Belmont Redevelopment Project Board Report– Deputy Mayor Fitzgerald
Last week the ESD released at Proposed Modifications to the 2019 General Project Plan. They are looking to modify 4 specific items: 1) Relocation of 25,000 gross square feet (gsf) of retail from Site A to Site B. No change to total square footage of retail; 2) Replacement of the Site B parking beneath the retail village with a free-standing, aboveground parking structure and related modifications to the Site B site plan; 3) Substitution of the landscaped berm on Site B with a 10-foot wall with plantings and landscaping along the eastern perimeter of Site B; and 4) Inclusion of a hydrogen fuel cell technology option for on-site shuttle buses. Additionally, in the document there is discussions with regards to the new train station and adjustments that are being made to visual barriers as the station is being moved slightly further west than originally planned. It is our understanding that there will be a public hearing on these changes. The document can be found at the ESD website Empire State Development ************************************************************************
Today, although the Court recognized the Village of Floral Park’s “legitimate concerns” with the scope of the Belmont Project and the Belmont Project’s impact on the Village’s residents, the Court determined that it may not “substitute its judgment “ for the judgment of the Empire State Development Corp. (ESD).
Of course, we are disappointed with the Judge’s conclusion and believe ESD’s failure to require meaningful mitigation of the very obvious and significant negative impacts that the Belmont Project poses to the surrounding communities warrants that this project needs to be re-evaluated and scaled back.
While we still believe that the development of a shopping mall at this time is ill conceived, we will continue to monitor the development of the project as it moves forward and work tirelessly to ensure any effects on our quality of life are minimized to the greatest extent possible.
Decision in Floral Park’s Article 78 Proceeding
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Belmont Redevelopment Project – Trustee Kevin Fitzgerald Board Report, March 3, 2020
Last Thursday, February 28, 2020, Mayor Longobardi, Trustee Chiara, Village Administrator Bambrick and I along with a few residents attended a meeting in Elmont hosted by New York Arena Partners (NYAP) where an update on the project would be provided. Presenters at the meeting were representatives of the NYRA, LIRR, NYAP and PSE&G. Although some questions were answered (including NYAP stated their intent at the current time is to use natural gas and not propane) there were a lot of questions which received neither an answer nor a response. Some of the unanswered questions include:
- Who will be patrolling the North Lot and ensuring that there is no tailgating or horn honking as described in the FEIS? The response was that there currently is a hotline and when asked if the hotline would involve an immediate action regardless of time of day, there was no response.
- When asked how many local community members where working on the construction site, NYAP responded that they had no idea what that number is.
- NYAP would not respond to a request that they and the LIRR do a full environmental study on the new Elmont Train station.
- There were other questions unique to the Elmont community for which there were no solid answers given to those community members.
On Saturday, the Governor announced that the New York Islanders would be playing any playoff games this year and the entire season next year at the Nassau Coliseum. During the press conference he stated the following:
- “The Islanders are not just a sports team; they are a point of identification for Long Island and a point of pride for Long Island … a part of the fabric of the community”. I would ask then why wouldn’t the State and the New York Islanders want to ensure that the local communities that surround their new home would not be significantly negatively impacted by what they are trying to build? At the start of the process I believe that their intent was to ensure that they were part of our community but since the mall was announced increasing the scale of the project, they have not tried to assist in minimizing any impact on Floral Park.
- The Governor then stated that the NHL had legitimate questions about the Nassau Coliseum and needed to get the facility up to par. The State then invested $6millon dollars to upgrade the ice, media accommodations and team accommodations. Why wouldn’t the State and NYAP meet with Floral Park to ensure that our residents’ concerns are mitigated just like they worked with the NHL? It seems that the NHL concerns, that were eagerly and promptly met, are more important than taxpayer/homeowners’ legitimate concerns.
With all that said, I think it long past due that the Governor, the ESD, the County Executive, our State Senator, the New York Islanders, and NYAP “do the right thing” for the local communities. They all know what the issues are and what some of the proposed remedies are. As previously stated many times, both publicly and privately to our elected officials, we are willing to discuss solutions and ideas at any time.
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Belmont Update 1/22/20
Beveridge & Diamond, submitted a request to Judge Mahon on Friday January 17, 2020 requesting that these documents also be considered by the Court. A copy of Beveridge & Diamond’s submission can be viewed below.
Exhibit 1
Exhibit 2
Exhibit 3
Exhibit 4
Exhibit 5
Exhibit 6
Exhibit 7
Letter-Correspondence to Judge (Oral Argument)
Letter -Correspondence to Judge
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Belmont Update 1/21/20-Trustee Fitzgerald Board Report
On Friday, January 10, 2020, three days after the filing deadline for submissions in the Village’s litigation against Empire State Development (ESD), Franchise Oversight Board (FOB) and New York Arena Partners regarding the Belmont Redevelopment Project (the “Project”), ESD finally produced some documents in response to the Village’s counsel’s Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests. These documents were produced five months after the most recent FOIL request in August 2019. Moreover, the documents just produced should have been produced in response to the Village’s October 2018 FOIL request – over a year ago during the environmental review process, but they were not. It is also telling that, immediately after these documents were released, ESD attempted to retract the release of these documents, despite the lack of any legal basis to withhold these documents from public disclosure. Moreover, while ESD finally produced a handful of responsive documents, it withheld an unknown number of others. Meanwhile, the same August 2019 FOIL request was filed with the FOB and has failed to provide any substantive response over the past five months, indicating that both agencies have been trying to evade transparency and looking to run the clock on the pending litigation.
