Wishful thinking?
Las Vegas Sands might be wishing they’d never bid around $4bn to convert the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island into a casino resort.
locals aren’t letting the matter rest
Despite LVS recently pulling out of the race for one of three downstate New York casino licenses following a refreshed $7.6bn price tag for the Long Island project, locals aren’t letting the matter rest.
According to the New York Post, incensed Nassau residents lashed out at the Coliseum casino plan during a five-hour Hempstead Town Board meeting on Tuesday.
Since LVS withdrew, the Coliseum development no longer has a casino developer behind it. That hasn’t stopped Hempstead Town, who want the rezoning of the Uniondale land and is “pressing forward, with Sands still on the lease.”
Sands blowing in the wind
According to reports, over 200 people attended the Hempstead meeting, with the majority of the near 100 speakers trashing the casino proposal.
The Post stated that “resident after resident urged the board to hit pause on the entire process — or kill the proposal altogether — until a clear plan and developer are in place.”
While local lawmakers are hustling to get land-use approval on the 72-acre Uniondale site, LVS’ exit vacuum could, according to Nassau locals, result in a totally unknown casino firm getting the jump on the casino.
LVS has until June 27 for another party to step in and end its pain over the Coliseum. An LVS attorney, however, told the hostile crowd that “discussions are still ongoing and the company is hopeful that a deal can still be reached.”
unlikely that a new developer will be selected”
LVS legal representative Daniel Baker admitted to the zoning board hearing that the June 27 deadline means it is “unlikely that a new developer will be selected, or that the rezoning will be finalized in time.”
In the meantime
Baker’s contribution at the Hempstead meeting only seemed to throw more gasoline on the fire for the locals’ long-abiding grudge.
Multiple residents given the floor at the meeting urged the Hempstead Town Board to freeze the Coliseum rezoning process or “kill the proposal altogether” until a transparent plan and developer enter the process.
Ultimately, while some Nassau residents are open to the War Veterans site being redeveloped, they don’t want a casino brand, particularly an unknown 11th-hour player, to surprise them.
Residents and critics of the casino plan have long criticized the proposed casino site as being close to local schools, concerned about a potential increase in gambling addiction, crime, and traffic congestion.
