokesman Mike Deery told the Long Island Business News the revision signals the county’s effort to reenergize the project, not kill it.

By not participating in the review process, Wang “has abandoned the project,” he said.

Wang has previously hinted that he’d consider moving the Islanders elsewhere if the Lighthouse never comes to fruition.