Mayor’s Messages Old

UPDATE February 21, 2019 Today, the Empire State Development Corp (ESD) approved the extension of the contract of its environmental consultant so as to provide the ESD and its consultant time to respond to the overwhelming public comments that the ESD has received, which the ESD acknowledged was a record number of comments for any project it has ever had. The ESD also announced that the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) will not be issued until the 2nd quarter of the year. Their prior schedule was to issue the FEIS in the first quarter of the year. At the ESD Board Meeting today, Belmont Task Force member Jessica Alfonsi and Village Administrator Gerry Bambrick argued that delaying the FEIS was not enough and, given the many deficiencies in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), the ESD should go back a step and re-issue a revised DEIS and allow a new round of comments on the revised DEIS. Certain ESD Board members appeared sympathetic to this position, but no action was taken today. It is clear that the residents of this Village are having an impact. The Village submitted over 2000 letters to date raising issues with the planned development. I ...

Message from the Mayor December 2018 Dominick A. Longobardi, Mayor From December 2018 Village Items-for a full copy of December 2018 Village Items Click here LOOKING BACK ~~ AND MOVING FORWARD During this time of year, it is common to look back on the past year (or years) and to also look forward and plan for the future. This seems particularly appropriate for the Village of Floral Park as 2018 comes to an end. There are many projects that have been in the planning stage for some years that took shape and are coming to fruition now. Each of these projects have taken a lot of effort and focus during the past several years, and many of the projects will now positively shape the future of the Village. Additionally, there are major projects from entities outside the Village that will have, or could have, a significant impact on the Village. Of course, I am referring to the Long Island Rail Road Third Track Project and the New York State Empire Development Corporation’s Belmont Redevelopment Project. So, whether it is a project we look forward to, or just a project we have to deal with, all of these projects take a ...

I hope this message finds you and your families well. The recent issuance of details regarding the proposed development at Belmont Park are a constant and continuous cause for concern as the plans remain fluid. The Village Board and the Belmont Task Force have been working to obtain correct and current information that will enable our Village residents and businesses to plan and work to protect our quality of life. Several changes to the various plans offered have taken place based upon concerns raised by our residents and our neighboring communities. Specifically affecting our Village, these changes include the following: The proposed hotel has been moved to just south in the middle of the grandstand and lowered to approximately 150 feet from 250 feet. The proposed electric sub-station will be moved away from the borders of the school and residential properties. The North Lot, the lot adjacent to the Floral Park-Bellerose School and our residents, will be used only for “over-flow” parking. I want to thank the Empire State Development Corporation and New York Arena Partners for continuing to work with our community to ensure that our concerns are considered and addressed. While these proposed changes are a move in ...

Update on Belmont Park As discussed at several prior Village Board meetings, we had invited the Islanders and the Empire State Development Corporation to come to Floral Park for a tour of the Village. Our goal for such a meeting was to give the Islanders organization and the Empire State Development Corporation a better understanding of Floral Park, our community, our proximity to Belmont Park and our concerns about development at Belmont. On February 7th Deputy Mayor Kevin Fitzgerald, Village Administrator Gerry Bambrick, Police Commissioner Stephen McAllister and Fire Chief Michael Longobardi and I met with representatives of the Islanders organization, including team owner John Ledecky, and with Empire State Development representatives, including Holly Leicht, the ESD’s Executive Vice President for Real Estate Dev. & Public/Private Partnership. At the meeting, we discussed the Village’s concerns about development at Belmont. We also gave them an approximately hour long guided tour of the Village so that they could not only see our areas of concern (e.g., proximity to sensitive surrounding uses (schools, residences, etc.), local business districts, existing infrastructure or lack thereof) but, even more importantly, also observe first-hand the unique character of our Floral Park community that we are seeking to ...

Mayor’s Message: December 13, 2017 There is an old saying, “the Devil is in the Details”. This certainly applies in the situation regarding the Economic Development Corporation’s (EDC) offer to accept ideas for the development of the property owned and controlled by New York State for development at Belmont Park. Once again our Village finds itself faced with the challenge of defending our beloved homes and businesses and the way of life we have come to enjoy from outside influences that may adversely affect us. The proposals offered to the EDC for the development at Belmont Park include two sports arenas. One of the arenas offered by NY ARENA Partners will be an 18,000 seat closed arena which will be the home of the NY Islanders. The other, offered by a group sponsored by the New York Football Club, will be a 26,000 seat open-air soccer stadium. In addition, the proposals include hotels, shops and restaurants, parking fields, soccer fields, recreation and open space and space for the local community. The Village and the Belmont Task Force have been working diligently to express our concerns regarding any development at Belmont Park. The Village has reached out to the ownership of ...