A quick review of the documents produced strongly suggests why ESD sought to avoid releasing these documents. In our view, the documents belatedly turned over by ESD further support the Village’s contention that the entire process, from well before the commencement of the Request for Proposal (RFP) process and continuing through the environmental review process conducted by ESD, was merely a show to hide a predetermined outcome. Ultimately, this project was conceived in secret and pushed through to approval without adequate regard to the project’s impact on surrounding communities, including Floral Park.
Our counsel, Beveridge & Diamond, submitted a request to Judge Mahon on Friday, January 17, 2020 requesting that these documents also be considered by the court. A copy of Beveridge & Diamond’s submission can be viewed here [link]. Some of the documents from ESD reveal that senior members of ESD (including, significantly, its Chairman and its Vice President of Planning and Environmental Review) and other senior State Officials were in receipt of a secret “master plan” for the redevelopment of Belmont in 2016. The communications further reveal that multiple meetings with ESD and FOB were scheduled to occur. It is important to note that in 2016 there was already an open RFP for the site. That RFP was abruptly cancelled and a new RFP was issued six months later. In hindsight, now that we have this additional information, it is extremely difficult not to conclude that the new RFP was designed specifically for this project that was already known to various senior members of ESD, including the individual at ESD responsible for ensuring compliance with SEQRA. In light of these documents, which ESD was so reluctant to release, it is extremely difficult to accept ESD’s assertion that the process by which the project was selected was “open and competitive”, as required by State law.
Another troubling aspect of this for the communities surrounding Belmont is that ESD designated itself as the lead agency to conduct, and ultimately decide the adequacy of, the environmental review for this project under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). It is nearly impossible to accept that ESD undertook this crucial role in an objective and unbiased manner when it has sought to hide the fact that it apparently played a critical role in the development of this specific project. Are the residents of the communities that are to be impacted by this project supposed to be confident that the near unanimous request of residents that this project be significantly scaled back in size and scope to reduce the project’s impact was properly considered by ESD when ESD has gone to great lengths to conceal its involvement in the development of this oversized project?
Just one example of why this is so troubling is the glaring deficiency of ESD to include a proper analysis of the alternative to building this project without the 435,000 square foot retail mall (that is, having the project proceed with just the arena aspect of the proposal). Clearly a “No Mall Alternative” should have been included and thoroughly analyzed in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement so that the impacted communities could review and comment on the adequacy of the analysis. Rather, ESD inserted a perfunctory and flawed “No Mall Alternative” in the Final Environmental Impact Statement, giving the impacted public merely a few days to analyze and comment on it before the ESD Board, without questioning this, approved the project. When you view these facts, it is hard to believe that ESD “gave primary consideration to community wants and desires” as they are required to do by State law that created ESD.
Some questions that now must be asked and answered:
- SEQRA “requires all state and local government agencies to consider environmental impacts equally with social and economic factors during discretionary decision-making”. When a lead agency shepherds a proposal through the environmental review process, it must ensure that it is subjected to public scrutiny. This requires full transparency so that the public’s participation is meaningful and informed. Otherwise, a principal objective of SEQRA is violated. ESD’s efforts to conceal these documents point to a predetermined outcome and raises serious concerns over whether ESD fulfilled its obligations as lead agency under the SEQRA process. Is this indicative of how the State is representing the interests of impacted communities, and New York taxpayers generally, in relation to private development on State-owned land?
- In the press release in July 2017 when the RFP was issued, Howard Zemsky, the Chairman of the ESD stated “We encourage respondents to submit creative proposals that stimulate vibrant community and economic growth in the region.” As it is now evident that eight months before the RFP was issued, Mr. Zemsky and other high-level State officials received a secret master plan virtually identical to the now approved project. Did the ESD really expect or want creative proposals to be brought forth, particularly since the RFP was narrowly tailored to meet the plan that was previously reviewed in detail by him and other senior members of the ESD?
- ESD attempted to recall the FOIL production that was received by Beveridge & Diamond on January 10th. Why did they try to recall the production?
- ESD delayed five months to provide a substantive response to the Village’s August 2019 FOIL request. Why did it take ESD five months to produce four emails and why was the production made after the deadline for filing final documents with the Court?
- As Beveridge & Diamond points out in its recent filing, while some documents were produced, there are other documents that ESD refuses to release and FOB has not provided a substantive response at all. Why are ESD and FOB refusing to release responsive documents?
- ESD, through its spokesperson Jack Sterne, on a number of occasions has stated “The Belmont Redevelopment Project has gone through a transparent, public process over multiple years, and has adhered to all requirements under state law.” If it was transparent, why wasn’t this secret plan disclosed before the RFP was issued, or at least promptly in response to the October 2018 FOIL request?
