Long Islanders share ideas for the space around the Nassau Coliseum

Nassau’s “hub” is increasingly valuable real estate so control of it is sought by diverse powerful interests. The area is also limited by water supply, climate threats, a morass of local rules and the changing balance in local factors of industry, employment, housing, and transportation. A regional plan is probably fantasy, but Nassau’s planners must consider the long term, not the next election, but the next generation. That is a function of good government.

As a Uniondale resident and graduate of the Uniondale School District, the Nassau Coliseum has been an integral part of many events I have attended throughout the years. Having attended many of the hearings regarding the Sands Casino proposal, I was deeply troubled by the way our elected officials and self-serving lobbyists were insistent on this proposed project going forward, despite not addressing the concerns from countless residents including myself regarding the many issues that a casino would severely exacerbate. Nassau County is plagued by a myriad of crises (traffic gridlock, water, waste management, air pollution, etc..) all of which have gone unaddressed by our elected officials for decades. Uniondale, along with Hempstead, Roosevelt, Freeport, and New Cassel have all been identified by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation as "disadvantaged communities," meaning their environmental burdens, in particular air pollution, are significantly higher than the State's and County's average in part due to vehicle emissions resulting from our high levels of traffic on our roads. Because of this, I along with many residents have expressed that we would love to see the Coliseum site be the location for a new state of the art medical facility, mainly a hospital. Due to the population increase in Nassau County, our hospitals are overcrowded. I have seen and heard about the enormous wait times when patients visit the Emergency Departments of any one of the hospitals in Nassau County. With the high asthma rates in Nassau County, particularly the "disadvantaged communities" and the other health problems affecting many residents in Nassau County, let's use the Coliseum site to help heal people and not harm them.

My vision will bring technological advancements, intellectual value and a much-needed hospital. The Hub is surrounded by great institutions — Hofstra University, Nassau Community College and Adelphi University —and a technology centerpiece would bring collaboration with the county’s educational establishments. The result would be innovation, technological advancements and career opportunities. The county population has increased over the past decade. A hospital is sorely needed as current hospitals

My proposal is a low-cost idea designed to maximize revenues from the under utilized space around the Coliseum. The site should be repurposed into a public kvetching space— $5 perNassau resident for entry, $10 for noncounty residents. Anyone with input intowhat the space should be used forwould be mandated to use this public forum for that purpose and that space is the only onewhere ideas will be entertained. Each paying entrant gets five minutes at a loudspeaker. Bymy most conservative estimates,we could replace the lost tax revenue of idleness from the past several decades in about sixworking months. For the casino? Go kvetch about it in the space. Against it? Same solution. Have thoughts on the Lighthouse initiative?Here’s your spot. Everyone gets to feel included, and the community can finally move ahead on generating tax revenue.

Bring the Islanders AHL Hockey team from Connecticut to the Old Barn!

The Nassau Hub should be the core station of a central Nassau County Light Rail loop. Park once and access the Coliseum, Hofstra, shopping, offices, county buildings, NCC, museums and connect to the LIRR Mineola stations and Hempstead and West Hempstead terminal stations.

Multiple promising alternatives have been offered by Hofstra University, the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council, and the Long Island Sierra Club. They include: An advanced medical and research campus. Expand on the presence of the nearby cancer center and Hofstra’s medical program.  An innovation and education district. Create a “Nassau Innovation Village” anchored by a satellite campus focused on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); tech incubators and biotech startups; small business labs or co-working space benefits. A mixed-use civic and cultural center. Repurpose part of the land into an outdoor performance space, public parkland and green space, and a community recreation center that could include an ice rink, pools, and youth spaces. A clean tech and green energy hub. Partner to build a solar research and deployment center, battery storage innovation space, electric-vehicle research and charging infrastructure lab. A sports and health wellness complex. Combine physical therapy performance science and community fitness access. A digital media and film production studio. Convert Nassau Coliseum into a sound stage and post-production campus, incentivizing production companies to move operations here. A senior living and workforce housing hybrid. Develop thoughtfully zoned housing for seniors and essential workers with walkable amenities and medical access. It could include community gardens, wellness centers, and green corridors to Hofstra. The potential benefits: Politically appealing, since it addresses housing plus the aging population. Predictable, non-peak traffic. Increases stable tax base We do not need an entertainment center in addition to the Coliseum at the Hub. While the Hub has not been fully developed, Nassau County development has exploded all around it since.

