The Broken Window Theory and the Islanders

There’s a theory in sociology that says that the better the appearance of a neighborhood, the better its citizens will behave. Likewise, as a neighborhoods appearance deteriorates, so do its residents. As crazy and stupid as it sounds, a sociologist put this idea into practice by fixing some broken windows, planting some plants and mixing in some fresh paint in the dodgy areas of Lowell, MA. Surprisingly, the crime went down something like 20%. Maybe people did act a little better when their surroundings were better. Fittingly, it was called the Broken Window theory.

Tell me you wouldnt have a cocktail or 8 before a game!

So what the hell does that have to do with hockey you ask? Well, if you want to see the NHL’s version of the Broken Window, you might want to direct your attention to Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Long Island. There are some citizens and business developers that are TRYING to fix those broken windows—but there’s a City Hall, council members and a shit load of bureaucracy that’s creating enough red tape to scare off even the most ambitious businessmen. Where is Jim Balsillie when you need him?

As a complete outsider, there are plenty of reasons why I want the Lighthouse proposal to pass through the bureaucracy and for the project to come to fruition. From a purely selfish point of view, I can barely stand watching games at Nassau Coliseum. Even on television it seems like an old, rundown, concrete shell of a once proud building. Trust me, high-definition isn’t doing anything to hide the warts of that old structure. It’s like seeing Sacha Baron Cohen in high-def; nobody wants to see that!

Secondly, and more importantly, I want to see what the Islanders are capable of if they have a little bit of excitement surrounding the team. It’s been 25 years since this once proud franchise has been in the Stanley Cup finals. Hell, it’s been 16 years since they’ve even won a single playoff series. You know things are bad when Ted Nolan was working his coaching magic to simply keep the Isles out of the basement. Not the playoffs—just not the cellar. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

But all of that can change! Close your eyes and dream with me for a minute (ok, open your eyes… you can’t read with your eyes closed). Imagine Game 1 of an Eastern Conference Semi-Finals game between the Rangers and the Islanders at the Lighthouse. Imagine all of the excitement and electricity in the shopping area outside the arena on the day of the game. Imagine the brand new arena rocking with a sellout crowd breaking in the place. Imagine John Tavares and Rick DiPietro leading the team out onto the ice while the new building starts to make some of its own memories. Ok, the Rick DiPietro thing might be pushing it.

In his best Austin Powers voice: "It will be 4 BILLION dollars!"

The truth is that the Lighthouse Project is much, much bigger than the Islanders and the NHL. Think about this—if you were going to take a road trip to the tri-state area to catch a few hockey games, where would you go? You could go to the newly constructed Prudential Center in beautiful downtown Newark. You could go to the center of the sports world and watch the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Or you could go to Nassau Coliseum. If you only have enough time to catch 2 games, which one do you think gets left out? Exactly.

With the possible approval of this new project, the tables could be turned. I know I’d be tempted to make a trip out to Long Island to see what this multi-faceted entertainment complex looks like when it’s finally realized. With a new arena and hopefully a new product on the ice to match, the people of Long Island could be proud to go to the Coliseum and cheer for the Isle. There could be a brand new sense of “community” that I get the feeling has been missing for far too long.

So what’s the argument against building a world class hotel, 2,000 new apartments, office buildings, and an entertainment complex with restaurants and shops? Well, as always, there’s one thing holding it up. Money. Make those roughly 4 billion things. The hearing is for a zoning permit, but those 4 billion reasons have a way of making any politician squirm. Surprisingly, there has been very little opposition to this point though.  If there’s any opposition, they’ll show themselves on Tuesday.  Hence the public hearing.

The project is so enormous in size; the city needed an environmental impact report for the project. Obviously, with those kinds of destinations and amenities, there will be plenty of people visiting. So much so that the roadways in and around the project would not be able to withstand the increase in traffic and congestion. Presumably, this is the biggest concern of people in the surrounding townships.  Again, the developers have stepped up to the plate:

“The plan says Lighthouse Project founders Charles Wang and Scott Rechler pledge to put $55 million into mitigating traffic and transportation fallout from the project by re-engineering traffic flow with additional traffic signals, reconfigured U-turns, a 1.59-mile bicycle/ walking/trolley path and an express shuttle to the Mineola train station.” –Newsday

If everything goes according to plan and common sense, the Lighthouse Project should get the green light from the city council tomorrow. But that’s only the first step. The Lighthouse project is scheduled to be completed in 2 stages that would take up to 10 years. But can’t you imagine it?

Would the Islanders play better if they were in a better arena? Who knows? But if you’re a believer in the Broken Windows theory, the first step is cleaning up the neighborhood. Change the old, broken down, loser environment and watch the culture change with it. I’d be willing to pay to see how it turns out.

If you want updates to found out what’s going on with the Lighthouse project, you can follow @Lighthouse_LI and @LetThereBeLH on Twitter for up-to-the-minute information. If blogs are your thing, you can check out IslandersPointBlank.com and Let There Be Light(house) for in-depth coverage and opinions.