UNIONDALE, NY – Plans for a controversial casino in Nassau County are expected to get the green light again on Monday. The Nassau County Legislature will vote on the approval a 42-year lease on the Nassau Coliseum site to go to Las Vegas Sands.
Las Vegas Sands still needs to casino license of the state, but if that happens, the casino site is expected to be the size of seven football fields and attract more than 20,000 visitors a day.
Monday’s vote, scheduled for 1 p.m., is the first step in a 6 billion dollar casino project.
Nassau County lawmaker opposes casino plan
Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton believes she is the only lawmaker voting against the proposal.
“I really worry about the idea of casinos,” she said. “But this is really, in my opinion, promoting gambling with Nassau County invested, with such a huge investment in our county. It’s surrounded by a number of schools … Sloan Kettering is there.”
She and some residents are also concerned about traffic in an area that already has a lot of traffic, the impact on the environment and the extra costs of police overtime.
“This property is so valuable. It’s in the heart of Nassau County and it could really be an opportunity for us to do something that would really help our young people, like bring in businesses, whether it’s green energy or IT,” DeRiggi-Whitton said.
Hofstra University has long opposed the plan and contested this in court.
Proponents of the casino plan tout economic and entertainment benefits
Unions have called on lawmakers to approve the plan, saying it would be economically beneficial to the region.
At a meeting in July, Valerie Fitts, security manager at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, said, “I’m tired of waking up every morning and wondering if we’re going to go to the Coliseum and there’s a chain on the door … We need our livelihood.”
At the same meeting, Nassau and Suffolk County Builders President Matthew Aracich said, “Six billion dollars of economic activity over the course of the next 18 to 20 months if you break ground. You have a piece of land that’s been around for years … It might even reduce some taxes.”
Last month, the legislature approved an environmental impact statement.
Supporters say it will bring not only a casino but also entertainment to the region.
Lisa Rozner