In closing, I think all residents of Floral Park, the surrounding communities and the entire State should be extremely disappointed in how this entire process has unfolded and continues to unfold. In the past, the Village and its residents have always brought forth reasonable questions in the interest of ensuring that our community is not significantly impacted in a negative manner. The Village and its residents never said they were against development at Belmont Park. All we asked for (and quite frankly have a legal right to) was to have meaningful input in the process from the beginning. It is now even clearer, based on the aforementioned partial discovery, that it appears that it never was the intent of the ESD as lead agency to have meaningful conversations and take those concerns from those meetings into serious consideration. The meetings and entire SEQRA process that were held were just a “check the box exercise” as the project apparently was deemed to be approved since 2016.
The Village of Floral Park is a special place and we continue to fight to ensure it remains that way!
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Below is a portion of Trustee Kevin Fitzgerald’s Board Report from the October 15th Village Board Meeting:
“This week an article was printed in the Long Island Business News and we understand that a survey was sent out by NYRA to its patrons about potential significant changes with regards to its physical appearance along with its own potential expansion plans (e.g. night racing, increased attendance on certain days by using the infield similar to Churchill Downs and Pimlico). [A copy of the Long Island Business News Article is available here, reprinted by permission of LIBN] LIBN Article. These changes are of significant concern to us especially when taking into account the other development work at Belmont that is currently started. This segmentation of these projects is one of key reasons of why we filed for an Article 78 proceeding last month. These projects needed to be studied as one (which they were not, even though these projects have been in the planning stages before the Empire State Development Corp.’s Request For Proposal was issued in 2017). These projects should not be considered separately as their impacts are exponentially cumulative.”
Below is a link to the Village’s Article 78 Petition
All of the Exhibits to the Village’s Article 78 Petition can be found here: Exhibits
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The letter attached was sent today to Supervisor Gillen regarding the FEIS
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ESD Meeting Thursday 8/8/19 3:00pm
Dear Residents,
On Thursday, August 8th, the Empire State Development Corp will hold their Director’s meeting at 3 pm at their offices located at 633 Third Avenue, 37th Floor Conference Room, New York City. On their agenda is to “affirm the Modified General Project (the Belmont Park Redevelopment Project) Several members of the Village Board will be in attendance.
While we are not asking anyone to attend this meeting we are cognizant of the fact that some may want to and appreciate your efforts. I want to assure our residents that the Village is examining every avenue and option available to us and will provide the best possible option to protect our quality of life the best we can.
The meeting is open to the public and they request if you plan on attending to RSVP by 5:00 pm today, Wednesday August 7th at 212 803-3772.
Mayor Dominick Longobardi
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UPDATE 8/2/19: HEMPSTEAD TOWN COUNCILMAN THOMAS MUSCARELLA ALSO SUPPORTS VILLAGE’S POSITION THAT THIS PROJECT NEEDS FURTHER STUDY.
The attached comment letter was submitted by Town of Hempstead Councilman Thomas Muscarella to the ESD. Councilman Muscarella joined the Village’s request that the ESD amend the FEIS and issue a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement with a new comment period so that the communities that will be forced to live with the ramifications of this Project can be provided with a meaningful opportunity to review and comment on these plans.
We thank Councilman Muscarella for his support.
Councilman Muscarella comments
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UPDATE 8/2/19: BELLEROSE COMMONWEALTH CIVIC ASSOCIATION IN QUEENS ALSO SUPPORT VILLAGE’S POSITION THAT THIS PROJECT NEEDS FURTHER STUDY.
The attached comment letter was submitted by the Bellerose Commonwealth Civic Association (“BCCA”) in Queens to the ESD yesterday. The BCCA joined the Village’s request that the ESD amend the FEIS and issue a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement with a new comment period so that the communities that will be forced to live with the ramifications of this Project can be provided with a meaningful opportunity to review and comment on these plans.
We thank the BCCA for their support.
Bellerose Commonwealth Civic Association Comments
Also, attached are the comments of the Village’s environmental counsel, Beveridge & Diamond which were submitted to the ESD yesterday
The comments of the Village’s traffic consultant, NV5 are also attached.
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UPDATE 8/1/19: PRESIDING OFFICER RICHARD NICOLLELO, COUNTY LEGISLATOR VINCENT MUSCARELLA ASSEMBLYWOMAN MICHAELLE SOLAGES AND ASSEMBLYMAN EDWARD RA SUBMIT COMMENTS TO ESD IN SUPPORT OF VILLAGE’S POSITION THAT THIS PROJECT NEEDS FURTHER STUDY.
On Monday the Village Board sent letters (set forth below) to our local State, County, and Town representatives asking for them to join the Village’s request that the ESD amend the FEIS and issue a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement with a new comment period with respect to new information and Project modifications contained in the FEIS issued by the ESD on July 8th so that the communities that will be forced to live with the ramifications of this Project can be provided with a meaningful opportunity to review and comment on these plans.
Presiding Officer Richard Nicollelo, County Legislator Vincent Muscarella, Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages and Assemblyman Edward Ra have submitted comments to the ESD in support of the Village’s request.
We thank them for their support and their comment letters are attached.
