Nassau Legislature approves Coliseum lease transfer

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The Nassau County Legislature voted Monday night 19-0 to approve the transfer of the Nassau Coliseum lease to Las Vegas Sands. 

A second vote of 18-1 declared the Legislature the lead agency for the environmental review that would pave the way for Sands to have development rights to the property. Las Vegas Sands has proposed to build a $4 billion casino/resort on the 70-acre Uniondale site. 

This environmental review was required in a ruling by State Supreme Court Justice Sarika Kapoor in February. The term of the lease is 27 years with three, five-year options, the same as the previous lease held by Nassau Live Center LLC, the former operator of the Coliseum. 

The transfer of the Coliseum lease comes amid an ongoing battle between the county and Hofstra University, which won a lawsuit last year that claimed the county’s Planning Commission had violated the state’s Open Meetings Law by not providing a proper public hearing on the lease transfer and failed to give a “hard look” when considering the project’s environmental impact. Judge Kapoor ruled that the initial transfer of the Coliseum lease to Sands in May 2023 was improper and voided the lease. 

Las Vegas Sands has invested a fortune in preparation for its proposed development, including a $54 million payment to the county, $241 million to Nassau Live Center LLC the former leaseholder to the Coliseum property, and millions more in its lobbying effort to secure a casino license from the state. The license bid from Sands is among several proposals seeking one of the three downstate casino licenses the state will be awarding. Sands has said that it will still develop a resort and entertainment complex on the site even if it isn’t awarded a casino license. 

On July 22, several labor groups and business leaders held a rally outside the Nassau County Executive Building in Mineola to urge the Legislature to approve the lease transfer, claiming that it was needed to save the jobs of more than 400 union workers at the Coliseum. 

An opposition group, Say No to the Casino Civic Association, which held a press conference at county offices in Mineola before the vote, has called on state officials to disqualify Las Vegas Sands from consideration for one of the casino licenses for “repeated failures to follow the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR) and site selection guidelines,” it wrote in a written statement. It added that “If the county leadership truly cares about the Coliseum jobs, they can simply enter into a management agreement with an operator to run the Coliseum until the future of the site is fully resolved, or until new leadership develops a vision for the Nassau Hub that does not include a predatory casino in the heart of our community.” 

However, many in the area’s business community and labor organizations were in support of the lease transfer, as well as the Sands proposed development.  

“This is a once in a generation opportunity to finally redevelop the Nassau Hub and support new job creation, economic activity, and opportunities for small businesses,” Matt Cohen, president and CEO of the Long Island Association said via email. “Long Island should roll out the welcome mat for international companies that want to invest multiple billions of dollars to revitalize our region and be a committed community partner.” 

Matthew Aracich, president of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Nassau and Suffolk Counties, said today’s vote on the lease transfer is about securing and protecting careers for over 400 people who work at the coliseum. “Approving the lease for the Sands means they will be able to continue to provide for their families, and that the coliseum will continue to be able operate.”