Nassau County legislators debate transferring Nassau Coliseum site lease to Las Vegas Sands
MINEOLA, N.Y. -- Nassau County legislators are debating the fate of the Nassau Coliseum Hub before voting on a 99-year lease transfer to Las Vegas Sands.
There is a heated debate over whether a $4 billion casino resort belongs in the heart of the suburban county.
Hours of debate and public discourse got underway Monday prior to the vote. None of the 19 legislators had taken a vocal public stance.
The controversial vote weighs the potential economic opportunity against residents' concerns of crime and traffic.
"Twenty minutes of traffic of Billy Joel closing out the Nassau Coliseum is not the same as this inundation of cars and buses that our roads are not designed to handle," said Allison O'Brien Silva, with the "Say No to the Casino" Civic Association.
Opponents said it would also cause problems for the two bordering college campuses.
If the Hub property lease, touted by the executive, goes through, he says there's no way for Las Vegas Sands to get out of the deal, whether it gets rights to a casino or not.
If Sands gets casino rights, it means an estimated $100 million for the area in annual revenue.
"Hotels, gas stations, restaurants, malls, convention centers," said Frank Borelli, from Borelli's in East Meadow. "Competition, but it brings more people. We want a small piece of the pie."
If the lease transfer is approved, Sands must still pass environmental review, zoning, community and advisory board to be considered for a highly-competitive state gaming license.
Some neutral parties said this lease, for the first time, is not an impediment to the county's decades-long attempt to get value for its very valuable land.