Presiding Officer Nicolello & Legislator V. Muscarella
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UPDATE 7/29/19
Attached is a copy of the Village Board’s initial comments to the Final Environmental Impact Statement issued by the Empire State Development Corporation (“ESD”) on July 8, 2019 (the “FEIS”).Village Board Comments
The deadline to submit comments has been extended to this Thursday, August 1st at 5:00 pm. Even though the Village’s initial comments at this time only touch on some of the many deficiencies with the FEIS, we chose to submit these comments now, before the deadline, so that we can request of our State, County and Town elected officials to join us in calling on the ESD to amend the FEIS and issue a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (“SEIS”) with a new comment period with respect to new information and Project modifications contained in the FEIS. (The Village’s environmental counsel, Beveridge & Diamond, will submit additional comments prior to the August 1st deadline).
If an extremely time restricted review can reveal so many obvious problems with the FEIS, the ESD needs to amend the FEIS and issue an SEIS, with a new comment period so that we who will be forced to live with the ramifications of this Project can be provided a meaningful opportunity to review and comment on these plans.
Attached are the Village Board’s correspondence to our State, County, and Town elected representatives asking them to join us on this request to the ESD to protect our residents from the negative impacts of this Project that have not been analyzed or thought through. Correspondence to State, County & Town Representatives.
Senator Kaplan
Supervisor Gillen
County Executive Curran
Assemblyman Ra
Receiver of Taxes Donald Clavin
Town Clerk Sylvia Cabana
Councilman Muscarella
Assemblywoman Solages
Legislator Muscarella
Presiding Officer Nicollelo
We would also like to encourage you to submit your own comments to the ESD regarding the FEIS.
Comments can be submitted no later than August 1st 5pm to ESD at :
[email protected] or Mail to Empire State Development Corp. Attn: Mr. Michael Avolio, 633 Third Avenue, Floor 37, New York, NY 10017.
Finally, I would like to thank the residents of Floral Park for all of your combined efforts on behalf of your neighbors and our village throughout this process. It has been truly impressive.
Dominick Longobardi
Mayor
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UPDATE: July 23, 2019
The Village was informed last night that the ESD has extended the comment period for the FEIS from today July 23rd 12:00 pm to Thursday August 1st 5pm because ESD corrected and Amended the FEIS (Public Notice ESD). All comments must be submitted no later than 5:00pm on August 1st, and must be submitted to he ESD at [email protected] or Mail to Empire State Development Corp. Attn: Mr. Michael Avolio, 633 Third Avenue, Floor 37, New York, NY 10017.
Below, in the prior Mayor’s message, is a link to the FEIS.
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Dear Resident,
Yesterday the ESD Board approved the release of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Belmont Re-Development Project. This is one of the last steps before the Project can be approved. We urge all residents to review the document as one of its purposes is to respond to ALL questions asked during comment period to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). The changes to the document are underlined while the responses to the questions asked can be found in Chapter 22 (Response to Public Comment). There is now a public comment period closing 12 noon on July 23, 2019. We urge all residents to review the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and submit comments to the ESD at [email protected] or Mail to Empire State Development Corp. Attn: Mr. Michael Avolio, 633 Third Avenue, Floor 37, New York, NY 10017.
In the presentation at yesterday’s ESD Board meeting a number of changes to the Project were announced. Two examples are the introduction of a new LIRR station in the North Lot behind the Floral Park Bellerose School, and a traffic mitigation plan. Although a train station may be helpful in that it may alleviate some traffic, it’s not a panacea and, quite frankly, generates additional concerns as to placement of the train station and its impact on surrounding residents. Further, a traffic mitigation plan clearly should have been included in the DEIS so that the public could comment on whether the proposed mitigation plan is feasible or sufficient. That is why Village Administrator Bambrick, our traffic consultant at NV5 and our attorney, Michael Murphy of Beveridge and Diamond, called upon the ESD Board to reissue the EIS in Draft form instead of Final form, and allow for a full comment period so that the public can be afforded a meaningful opportunity to comment on these new proposals, as we believe is required. Unfortunately, the ESD Board did not do so.
At yesterday’s ESD Board meeting, which was announced after 5PM on Friday, Deputy Mayor Fitzgerald, Trustee Pombonyo, Village Administrator Bambrick, a large number of Floral Park residents and myself had the opportunity to address the ESD Board (July 8, 2019 Board Meeting Webcast). Interestingly (but unfortunately not surprisingly), we found out at the meeting yesterday that supporters of the Project were informed of the hearing last Wednesday (two days before critics of the Project were informed). I would like to take a moment to thank all those who took time out of their busy day on such short notice to attend and speak at the meeting in which the ESD Board of Directors heard directly our concerns. I do believe our comments continue to resonate and are having an impact.
Rest assured that even though there is now only 14 days to review the voluminous FEIS, the Village Board, our administration and the Belmont Task Force are working diligently to protect our Village and all we enjoy.
Sincerely
Mayor Dominick Longobardi
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Important ESD Board Meeting to be held on July 8th.
Shortly after 5pm yesterday, Friday July 5th, the Empire State Development Corp announced that their Board of Directors would have a meeting this Monday, July 8th at 3pm. Additionally, they announced that the sole purpose of the meeting was for “Authorization to Accept and Approve the Final Environmental Impact Statement (“FEIS”)”;
Although the ESD has given us very little notice of this meeting, this is an important step in process. ESD Board Meetings are open to the public and we would ask that if you are available and can make it to the meeting, that you consider attending. When allowed to speak, request that the ESD Board Members thoroughly review the FEIS and that they not rush a final decision on the FEIS until the ESD Board and the impacted communities, including Floral Park, have had an adequate opportunity to determine whether the project and the new proposals contained in the FEIS will negatively impact our community.
