Hofstra officials oppose Sands’ casino proposal at Nassau Hub

BY ROBERT PELAEZ

Hofstra University ofcials formally opposed the Las Vegas Sands’ casino and entertainment proposal at the side of the Nassau Coliseum and surrounding area known as the Nassau Hub.

A letter from Hofstra trustees published online said potential “trafc congestion, crime, economic harm to local business” would have a negative impact on the school community, directly adjacent tothe area.

“The Nassau Hub is an entirely inappropriate location for a casino,” ofcials said. “There are other locations in and around New York City to site a casino that are not in such proximity to multiple educational institutions where so many young people live and learn.”

Eforts to reach Sands ofcials for immediate comment were unavailing.

Sands Vice Presidents Ron Reese, in January said the company and Hofstra have engaged in discussions regarding the proposal and hopes to have a continued dialogue throughout the process.

“We don’t build $4 billion casinos, we build multi-amenity real estate developments and we want to engage with the community and local labor leaders,” Reese said. “We’ve spoken to Hofstra and we hope there are more opportunities to engage in conversation.”

Reese and David Paterson, the former New York governor, said the company’s plan includes a casino, hotel, a live performance venue, restaurants and a spa.

Reese told Blank Slate Media in January the hotel will be at least 800 rooms, the live performance venue will have a 5,0007,500 seat capacity and there will be roughly 400,000 square feet of “corporate meeting facilities” to go along with other amenities.

Hofstra President Susan Poser previously expressed concerns in a guest essay in Newsday that a casino would exacerbate trafc, contribute to addiction and mental health tendencies in college-age students and would not guarantee an increase in revenue to the area.

“A casino at the Hub is not about the future, and it would not be an engine for economic and social prosperity,” Poser said in the essay. “It would be dangerous for adjoining neighborhoods, and create a nightmare of trafc and pollution, not to mention antisocial behaviors that often crop up around casinos.”

Despite the company’s name, Reese said, Nassau residents should not anticipate structures that belong in Las Vegas coming to Long Island.

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