By: Nick Buglione
New York Islanders owner Charles Wang formally unveiled his plans to rebuild the Nassau Coliseum and transform 72 acres surrounding it into a state-of-the-art community that will include a 60-story hotel-and-condominium tower.
Reports of Wang's plans began surfacing in the media last month, with particular attention paid to what he dubbed the Lighthouse tower. If built, it would be the tallest building on Long Island, eclipsing the 19-story Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow.
In a press conference at the Carltun in East Meadow last Wednesday, Wang and Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi signed an agreement on the project, though it would still require approval from the Hempstead Town Board of Zoning Appeals and the Nassau County Legislature.
"This shining beacon of light will welcome the world to Long Island," Wang said of the Lighthouse. "It will offer breathtaking views in all directions."
The Lighthouse would feature a 10,000-square-foot observatory at the top that would offer 100-mile views to Montauk and beyond Manhattan. A grand hotel with restaurants and ballrooms would be situated below that, along with luxury condominiums and a plaza at the base of the building.
As part of the project, the Nassau Coliseum would receive a complete makeover in which its interior would be remodeled to include super-VIP seating, restaurants, enlarged concourses, and a new sound system and video boards.
"Nassau Coliseum used to be a proud symbol of Long Island," said Wang, who has owned the Islanders and the New York Dragons arena football team for four years. "Today, this is a building in decline." Coliseum attendance is down. and it is becoming increasingly difficult for the facility to attract concerts and other events, Wang said.
Suozzi said the county actually loses $1.1 million a year on the Coliseum. "We need to have the Islanders here as a cultural and economic engine," he said. "That's the main thing that drives the county in this negotiation."
The project would cost $245 million, $168 million of which Wang would front. The state would also be asked to kick in a $30 million grant, already approved in 1997, and issue another $47 million grant, Wang said. The county would not pay anything, but would agree to a 99-year lease of the land. The deal would also guarantee that the Islanders would stay put until 2025, 10 years beyond the expiration of the team's current lease.
Wang estimates that the finished product would bring $100 million in incremental revenues to the county over the years, as well as $45 million in rent and $33 million in losses saved. Under the agreement, the county would no longer be responsible for the Coliseum's utilities and maintenance.
Aside from the new Coliseum and the Lighthouse, a 50,000-square-foot athletic complex, a 125,000-square-foot exhibition hall, rental apartments and a sports-technology center would be erected.
Holding signs touting "Jobs R Us," union representatives on hand for the unveiling cheered the proposal, as it would create hundreds of jobs.
Suozzi is supporting the project because he believes it will serve as a catalyst for future development of the "Hub," an area that stretches from the EAB Plaza in Uniondale on the southeast to Roosevelt Field mall in Garden City on the northwest. The county has been attempting to attract high-technology industry, redevelop underused properties, and promote sports and entertainment in the Hub to bolster revenues, Suozzi said.
"What we have learned is the concept is a good one," said Nassau County Legislator Norma Gonsalves (R-East Meadow), who offered Wang's proposal tentative support. "Especially getting the Coliseum back in shape. We've been waiting for years for something to do with the Hub."
Richard Bivone, president of the Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce, is cautiously optimistic as well. "A project like this is visionary," said Bivone, who is also vice president of the Council of East Meadow Community Organizations.
From a civic standpoint, Bivone recognizes that there are concerns that need to be addressed. "Overall, will there be a traffic issue? Without a doubt," he said. "Fire safety will also be an issue. Water will also be an issue. How much water do we take out of the ground for these buildings?"
Suozzi and Wang said that a project of this magnitude would almost certainly act as a springboard for a mass-transportation overhaul in the area, alleviating any traffic issues. Still, some county residents and civic leaders are particularly wary of the 60-story Lighthouse. They fear that building a skyscraper will set a precedent that will inevitably lead to others, compromising the county's suburban atmosphere.
"My first feeling was, although you try to encourage business to come here, that particular building is too huge, and it's going to impact so many things -- water, cars, pollution," said Helen Meittinis, president of the Community Association of Stewart Avenue in Salisbury, a community just east of where the building would rise. "Right now, I would be against it."
If the project goes through, work on the Coliseum would begin in 2006 or 2007 and be completed by 2009. The Lighthouse would take eight to 10 years to build.
Comments about this story? NBuglione@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.