It is important that our voices be heard especially by the ESD Board Members who are the decision makers in this process
Information regarding the ESD Board meeting is as follows:
Monday, July 8, 2019 at 3:00 p.m.
Empire State Development – NYC Office
633 Third Avenue – 37th Floor Conference Room New York, NY 10017
Members of the public need to register to attend this ESD Board meeting. If you are able to attend, or even believe you may attend, please call
212-803-3772 to RSVP before 2pm on Monday.
Should you have any questions please call Village Hall at 326-6300.
Thank you in advance for your participation in this important part of the process.
Mayor Dominick A. Longobardi
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Belmont Update 3/29/19: Village of Floral Park calls for ESD to Restart Belmont Re-Development Project.
On March 1, 2019, the Village of Floral Park submitted an extensive set of comments to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (“DEIS”) relating to the New York Arena Partners’ (“NYAP”) proposal to develop portions of the Belmont Park property (the “Project”). Empire State Development (“ESD”) had established March 1st as the deadline for comments to the DEIS for the Project pursuant to the State Environmental Quality Review Act (“SEQRA”) and Urban Development Corporation Act (“UDC Act”). Subsequent to the March 1st deadline, the Village received a response to an October 2018 FOIL request seeking copies of communications between the New York Racing Association (“NYRA”) and the Franchise Oversight Board (“FOB”) relating to the Belmont Park property. The documents eventually produced in response to the FOIL request revealed a 60+ page document from 2016 entitled “Belmont Park Master Plan”. The Village is disturbed by the revelation that there has been a previously developed Master Plan for redevelopment of Belmont Park, without any input from the surrounding communities, and that this Master Plan was in existence, yet undisclosed, prior to the commencement of this RFP process.
At this time, the Village, by way of its outside counsel, Beveridge and Diamond, has filed with ESD a set of supplemental comments to the DEIS which is attached to this release. In addition to the many concerns already raised in the Village’s original comments, the document the Village just received reinforces the fact that the review of the Project has been improperly segmented from planned improvements by NYRA at Belmont. The Village is now calling on the ESD to start the DEIS process over as NYRA’s plans must be included and cannot be segmented from the Belmont Park Redevelopment Project.
Indeed, as reflected in Beveridge & Diamond’s supplemental comments on behalf of the Village, it is possible that the ESD may need to re-commence the entire RFP process.
The Village of Floral Park has requested for over a decade the development of a Master Plan for Belmont Park. The Village additionally has been asking for over a decade for the creation of a statutory Community Advisory Board, similar to those that have existed at Saratoga and Aqueduct. These Community Advisory Boards for Saratoga and Aqueduct have been a part of the approval process for changes at those facilities as well as being proactive liaisons between NYRA and the local community. The Village of Floral Park firmly believes that such a Community Advisory Board will allow for smart and measured development at Belmont Park that would benefit the surrounding communities as well as preserving Belmont Park as a premier destination for horse racing, as it has been for over a century. Once a properly constituted Community Advisory Board is in place, then the development of a Master Plan for the future development of the State owned land at Belmont Park can and should proceed with input from the surrounding impacted communities, including Floral Park.
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3/4/19
On Friday March 1st the Village submitted their extensive comments to the Empire State Development Corp. (ESD) in response to the recently published Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). As part of our submission we attached the comments of members of the Belmont Task Force. Simultaneously our outside counsel (Beveridge and Diamond) along with the traffic consultant (NV5) submitted their comments and expert opinions. Attached please find our collective submissions.
Village of Floral Park Comments to Belmont Redevelopment Project Submitted 3/1/19 Part 1
Village of Floral Park Comments to Belmont Redevelopment Project Submitted 3/1/19 Part 2
Beveridge & Diamond Comments to Belmont Redevelopment Project Submitted 3/1/19
Separately, we, over the course of the past month, sent to the ESD 2462 signed letters that were dropped by our residents at Village Hall.
The Board would like to thank all of our residents for being proactive and ensuring that our shared concerns were placed on the record for the ESD and it’s Board’s review and careful consideration.
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Draft Environmental Statement for the Belmont Park Redevelopment Project
Click here for a copy of the Belmont Park Redevelopment Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement
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The Village of Floral Park has requested Nassau County and the Town of Hempstead step in on behalf of the residents of Western Nassau, including the Village of Floral Park, with respect to the mega project at Belmont, proposed by the Empire State Development Corp. (“ESD”).
Below, please find the following letters from Mayor Longobardi:
- To County Executive Laura Curran, asking Nassau County to conduct its own independent traffic study relating to the ESD’s proposed project at Belmont.
Letter to County Executive Curran
- To the Nassau County Planning Commission, requesting and urging the Nassau County Planning Commission to exercise its jurisdiction over ESD’s proposal and under the Urban Development Corp Act (UDC Act) over ESD’s proposal and for the Planning Commission to recommend rejection or modification of ESD’s proposal.
- To Town of Hempstead Supervisor Laura Gillen and the Hempstead Town Board asking the Town Board to exercise its jurisdiction under the UDC Act and for the Town Board to recommend rejection or modifications of ESD’s proposal.