In my Mayor’s Message on July 1st, I wrote to inform you that after weeks of negotiations, Floral Park and New Hyde, along with the help of Stewart Manor, had reached agreement with Governor Cuomo and the MTA/LIRR on a pact aimed at protecting and preserving our community and our quality of life should the proposed LIRR Third Track Expansion Project come to fruition. While we would have liked nothing more than to see this project eliminated, we negotiated a Memorandum of Understanding so that, if the project were to become a reality, Floral Park would be afforded measures of protection to help preserve the community we all cherish. As you may have read in the paper or heard in the news, earlier this week the Governor, the State Legislature and the MTA/LIRR have come to an agreement to allow the Third Track Project to proceed. Let me state that at no time did the Villages of Floral Park, New Hyde Park or Stewart Manor approve or condone this project, as has been reported in the media. Our acknowledgement that the project is moving forward is not an abandonment of our concerns. Although we would still prefer that the Third ...

In my Mayor’s Message on July 1st, I wrote to inform you that after weeks of negotiations, Floral Park and New Hyde, along with the help of Stewart Manor, had reached agreement with Governor Cuomo and the MTA/LIRR on a pact aimed at protecting and preserving our community and our quality of life should the proposed LIRR Third Track Expansion Project come to fruition. While we would have liked nothing more than to see this project eliminated, we negotiated a Memorandum of Understanding so that, if the project were to become a reality, Floral Park would be afforded measures of protection to help preserve the community we all cherish. As you may have read in the paper or heard in the news, earlier this week the Governor, the State Legislature and the MTA/LIRR have come to an agreement to allow the Third Track Project to proceed. Let me state that at no time did the Villages of Floral Park, New Hyde Park or Stewart Manor approve or condone this project, as has been reported in the media. Our acknowledgement that the project is moving forward is not an abandonment of our concerns. Although we would still prefer that the Third ...

After weeks of negotiations, meetings and phone calls to work to preserve and protect our great communities, Floral Park and New Hyde Park along with the help of Stewart Manor have reached agreement with Governor Cuomo and the MTA/LIRR on a pact aimed at protecting and preserving our community and our quality of life should the proposed LIRR 3rd Track Expansion Project come to fruition. While we would like nothing more than this project to be eliminated, we have entered into this Memorandum of Understanding so that, if the project becomes a reality, Floral Park will be afforded measures of protection to help preserve the community we all cherish. I should establish some history and background here because I want everyone to understand that Mayor Montreuil and his staff from New Hyde Park, Trustee Cheng, Village Administrator Gerry Bambrick, and I, with the guidance of our counsel in this matter, Michael Murphy, Esq. of Beveridge & Diamond, together with the support of Mayor Onorato from Stewart Manor, embarked on talks and negotiations with the MTA/LIRR and the Governor’s office to work towards establishing an agreement that would provide the protection, safety and security our collective communities needed and required should ...

After weeks of negotiations, meetings and phone calls to work to preserve and protect our great communities, Floral Park and New Hyde Park along with the help of Stewart Manor have reached agreement with Governor Cuomo and the MTA/LIRR on a pact aimed at protecting and preserving our community and our quality of life should the proposed LIRR 3rd Track Expansion Project come to fruition. While we would like nothing more than this project to be eliminated, we have entered into this Memorandum of Understanding so that, if the project becomes a reality, Floral Park will be afforded measures of protection to help preserve the community we all cherish. I should establish some history and background here because I want everyone to understand that Mayor Montreuil and his staff from New Hyde Park, Trustee Cheng, Village Administrator Gerry Bambrick, and I, with the guidance of our counsel in this matter, Michael Murphy, Esq. of Beveridge & Diamond, together with the support of Mayor Onorato from Stewart Manor, embarked on talks and negotiations with the MTA/LIRR and the Governor’s office to work towards establishing an agreement that would provide the protection, safety and security our collective communities needed and required should ...