Planning Commission approves Sands lease agreement

The Nassau County Planning Commission unanimously approved the lease agreement for Las Vegas Sands to control the Nassau Coliseum in a meeting on July 18. The decision caused some controversy among attendees, many of whom disagree with having the complex in Uniondale.

Since the meeting was not open to public comment, the Say No to the Casino Civic Association held a news conference outside the County Legislative Building in Mineola, where the meeting was held, to express their frustrations.

“I’m totally against the casino,” Pearl Jacobs, founder of the Nostrand Gardens Civic Association in Uniondale and member of the Say No to the Casino Civic Association, said. “It’s no good for our environment, no good for our youth, no good for our community.”

The lease permits Las Vegas Sands to have control of the Nassau Coliseum property for 42 years.

After the unanimous approval from the Planning Commission, the proposed lease agreement heads to the Nassau County Rules Committee on Monday, July 22, at 1 p.m. at the County Legislative Building in Mineola. If approved, the proppsal moves on to a final full legislature vote on Aug. 5.