County residents narrowly avoided a major misstep with the withdrawal of Las Vegas Sands’ proposal to build a casino. Rather than embracing casino gambling, let’s imagine a future focused on innovation, such as a center for life sciences, artificial intelligence, and other forward-looking industries. 

A casino with sports betting.

Bring together a group of visionary leaders in real estate, entertainment, business, and the community. Take time to create a destination space that speaks to the county’s needs. A few ideas: Model the Coliseum after the UBS Arena. Create an inviting dining and shopping area to surround it. If the Coliseum is filled on a regular basis, it would attract the crowds necessary to sustain restaurants and stores. Focus on various types of housing, our county’s biggest need, for seniors and young families. While I’m dreaming, add a stop for the LIRR.Thiswould invite more medical facilities to expand here. Create educational spaces to be utilized by Hofstra University and Nassau Community College for medical and medical/ technical partnerships.

What killed the Sands proposal was the potential traffic. No mass transit connects directly to the Hub. So what to do with the old Coliseum? Call for a new plan. Perhaps more focus on housing but not necessarily high density. Build neighborhoods, not more offices. 

My proposal is entitled “Say YES to the JETS!” A world class, state-of-theart, retractable/fixed roof football stadium for the Jets and the New York Cosmos, a professional soccer club based in Paterson, New Jersey. Build it with an underground greenhouse for the playing fields and a sportsbook. A Las Vegas Sands 4- and 5-star integrated resort hotel. A Nassau Veterans Memorial Park and Botanical Garden. Two tower parking garages built and designed for tailgating. A Tailgate Village on the west side of the proposed stadium. A new Long Island Rail Road station at Mitchel Field using a refurbished, upgraded, and extended Garden City- Mitchel Field secondary line. A relocation of the Jets’ headquarters and practice facility to Farmingdale.

Housing is key. Long Island has too little, and many young people are struggling to stay. I think something outside of the box would be not only innovative but hopefully could help many who are struggling. Build “dementia villages” like they have in at least five European countries. They are self-enclosed and provide a unique way for that population to live. Hofstra and Nassau Community College are down the block, so students could have some classes geared to care and education -- physical, mental, social. Long Island’s population is aging, and there are too few doctors or anyone to interact with this population. Working here could be an incentive for care workers who receive low wages. Not only could the aides find affordable housing but so could students who visit residents. It’s a novel idea for Long Island and would serve an important mission, providing a meaningful avenue for many families who are suffering along with their loved ones. Meanwhile, students would be educated and rewarded for their commitment to go into this field while enabling them to stay here with affordable housing.

Soccer and Long Island go hand in hand, but no professional teams call Nassau home. While the New York City Football Club, a men’s Major League Soccer team, is having a stadium being built at Willets Point in Queens, the closest women’s team, in the National Women’s Soccer League, the NJ/NY Gotham plays in New Jersey. The women’s game is growing in popularity and economic viability, and the league is planning to expand in the coming years. TheWomen’s World Cup will take place in June 2027 and hosted by Brazil. A partnership with the Long Island Rough Riders of the United Soccer League, based in South Huntington, could focus on youth through semipro development, with an arena, practice fields, training facilities, and sports research. Add housing, public park space, transportation, and some retail. It will put the county on the map for major tournaments and international matches, and possibly a future home for the U.S. Soccer Federation, which is relocating its headquarters to Fayetteville, Georgia next year  but also has other locations.

Turn it into green space and expand Eisenhower Park. Make it the crown jewel of Nassau County so it could be enjoyed for generations to come.

Build a state-of-the-art stadium to bring back from New Jersey to New York one of the two NFL teams, the Jets or the Giants, who play in MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, so they could actually play in this state. Remodel and revitalize the surrounding area with a hotel and housing. Incorporate the surrounding communities in the effort.