A Lighthouse neutral zone

As Charles Wang and the Lighthouse Development Group tried to prove, silence can be deafening.

Wang wanted the Town of Hempstead to give him an answer — yes or no. It appeared that the town carried the keys to his development dreams.

Several months of silence have passed, and the town has decided to exercise its zoning power. The claim that the town sat on its hands is now a distant memory.

Soon the puck will be in Wang’s zone.If town approval is granted, the project, in its current form, would transform the acreage surrounding Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum from a barren parking lot to a community of high-end apartment houses and shops, with a revamped Coliseum as the centerpiece.

The seven-member town board authorized the town to pay for a consultant to complete a zoning blueprint by early summer for what can be built at the Coliseum. Here are the rules, the town is saying to the developers. Either you’re in or you’re out.

The Lighthouse project, as proposed by Wang and co-developer Scott Rechler, no longer appears to be a reality. However, Town Supervisor Kate Murray says she hopes Wang and Rechler stay in the game. We hope so too. But if not, others may step in.

Either way, it’s refreshing to see progress in the planning for the area known to be central to Nassau’s Hub. Development of the Nassau Coliseum property will mean the creation of jobs and the generation of revenue for the area.

While Wang, Rechler, Murray and County Executive Ed Mangano are the players here, the residents and business owners who surround the Coliseum property are the major stakeholders. We’re glad someone is listening to them.

Though the Lighthouse project has garnered widespread support across Long Island, including from notable celebrities and government officials, most neighbors in areas like East Meadow favor the idea of a development but fear the impact of a mega project on their quality of life.

Of course, there’s one aspect of this development that sets it apart: Wang’s ownership of the New York Islanders, a storied franchise that has had its share of struggles, financially as well as on the ice, over the past two decades. The team’s memorable Stanley Cup dominance in the early ‘80s and its status as the only New York professional team east of Queens has helped it capture the hearts of many Long Islanders.

Wang threatened to “explore all options,” which could potentially mean the relocation of the team. No one wants that to happen. Even Wang himself has said so. But fears of overdevelopment may have outweighed those doubts.

We think the town’s new approach is prudent and necessary to ensure that a reasonable development — one that is properly scaled, economically sustainable and environmentally sound — is built and stands strongly as a symbol for the future of Nassau County.