I have read with interest various recently published opinion pieces related to the potential casino siting in Nassau, one by Hofstra President Susan Poser and the other by RXR Chairman Scott Rechler. As mayor of the Village of Westbury, and someone caught in the middle of Nassau County’s last potential foray into casino gambling, I do not relish that the county will again potentially be the site of one of the state’s several newly authorized, full-blown gambling parlors in the downstate area.
From that last tussle I, and those who fought hard to prevent the siting of a casino at the former Fortunoff site in Westbury, did a great deal of research and learned much about the long-term impacts on local areas from casino siting. Much that we learned was decidedly negative. I certainly agree with Ms. Poser that a casino in the midst of two colleges and tens of thousands of college-age young adults is a uniquely bad idea.
I am left with the sense that after literally decades of talk, and stops and starts, no one has yet offered the clear vision or had political will or clout, or whatever else it takes, to actually bring to fruition a truly beneficial, appropriate and accretive project to transform the HUB area. The HUB project that Mr. Rechler and his group have been working on for the past several years offered, I thought, the potential starting point for a very good start in the transformation of that area, and I and my staff had met with and had many discussions with the RXR team, as well as county officials regarding the HUB development. We provided input as to the aspects of the development that would be impactful on surrounding communities, as well as transportation aspects of the proposal. But it now seems that Mr. Rechler’s business instincts tell him that he has the chance to take big development risk off the table for himself and his investors. This late shift seems like a bait and switch (intended or otherwise) that now requires a step back and the consideration of all sorts of additional matters, impacts and mitigations to be considered.
Sadly, the casino proposal represents low-hanging fruit for policy makers seeking to grab more revenue, and developers looking to de-risk a very large-scale project in a drastically changed real estate environment. I do not blame them for that since their mission is to make money for their ventures above all else. But, it is up to our government officials to regulate that profit only desire to make sure that the development meets the needs of the county and surrounding communities. The lack of political will, vision and leadership over decades regarding the HUB is astounding. It has the same echoes of another long-term Nassau issue – see the assessment debacle that also has been a decades-long political football – where fear of partisan electoral losses prevails over creative problem solving.
In the end, very few people really believe that a casino proposal at the HUB offers the best long-term vision for the future of Nassau. And the assertions that have been made by various proponents – that this “opportunity” is in any way equivalent to the in-fact tremendous Amazon opportunity frittered away in Queens several years ago is simply absurd public relations speak that is frankly absurd and offensive.
In the end, casino gambling is not going away. But that is not the issue for our policy makers. Nassau residents and taxpayers deserve a project at the HUB that is thoughtful and in their best interests. This proposal is lazy and self-serving. Not a good combination.
Peter Cavallaro is the mayor of the Village of Westbury.
