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Overcast New plan: Nassau Coliseum at Belmont
A new plan to reconstruct the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum at Belmont Park in Elmont, proposed two weeks ago by Hofstra University President Stuart Rabinowitz, has drawn support from local leaders.
On Oct. 4, at a meeting of the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council, Rabinowitz offered a new idea for the development of the Hub site, which has been a hot topic for the county for several months, since the New York Islanders said they would not play at the Coliseum after their lease expires in 2015 unless the Coliseum is relocated or updated. Rabinowitz co-chairs the Regional Economic Development Council, along with Long Island Association leader Kevin Law.
The plan includes a sports-entertainment complex at Belmont, and a research-and-development center or other mixed-use development at the 77-acre Hub in Uniondale, to replace the deteriorating Coliseum.
County officials are now considering adding a hockey arena and a casino — a plan that was proposed by the Shinnecock Indian Nation and has been in the works since April — to the Belmont racetrack complex.
The new plan comes at a desperate time. The task force that was asked to determine the future of the Coliseum — which includes developers, business leaders and community planners — had difficulty agreeing on a plan.
Brian Nevin, a spokesman for Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano, said that although the county is discussing relocating the Coliseum to Belmont, it is open to other ideas as well for redevelopment of the Hub. The construction of a parking garage — with a minimum of 6,000 spaces — would be required by the Town of Hempstead under the latest plan, Nevin added. “The garage will free up space for commercial and residential purposes,” he said.
The county is currently awaiting a decision by the Regional Economic Development Council regarding funding, Nevin said, before taking any further action on the plan.