Letter to Town Supervisor Gillen
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The Belmont Task Force submitted over 1300 letters from residents objecting to the size and scope of the project.
Although this project is not subject to a public vote, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU VOICE YOUR CONCERNS.
Below are links to statements of the Board, Village Officials and residents submitted at the January 8th meeting.
Village Administrator Gerard Bambrick
Police Commissioner Stephen McAllister
Floral Park Bellerose School Board President Laura Ferone
Below are links to statements of the Board, Village Officials and residents submitted at the January 9th meeting.
Village Administrator Gerard Bambrick
Floral Park Bellerose School Board President Laura Ferone
Floral Park Bellerose School Superintendent Michael Dantona
Floral Park Bellerose School Board President Laura Ferone
Floral Park Bellerose School Board Trustee Douglas Madden
Below are links to statements of the Board, Village Officials and residents submitted at the January 10th meeting.
Floral Park Bellerose School Board Vice President Laura Trentacoste
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Please remember to come to the ESD’s hearings on the DEIS. These hearings are all at the Elmont Public Library (700 Hempstead Turnpike) on the following dates and at the following times beginning tomorrow:
Tuesday, January 8 – 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Wednesday, January 9 – 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Thursday, January 10 – 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
If you are not sure what you want to say at these hearings, perhaps you can just step forward, give your name and address, say that this project is just too big and submit copies of these letters ESD Letters to submit (with your name and address filled out) directly to the ESD at the hearing. If you need help formulating what you want to say, please contact Village Hall for help. However you choose to have your opinion placed on the record, it is important and helpful if you attend one of these hearings.
A good source of information about the size and scope of this proposed project are the statements from the Belmont Task Force Members at last week’s Informational Meeting.
The presentation from Kevin Flood, a Belmont Task Force Member, gives you a good idea how this project has significantly grown in size and scope since it was proposed last year. Presentation from Kevin Flood-Belmont Task Force Member
Copies of the statements from other Belmont Task Force Members at the Information Session covering other topics and concerns can be viewed by clicking the following links below
Statement by Police Commissioner-Stephen McAllister,
Ask our elected officials to support us! HOW??
- Be specific in what you want —- NO mega-mall, a functioning full-time Belmont LIRR station, no parking for this project north of Hempstead Tpke, OR whatever concern you have
- Call and give your concerns: Give your name & address – your call won’t count if anonymous. Numbers are on the elected official Contact List below.
- Send a letter: Draft form letters and Elected Official Contact List is available below.
- Show up at the Hearings on the DEIS at the Elmont Public Library (700 Hempstead Turnpike, Elmont):
January 8th at 6 to 9 pm
January 9th at 4 to 6 pm and 6:30 to 9:00 pm
January 10th at 6 to 9 pm
- And don’t forget to email your comments, questions and concerns to:
DEIS Community Letter #1(Parking Lots)
DEIS Community Letter #2(Traffic)
DEIS Community Letter #3 (Mall)
DEIS Community Letter #4 (Belmont LIRR Station)
12/12/18
Floral Park’s Four Civic Associations Share the Village’s Concern Regarding Proposed Over Development at Belmont Park.
12/6/18
Today the New York State Empire State Development Corp released the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Belmont Park Redevelopment Project. A copy of the DEIS is available here:
https://esd.ny.gov/belmont-park-redevelopment-project-deis
The ESD has announced that hearings on the DEIS will be held on January 8th, 9th and 10th, 2019. The final date to submit comments to the DEIS is February 11, 2019.
12/7/18
Next Steps
What are NYRA’s plans for Belmont Park? How will construction materials be shipped to the site?
12/6/18
What will be the daily visitor count? The average attendance on a non-Triple Crown Belmont Stakes day was ~50,000
12/5/18
How much additional traffic will be drawn to the site? How will that additional traffic affect Floral Park?
Will the LIRR station at Belmont, and train service to and from the station, be sufficiently enhanced to handle the tremendously increased volume of patrons planned? What happens if it is not?
12/4/18
There are significant and extensive infrastructure improvements that will need to be constructed to handle the proposed vastly increased demand at Belmont – – and questions that need to be answered
“It is not anticipated that the North Lot will be used to accommodate parking for development projects.” was ESD’s response to Village’s question in 2017 about usage of the North Lot (the North Lot is adjacent to the Floral Park-Bellerose School and runs along residential area of the West End). Now it appears that this lot will be used for potentially 3,000 parking spots, which is approximately 60% of total spots at Nassau Coliseum.
12/3/18
As project grows questions and concerns grow at an exponential rate
11/30/18
Scope Creep is defined as changes, continuous or uncontrolled growth in a project’s scope, at any point after the project begins. Slide below depicts various schematics since the project was announced. Notice the changes from December 2017 through August 2018.
11/29/18
In order to further educate our residents about the potential Belmont Redevelopment project, over the next few days the Village will be posting on this site the information that we discussed at our recent information session. We urge all residents to give these slides some thought and consideration
Dear Neighbors:
As you may be aware, recently the Empire State Development Corp. (“ESD”) released the Final Scope Document for the Belmont Park Redevelopment Project. This document details what the ESD will be studying as part of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS).
