NY casino race: Nassau Planning Commission approves Sands' Coliseum lease agreement

On Thursday, the Nassau County Planning Commission signed off on a 42-year lease agreement with Las Vegas Sands for the operation of the Coliseum, marking a major step in Sands' plans to open a casino in the area.

Sands is going through the approval process of its agreements with the county again after a state Supreme Court Judge annulled a lease previously approved in April 2023. The lease agreement signed Thursday entails just the operation of the Coliseum, including booking events and maintaining the property, without the right to develop on the site.

The vote, which came amid protests from local opposition groups, requires the matter to go before legislative committees on Monday. Many local residents objected to the move, arguing that the company's only objective is to control the county-owned property for the purpose of building a casino resort, should it receive a state gaming license. 

Sands spokesman Ron Reese in a statement said: “The company is pleased the planning commission approved the coliseum lease and looks forward to moving forward with a process that will provide important job security to those working at the Nassau Coliseum."

Sands officials also highlighted that occupying the Coliseum without a more permanent agreement in place puts more than 400 workers in jeopardy and makes it difficult to plan events there. Currently, Sands holds temporary occupancy permits to use the Coliseum.

With Sands seeking to build a casino at the site, the multibillion-dollar company is also seeking approval for a separate, 99-year development lease that would require the county to conduct an environmental review known as SEQRA before any construction can occur on the 72-acre site in Uniondale. 

If it wins one of the three downstate casino permits New York regulators have yet to approve, Sands pledged to build a $6 billion casino hotel at the Nassau Coliseum, a site that has lost its luster after the NHL’s New York Islanders moved to Brooklyn following the 2014-15 season.

While supporters say the project would be an economic boon to the area, bringing thousands of temporary and permanent jobs to the area, opponents argue that the location is inappropriate for a casino given the presence of nearby colleges, a Catholic high school, and residential homes.

It is believed that New York officials will decide on the winning bids for the downstate licenses only by late next year, in the most optimistic scenario. 

The Nassau County Board of Supervisors had previously approved the county’s lease transfer to Sands in 2023. However, the county and Sands were forced to restart the process after New York State Supreme Court Justice Sarika Kapoor ruled last November that the original agreement violated the state’s open meeting laws, thus failing to provide adequate time for public comment and environmental review.