Floral Park threatens suit over Belmont project, but wants to talk to Cuomo

Tom McCarthy
Floral Park Mayor Dominick Longobardi said that scheduling a meeting for Belmont talks is "in the governor's court." (Photo by Tom McCarthy)

The Village of Floral Park, which has long opposed the development of a sports arena in Belmont Park, is threatening to file a lawsuit over the project, but first the village wants to talk with Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

“We did vote to authorize filing a lawsuit,” Mayor Dominick Longobardi said at a village board meeting Tuesday night. “The reason we have not filed that yet is that it is in our hopes that the governor will, and his staff, talk to us about possible issues that have arisen with the Belmont race track and the development that’s going to go on.”

The board voted to approve filing a lawsuit at an Aug. 21 work session, Longobardi said.

He said that the village and Cuomo administration have sent “quite a number of emails and phone calls” back and forth over scheduling a meeting with the governor about the development project “very soon.” Longobardi said that scheduling a meeting “is in the governor’s court.” He and the board had not heard back from the governor’s office at the time of the meeting.

Longobardi said that he expected to hear from the governor’s office on Wednesday and that if he does not the board will have to decide whether to pursue a lawsuit, saying, “I’m going to hear from them tomorrow. If we do not, the village board will make a decision as to how to proceed.”

He did not specify who or what entity or agency the village would sue.

“The detrimental effects that this project will have on the Village of Floral Park are immense and we have to discuss them,” Longobardi said.

The proposal includes a 19,000-square-foot arena for the New York Islanders, 350,000 square feet of shops and restaurants, a hotel containing 250 rooms and parking on 43 acres of vacant state-owned property at Belmont Park.

With the project’s construction plans being approved by the state’s Franchise Oversight Board on Aug. 13, Jack Sterne, a spokesman for Empire State Development, the state agency overseeing the project, said that the project will be able to move forward.

Concerns have been raised by the village over the project’s impact on traffic, the constant influx of commuters coming into Floral Park for Islander games, Floral Park becoming a “soft target” for terrorism, propane cylinders being installed for the project and the location of a new LIRR station at the north parking lot of Belmont Park to support the project.

Just before the deadline for public comment for the project’s Final Environmental Impact Statement, the village appealed for a supplemental impact statement to address additions to the project. The state will not be issuing a supplemental statement at this time.

Floral Park received the support of county Legislature Presiding Officer Richard Nicollelo (R-New Hyde Park) and Legislator Vincent Muscarella (R-West Hempstead) along with Assemblyman Edward Ra (R-Garden City South) and Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages (D-Elmont) in calling for a supplemental impact statement.

The village is continuing to request more time to review the impact of additions to the project in July.

Longobardi said that “time is of the essence” because work is starting to begin on the Belmont project after the final approval of its plans in August.

The arena is set to be done in fall 2021.

 

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