Most in the Village seem to be aware that the proposal includes a new arena for the Islanders. However, many seem unaware that the proposed project has grown significantly in size and scope since the initial announcement of the proposal for an Islanders Arena at Belmont last December. This project now also includes a very large retail shopping mall and a hotel on the Belmont property. In addition, at the same time, the New York Racing Authority apparently contemplates upgrading the Belmont Grandstand to include additional year-round retail space. The Village has repeatedly expressed its deep concern to ESD that the combined effects of these projects will negatively impact the unique character and quality of life of the suburban communities that surround Belmont.
It is expected that the DEIS will be released within the next several weeks, and there will probably be limited time for the residents of Floral Park to review and provide comments on the DEIS. Therefore, The Village Board and the Belmont Task Force (BTF) are seeking to inform the residents of Floral Park of the vast scope of this proposed project.
As a first step, the Village Board and the BTF held an information session with the heads of the various community organizations in the Village. The goal of this first meeting was to inform the heads of the various community organizations of the scope of this proposed project and its potential impact on Floral Park so that these community organization group leaders could, in turn, inform their group members. This information session was well attended and many insightful thoughts and concerns were raised by the community organization leaders in attendance. You can find links to the handouts and presentation on our website by clicking the links below.
Floral Park Great Place to Live
You may also be receiving this information from the heads of any group you may be involved with. We also ask that you share this information with your friends and neighbors so that they too are aware of this important issue facing Floral Park. Also, if you would like, you can begin to prepare for participation in these hearings by reviewing the Final Scope Document issued by ESD and the Village’s prior submissions to ESD about this project at the Village’s website: https://fpvillage.org/important-information-regarding-proposed-belmont-park-redevelopment/
Whatever ultimately may be approved at Belmont, the Village Board is determined that concerns of the residents of Floral Park will be addressed in this process. We understand that we are asking you to do a lot and to spend your valuable time to educate yourself about this issue. However, Floral Park has met challenges in the past by working together, and in doing so, have kept Floral Park a great place to live, work and raise a family.
We will keep you informed about this important issue as this project moves forward.
MayorKevin M. Fitzgerald
Deputy Mayor and Belmont Task Force Chair
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As discussed at the Village Board’s and the Belmont Task Force’s Information Session on the Belmont Redevelopment Project on October 3, 2018, to spread the information about this proposed project and its potential impact on Floral Park, we ask that you share this information with the members of the groups with which you are associated and with your neighbors and friends. Below you will find a link to the presentation and the flyers which were distributed at the Informational Session.
As mentioned, we expect the Empire State Development Corp. (ESD) to issue the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for this project within the next few weeks, and the hearings on the DEIS to be shortly thereafter. You can begin to prepare for participation in these hearings by reviewing the Final Scope Document issued by ESD and the Villages prior submissions to ESD about this project
Floral Park Great Place to Live
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Today the ESD released their Final Scoping Document and Responses to Comments. We urge all Village residents to review the attached documents. As you will see, there are still a number of significant concerns that need to be further addressed and clarified.
The following link is the Final Scoping Document – https://esd.ny.gov/sites/default/files/ESD-Belmont-Park_Final-Scope_8-29-18.pdf
The following link is the ESD’s Response to Comments on the Draft Scope – https://esd.ny.gov/sites/default/files/RtC-2018-08-29.pdf
We would also like to thank the residents who have commented and urge all residents to remain actively involved as the project now proceeds to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement phase.
UPDATE 8/28/18
Earlier this month Mayor Longobardi and Deputy Mayor Fitzgerald, together with the Village’s Counsel regarding the Belmont proposal, Beveridge & Diamond, sent to Empire State Development (ESD) detailed comments outlining the Village’s concerns regarding how the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) process is proceeding. Specifically, the Village raised concerns as to the timely release of a Final Scoping Document and whether ESD has sufficiently addressed the public’s comments to the Draft Scoping Documents relating to protecting the unique character and quality of the suburban communities that surround Belmont.
Please see the following links to view the correspondence Cover Letter and Beveridge & Diamond Letter
Subsequent to the Village’s correspondence to the ESD, ESD announced that they will release a Final Scoping document. As soon as we receive the Final Scoping Document we will post it to the Village’s website.
The Village and the Belmont Task Force urge all residents to become familiar with these documents as the SEQRA process moves forward. Based on ESD’s announced schedule, we can expect hearings on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement to be scheduled for this Fall. This is why the Village has insisted on the release of the Final Scoping Document so that our residents are afforded as much opportunity as possible to become familiar with these evolving plans and are afforded a meaningful opportunity to participate in the upcoming hearings on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement.
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The Empire State Development Corp is holding a “Community Q&A” session with the New York Arena Partners this evening.
Date: Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Time: 6:00 – 8:00pm
Location: Elmont Library Theater, 700 Hempstead Turnpike, Elmont, NY 11003
ESD has advised that the team will present more detail on the two site plans being considered and will answer questions.
The following are the questions that the Village submitted to ESD in advance of this meeting and we hope will be responded to tonight:
Thank you for the opportunity to submit questions in advance of the Community Q&A Session Empire State Development (“ESD”) will be holding with New York Arena Partners(“NYAP”) on April 24th. Although the Village of Floral Park recently submitted over 200 questions as part of our Response to the Draft Scoping Document last week, we are submitting the following questions for answers at the Community Q&A Session.
