Hochul on Harborside: 'This will be solved. Nothing will happen to the residents.'

Daily Point

Governor says CD4 is flipping to blue along with a few other NY seats   

Gov. Kathy Hochul was on Long Island Tuesday unveiling impressive renderings of the New York Biogenesis Park that will be a research and clinic hub for cell and gene therapy. The state is committing $150 million to the estimated $430 million project in Lake Success.

Afterward, she headed out to the Ronkonkoma Hub to unveil "Station Yards," which she called the "model" of the transit-oriented development she is seeking to increase through state incentives.

In between those stops, The Point caught up with Hochul to talk about other Island issues that were top of mind including New York flipping several House seats from red to blue, installing a temporary operator at NUMC, the challenges of funding schools in next year’s budget, housing affordability, declining suburban crime rates, the likelihood of more offshore wind projects getting built, and the ongoing saga involving Harborside, the retirement community in Port Washington that is once again in bankruptcy.

Hochul has a message to the more than 180 seniors who reside in independent and assisted-living housing there after the state Department of Health denied an application to change from a nonprofit to a for-profit structure. "This will be solved. Nothing will happen to the residents. This can get resolved without them having to worry about it," Hochul told The Point. Hochul said too many of those involved "are trying to spread chaos and fear. I resent that. The residents didn’t deserve this."

But with the election just two weeks away, New York’s House races were top of mind. Hochul, who through the state Democratic Party has put money toward the get-out-the-vote ground game in competitive districts, is confident that Laura Gillen will flip CD4 to blue, ousting Republican incumbent Anthony D’Esposito. She is also counting as a blue flip Tom Suozzi, who won a special election in CD3 in February to fill out the term of the expelled Republican George Santos. But Hochul’s focus is on the Hudson Valley and upstate where she predicts a win by State Sen. John Mannion against freshman Republican Brandon Williams. Hochul also was optimistic about the chances of Josh Riley against GOP incumbent Marc Molinaro. "It’s very tight but I am hoping we can pull out a few more," she said.

— Rita Ciolli rita.ciolli@newsday.com

Pencil Point

Crunch time

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Final Point

Will Southampton be 'pro-housing'?

Southampton Town Supervisor Maria Moore has written the letter of intent required for the town to become one of New York State’s "pro-housing communities," a designation that commits the town to trying to build more housing and one that could give Southampton state grant and funding opportunities.

The letter, which is on the town board’s agenda for Tuesday evening’s meeting, notes the town’s willingness to "implement policies that promote the development of affordable, diverse and accessible housing options while ensuring that these efforts contribute to the overall economic vitality and quality of life in our Township."

But Moore is getting pushback from town board member Cyndi McNamara, one of the most vocal critics in the fight against the proposed Liberty Gardens development, an effort by Concern for Independent Living to build 50 units of workforce and veterans housing that the town rejected earlier this year.

In an email sent Saturday to about two dozen civic association representatives, McNamara expressed concern about the town’s intent to become a pro-housing community.

"I have an issue making this pledge or giving this level of data to the State without any input from residents, so I would appreciate your feedback," McNamara wrote. "Although I will push for more time, this is on our agenda for Tuesday."

McNamara, who said the state required detailed zoning information and permitting data in order to apply for the designation, also argued that the town had no plans to apply for the relevant state grants.

"If we aren’t currently applying for anything I fail to see the rush to give the State all of this data as well as a pledge to increase density in our hamlets," McNamara wrote.

The pro-housing designation effort comes as Concern for Independent Living recently filed a federal lawsuit alleging the town had violated the Fair Housing Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the state’s Human Rights Law when it blocked Liberty Gardens. The lawsuit specifically cited McNamara’s comments against the development that came during the town board’s public discussions.

But Moore put the pro-housing request in a more positive context.

"We look forward to working closely with HCR as we embark on the application process. Kindly provide us with the links needed to submit the required zoning and permitting data," Moore wrote. "The Town of Southampton is excited about the opportunity to make meaningful contributions to housing solutions in New York State."

By Tuesday, however, Moore told The Point via text that there was a chance that the board might temporarily table the resolution until its next meeting to get "some clarification on the program and the Town’s data."

"It’s not clear how the vote will go tonight," Moore wrote.

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

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