Kaminsky discusses the need for a full-service station at Belmont

Candice Ferrette & Jim Baumbach for Newsday

Board members of the Empire State Development Corporation, the state's economic development agency, adopted the study in a unanimous vote Thursday, starting a public comment period. Public hearings on the environmental impact will be held for three days beginning Jan. 8, and written comments will be accepted through Feb. 11.

The report said most of the traffic challenges will occur on the Cross Island Parkway and Hempstead Turnpike.

“It is a problem. I think we knew that going in,” said Rachel Shatz, vice president for planning and environmental review at the state agency. “There are strategies that we’ve identified in the DEIS [report] that will alleviate almost all of them in the local network. The Cross Island Parkway is a bit of a challenge.”

.........

State Sen. Todd Kaminsky (D-Long Beach) said officials should be considering the feasibility of a full-service station at Belmont “immediately.”

“The best way to alleviate the serious traffic that the project will generate and benefit a deserving Elmont community is through mass transportation, something that the MTA and ESD must work toward at an accelerated pace," Kaminsky said.

To view the original article, click here