Size of the Project
This is an enormously large project no matter where it is proposed to be built, but it is particularly large given the nature and character of the existing development in the communities surrounding Belmont Park.
The questions related to this are:
Why are ESD and NYAP pursuing a project so large and so out of sync with development patterns in the surrounding communities?
Why can’t ESD and NYAP pursue a much more scaled down project at Belmont which is much more in character with development in the surrounding area?
Offsite Project Work
We have learned that this Project will require significant work and construction beyond the boundaries of Belmont Park, including significant construction activities in local street beds (mentioned in the draft Scoping Document) and expansion of the Floral Park substation (not disclosed in the draft Scoping Document).
When will ESD and NYAP disclose the full extent of its proposal to the public?
Study Area
It is of vital importance for the public to understand the study area for the project. However, the size and scope of this project seems to be growing and evolving and statements regarding the study areas are causing significant public confusion.
What are the clearly delineated study areas for this project?
Coordination with NYRA
There are many indications that NYRA is planning significant improvements and other activities at Belmont Park, and that at least some of these improvements/activities have been triggered by the announcement of ESD/NYAP’s proposal.
Has NYAP and ESD been in communication with NYRA to learn of its plans?
What has NYRA said?
Does ESD/NYAP commit to assessing, as part of the environmental review process, the cumulative impacts local residents will actually suffer as a results of development within Belmont Park?
Thank you for the opportunity to submit these questions and we look forward to hearing ESD’s and NYAP’s responses on the 24th.
Dominick A. Longobardi, Mayor
Kevin Fitzgerald, Deputy Mayor **********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
On Thursday April 12th, Beveridge & Diamond the Village of Floral Park’s environmental counsel in the proposed Belmont Park Redevelopment Project, submitted a detailed response to the Empire State Development Corp’s Draft Scoping Document. A copy of Beveridge & Diamonds response can be seen here. Beveridge & Diamond 4-12-18 ltr
On the same day, the Village of Floral Park submitted a separate response to ESD’s Draft Scoping Document, which was designed to supplement Beveridge & Diamonds analysis. The Village’s response contains over 200 questions pertaining to all areas of the proposed project, and can be viewed here. Inc Village of Floral Park Comments to ESD Scoping Comments Document (4.12.18)-3
Also, County Legislator Richard Nicollelo and Vincent Muscarella submitted a letter to the ESD in response to the Draft Scoping Document, outlining their concerns about the proposed development as well. A copy of their letter can be viewed here. Muscarella & Nicolello April 12th ltr
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Below are comments given on the record or submitted by some of our residents, our elected officials, and Belmont Task Force Members at the March 22, 2018 Scoping hearing.
Written comments on the Draft Scope will be accepted through 5:00 PM on Thursday, April 12, 2018, please submit them to:
Michael Avolio
Empire State Development Corp.
633 Third Avenue
New York, NY 1001
or by email:
The Empire State Development Corp. has stated that all comments received prior to the close of the comment period will be considered by ESD as the lead agency and will be included in the Final Scope document. We ask that you also, send a copy of your comments to the Village either by mail or email at [email protected] .
Mayor Dominick Longobardi D. Longobardi
Deputy Mayor Kevin Fitzgerald K. Fitzgerald
Trustee Lynn Pombonyo L.Pombonyo
Trustee Archie Cheng A. Cheng
Village Administrator Gerard Bambrick G. Bambrick
Former Mayor Thomas Tweedy T. Tweedy
Floral Park Bellerose Superintendent Michael Dantona M. Dantona
President Floral Park Bellerose School Board Laura Ferone L. Ferone
Belmont Task Force Member Frank Gunther F. Gunther
Belmont Task Force Member Dennis McEnery D. Mc Enery
Belmont Task Force Member Kevin Flood K. Flood
West End Civic Association President Marc Mullen M. Mullen
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You may be aware that an arena for the Islanders has been proposed to be built at Belmont Park. However, you may not be aware that the breadth of this proposed project has been significantly expanded within the past few weeks (see Mayor Longobardi’s Mayor’s Message 2-28-18)
Your opportunity to speak out and ask questions on this project will be on Thursday March, 22, 2018 at the Elmont Memorial Public Library. The Empire State Development Corp. (ESD) will hold two scoping sessions. Session one: 3:30 PM- 5:30 PM. Session two: 6:30 PM- 9:30 PM.
The concerns and questions of the Village’s Belmont Task Force are summarized in the attached flyer.
A copy of the Empire State Development Corp’s Draft Scoping Document, which describes this project, is attached.
Draft Scope for Preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement
To give you a more detailed idea of some of the Village’s very legitimate concerns regarding this project, attached are the questions previously submitted to the ESD by the Village and Belmont Task Force in December
The Village believes a few short weeks for the surrounding communities to evaluate this extremely large project is simply insufficient. The Village has requested the ESD to provide the surrounding communities with additional time and hearing dates to comment on this project. VFP Corr to Zemsky. Other elected officials have joined the Village’s request and are demanding an extension as well. VTM RN Ltr FP Belmont 3-16-18
But at this moment, the only Scoping Hearing planned by the ESD for this project is scheduled for March 22, 2018 at the Elmont Memorial Public Library. Please make an effort to attend one of these hearings and express your questions and concerns.