Four new plans offered for redesign of Coliseum

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Jay-Z did not speak at the press conference, but, Yormark said, "By being here today, Jay-Z is showing his commitment to a new Nassau. Jay-Z last played at the Coliseum in 2010, and he wants to come back.”

According to Yormark, the group has already secured 100 event commitments from different promoters.

The architectural work, which would be done by SHoP Architects — the designers of the Barclays Center — includes a façade on the building’s exterior. The interior would be redesigned by the global firm Gensler to be more "aesthetically consistent" with the exterior.

The group said that it intends to redevelop the area surrounding the Coliseum as well, with a 2,500-seat outdoor amphitheater, a separate 2,000-seat theater, a movie theater, restaurants and retail shops.

Finally, the group intends to commission a sculptor to design a monument memorializing Nassau County’s veterans, to be installed near the arena’s front entrance.

Construction would take about 15 months, during which the Coliseum would be closed. The entire project would cost approximately $229 million.

"This place, I really see, could be [as] Staples Center [is] to Los Angeles, as Barclays is to Brooklyn,” said Ratner. “That’s how Nassau Coliseum should be to this county."

New York Sports and Entertainment LLC

Representing New York Sports and Entertainment LLC were Bernie Shereck, his son David and Jim Johnson. The Long Island natives said they have commitments to bring a minor league hockey team to the Coliseum, as well as an indoor lacrosse team.

Johnson said that his group’s primary focus is on redesigning the building’s interior, including reducing seating from 16,000 to around 8,000 to 10,000.

The group is partnered with Global Spectrum, which would manage the Coliseum and bring about 150 events to the facility, in addition to sports. Global Spectrum is a subsidiary of Comcast, which manages 112 arenas throughout North America, Johnson said.

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