Nassau County residents, leaders protest plans to build giant casino

NASSAU COUNTY, Long Island (WABC) — Nassau County residents and leaders gathered Thursday to protest plans to place the second-largest casino in the country right in the middle of their community.

Nassau Planning Commission voted unanimously to hand over control of the Nassau Coliseum to Las Vegas Sands. The lease heads to the rules committee for a vote on Monday.

Those in favor of the Las Vegas Sands proposal were Nassau Community College, Long Island University, Uniondale, East Meadow and Hempstead Chambers of Commerce, and the Long Island Association.

Las Vegas Sands acknowledged that not everyone is in support of project, but pleased that the planning commission approved it Thursday. They released a statement saying, “People are entitled to their opinion, there is much greater level of support than opposition.”

The company says it would create thousands of new jobs and help maximize economic opportunity in the region, but some in the community are calling the plan absurd.

Protesters say the proposed casino will be 400,000 square feet-the size of seven football fields — and is estimated to bring in 23,000 visitors daily, which they say will overwhelm their neighborhood.

“The fear is here that we’ll build this mammoth casino and then in a few years it’ll be closed down,” said Deputy Mayor of Garden City Bruce Chester.

Members of the Say No to the Casino Civic Association say they have built a broad, non-partisan coalition to fight handing over of the Nassau hub to Las Vegas Sands for nearly the next half century.

They say the Nassau County Planning Commission must consider all the ways they believe the casino will negatively impact residents.

“What kind of environment are we creating for our future generations if we allow a casino corporation to manipulate 72 acres of prime Nassau County real estate into something that resembles a mini Atlantic City?” said East Meadow resident Liz McCoy.

“We know this is going to leave a trail of damaged families, a trail of damaged households that all gambling operations do by virtue of problem gambling,” said George Krug with Say No to the Casino Civic Association.

A recent Newsday/Siena College poll shows a majority of Nassau residents oppose the casino 49% to 42%.

Supporters of the plan say it will bring much-needed economic stimulation to the area.

The Say No to the Casino Civic Association released a statement that said they are disappointed in the vote:

“LVS and the County claim they are trying to save the jobs of Coliseum workers. Nothing could be further from the truth! The lease gives Sands the right to make the Coliseum “Go Dark” after only 2 years. We find it outrageous that the County is fighting to give LVS 42 years of “site control” of the Coliseum property. LVS has no reason to take the lease other than to knock it down and build a massive casino complex, or tie the property up for many years to come.”

They went on to say that find it confounding that the plan will move forward before a required environmental review.

“The New York State Supreme Court voided the initial lease in part because of improper “segmentation” under our environmental laws known as SEQRA. We cannot comprehend how these two new lease agreements do not also violate SEQRA,” the statement went on to say. “Our County leadership is abdicating their role as stewards of this tax-payer owned land, in exchange for empty promises from LVS, and a future for Nassau County wracked with high crime, lower property values, snarled traffic, environmental strains, and last but certainly not least, an inevitable increase in gambling addictions and the accompanying social costs.”

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