Coalitions, senator discuss waterfront

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On Feb. 9, representatives from the Committee for a Sustainable Waterfront, the Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor, and the Village of Sea Cliff met with Senator Carl Marcellino at his office in Oyster Bay.

“We reached out to Senator Marcellino because we are aware that he is concerned about Long Island’s waterways and groundwater, and has championed legislation to protect these precious resources,” said committee president Roger Friedman. “We expressed our concerns regarding storm water mitigation, rising sea levels, and pollutants from the superfund site contaminating Glen Cove Creek and Hempstead Harbor.”

The representatives also spoke about overdevelopment on Long Island and its impact on the environment, particularly regarding the developments occurring in and around Glen Cove by RXR Realty Investments Inc.

“We discussed our concerns regarding the outdated traffic study for the Garvies Point Development . . . and the related environmental threats from increased, high-density development, particularly in light of the fact that the city is looking at each project individually and not at all the projects cumulatively,” Friedman said.

In 2016, CSW Legal Counsel Amy Marion sent a letter to the Department of State requesting that they re-evaluate their “consistency determination,” issued in June 2015, which outlines policy regarding how Long Island’s coastlines should be managed. Marion has yet to receive a response to this letter.

The senator asked her to forward the letter to him so he could follow up with the DOS. “He was very supportive and encouraging, but didn’t make promises he couldn’t keep,” Marion said. “He just told us to keep on fighting. He’s a realist, but he’s not somebody who is dissuading or negative towards our goal.”

In addition to legal efforts, CSW continues to reach out to other elected officials to keep overdevelopment on their radar and in their minds. “We feel they must consider the cumulative environmental impacts of all the development that is occurring all across Long Island,” Friedman said.

The representatives also discussed Governor Cuomo’s proposal for a Long Island sound bridge or tunnel, which they and the senator vehemently oppose. The cross-sound structure would run between the North Shore and Westchester County.

“This proposed bridge is a bad idea, and would destroy this entire region,” Marcellino said. “I’ve talked to various mayors in the area, and together we will hold a press conference to appeal to the governor that this is not the way to go.”

The press conference was held on Thursday, March 1 at at Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park.