SOURCE:
https://www.newsday.com/long-island/politics/las-vegas-sands-environment-hearing-oyq18wk9
By Candice Ferrette - December 10, 2024
Water usage under the threat of droughts and air pollution from traffic congestion were the chief concerns of speakers against a $6 billion casino resort project proposed for the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum site, now in the middle of an environmental review.
At an hours long Monday hearing on the proposal's impact to the surrounding community, supporters pointed to the once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the 72-acre, county-owned property in Uniondale, which has languished for years and has been at the center of community and political debate. They also said the environmental review of the project has been among the most comprehensive they've ever seen, with measures in place to improve the area, funding solutions to long-standing county infrastructure problems.
Las Vegas Sands, based in Nevada, has proposed an "integrated resort," including a 400,000-square-foot casino, restaurants, shops, two hotels, a live entertainment venue, convention center and open space. The company would need to win a highly competitive state gambling license, complete an environmental review currently overseen by county legislators and gain land-use approvals from the Town of Hempstead.
The hearing — which did not include any motions for a vote — was required before the Nassau County Legislature makes changes to the document known as the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and adopts it as the project's final Environmental Impact Statement, as part of legislators' multistep, state-mandated environmental review. The legislature is accepting written public comments through Jan. 6.
WHAT NEWSDAY FOUND
Concerns over water usage and air pollution from traffic congestion were highlighted by opponents of the proposed $6 billion casino resort at Nassau Coliseum, while supporters emphasized the project's potential benefits and comprehensive environmental review.
The proposed "integrated resort" by Las Vegas Sands requires a state gambling license, environmental review and land-use approvals.
Legal challenges have been filed against the project questioning the thoroughness of the environmental assessments and lease agreements.
The event drew a standing-room-only crowd, meeting the 250-person room capacity in the legislative chamber at the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building on Franklin Avenue in Mineola. Dozens of people spilled out into the chamber's lobby where the hearing was being livestreamed.
Adrienne Esposito, executive director of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment, a group based in Farmingdale, said she would like Sands to work with the U.S. Geological Survey to explain how the water for the project, drawn from the aquifer, "will impact any nearby tributaries or streams."
While she called the report "comprehensive," she asked for stronger controls and a mechanism to better dispose of and monitor solid waste from the resort.
"If it is approved and it is built, would there be an advisory board that looks at the metrics to see how they're doing on energy and water and solid waste management?" Esposito asked.
More than 70 people had signed up to speak and were allotted three minutes each. Residents from across the county, primarily from the communities surrounding the property, shared their comments for the record before lawmakers.
Presiding Officer Legis. Howard Kopel (R-Lawrence) had to stop the hearing several times to asked the crowd to refrain from outbursts and speakers to confine comments to the environmental impact statement.
"You are being very inconsiderate and this is going to be a long night," Koppel said during the first 30 minutes of the hearing.
Those in the crowd were quick to shout, "Off topic! Off Topic!" when speakers veered away from environmental concerns, even as they discussed socioeconomic ones, which were addressed in the report.
The DEIS was released more than two weeks ago. It is more than 28,000 pages and includes engineering studies of the project's impact on traffic, water, electricity and addresses noise and air pollution as well as public health and socioeconomic concerns.
The document is available for public view on the county's website, the county clerk's office and at public libraries in Garden City, Hempstead, Uniondale and East Meadow. It includes the company's $150 million plan to absorb the development's footprint.
The most significant mitigation measures proposed by the multibillion-dollar company include adding one lane on each side of a stretch of the 90-year-old Meadowbrook Parkway from the Northern State Parkway to Hempstead Turnpike and spending an estimated $20 million to build a new well to supply water to the Coliseum site, homes and businesses around it, according to the report and Sands officials.
"We are an island. We have limited resources that are already being diminished. We need to prioritize how to use them," said Garden City resident Lynn Krug, who voiced concerns about depleting the aquifer and clean drinking water. "The threat is real — experience has shown that once saltwater intrusion takes place, it will not reverse."
Sands' spokesman Michael Levoff said the company is "committed to a thorough and transparent review" of the project.
"We appreciate the constructive input from the public. We are also deeply grateful for the support we've received from residents and local organizations who believe that job creation, sustainable development, and meaningful investments in historically underserved communities can all be delivered as we work to bring the Sands New York project to life," Levoff said in a statement.
The Village of Garden City on Friday filed a lawsuit against the project, alleging the Nassau legislature did not take a "hard look" at the potential environmental impacts before approving a 42-year lease between the county and Sands in August. It is the second lawsuit asking the courts to prevent Sands from operating and developing the Coliseum site.
Nearby Hofstra University in 2023 sued the county's administration, legislature and planning commission. The State Appellate Division in October reversed a lower-court ruling that had voided an earlier, 99-year lease. That case was sent back down to State Supreme Court in Mineola but Sands had restarted the approval process, eventually gaining the 42-year lease allowing it to operate, but not build, on the Coliseum property.
