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Vol. 31 No. 31
JUlY 30 - AUGUST 5, 2020
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MLK Center director’s home is being rebuilt By DArwiN YANeS dyanes@liherald.com
Darwin Yanes/Herald
JAmeS HoDGe iN front of his home at Riverside Boulevard and East Fulton Street, which is being rebuilt with the help of local volunteers.
Since Hurricane Sandy hit in 2012, James Hodge, the chairman of the Martin Luther King Center in Long Beach, has been without a permanent home. But that hasn’t diminished his drive to help others by leading service projects and bringing food, clothing and other supplies to many in the community. Now, after helping local people survive the Sandy flooding, the coronavirus pandemic and smaller crises in between,
Hodge is getting help rebuilding his home at the corner of Riverside Boulevard and East Fulton Street from Jewish teenagers taking part in the Orthodox Union’s Project Community 2020, as well as volunteers for Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit dedicated to bringing affordable housing to those in need. “It is truly amazing,” said Hodge, whose most recent project was helping to feed individuals and families with the center’s Grab and Go food program during the pandemic. “I am Continued on page 3
IDA to hear from public on Superblock tax-break proposal By JAmeS BerNSTeiN jbernstein@liherald.com
The Nassau County Industrial Development Agency is set to hold hearings Aug. 6 and 7 on one of the biggest development projects in Long Beach in decades, a proposal to build hundreds of high-priced condominiums and rental units on the oceanfront Superblock property. The buildings would add to the city’s tax base, but the Garden City developer Engel Burman is asking for a payment-in-lieu-oftaxes agreement, a request that has generated no shortage of controversy. The hearings will be virtual,
and will begin at 6 p.m. on Aug. 6 and 10 a.m. the following day. People can register to speak at www.nassauida.org. Engel Burman has asked the IDA for a $52 million tax break. It originally requested that the payments be spread out over 30 years, but in recent weeks the developer has reduced its timeline to 25 years. The IDA board will vote on Aug. 20 at 6:30 p.m. Chairman Richard Kessel has said that the agency would not approve the arrangement if the Long Beach City Council did not agree to it. The council’s stance on the prop o s a l i s u n k n ow n at t h e moment. Kessel could not be
reached for comment as the Herald went to press. Engel Burman, one of Long Island’s largest developers, has said that if the project is approved, construction could begin in December and be completed in four years. The development would cost $369 million, and there would be a total of 438 living units in three buildings along the boardwalk: two ninestory buildings containing 100 condos, and a 10-story building with 238 apartments. There would be also 30 apartments categorized as affordable housing, which would qualify for tax breaks. The development would fea-
ture 6,500 square feet of retail space, including a restaurant and a convenience store. Two parking levels below the buildings would accommodate more than 1,000 vehicles. In a March filing with the IDA and the city, Engel Burman stated, “The development will cause an economic surge to the waterfront and downtown business
district and support area businesses by the influx of new residents.” The developer, which has held several meetings with community members to discuss the project, warned that the PILOT agreement is essential. “The inability to obtain financial assistance from the [IDA] will Continued on page 3