The Town of Hempstead passed a resolution to hold a public hearing May 27, on the rezoning and potential enactment of the Mitchell Field Integrated Resort District, which will likely move the Nassau Coliseum one step closer toward being the home of a casino or other tourism attraction.
The Town Board did not mention the matter at its Tuesday, May 13, meeting, other than to note a resolution was passed to schedule the hearing.
The proposed document that can be found on the Town of Hempstead’s website goes through a wide range of changes that could be legally made to the property’s zoning laws, which would make it easier for further development.
“The MF-IRD is conceived and enacted to further promote and protect the public health, safety, general welfare and amenities of the Town of Hempstead,” town documents show. “The Town Board has created the MF-IRD to facilitate the transformative redevelopment of that Nassau County-owned property and proximate properties to encourage and support sustainable economic growth and vitality within Mitchel Field.”
The documents show 23 different permitted uses for the property that would give developers flexibility. The first listed permitted change to the property is for it to have “gaming facilities,” which Nassau Coliseum has a history of.
A previous zoning change proposed in 2023 would have combined the roughly 71.6-acre Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum property and the roughly 14.7-acre Marriott Hotel property into one resort property, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
That proposal was made in light of Las Vegas Sands’ leasing agreement with the county for the property. The casino has since backed out of the deal, releasing a statement on April 23.
The Nassau County Legislature Rules Committee approved the Sands’s takeover of a 42-year lease at the property. The lease had an initial term of 27 years, followed by three five-year renewal options exercisable by the Sands.
A casino would be the first for Nassau County, with the closest casinos currently located in Suffolk County and Queens.
There was mixed interest from Nassau residents on the Sands lease, with some pointing at traffic and noise concerns while others argued the casino would bring an influx of jobs and an economic boost to the county.
The Nassau Coliseum was opened to the public in 1972 after being constructed on an old military site. The building was recently renovated from 2015 to 2017 and currently houses multiple sports teams.
The public hearings will be held on May 27 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the Hempstead Town Hall.
