Officials hope Nassau Hub next for funding

The largest tract of open land left in Nassau County -- the subject of two decades of discussion, development proposals and politics -- was left out in the cold last week when funds were awarded to Long Island's economic growth efforts.

Advocates and other officials said they hope the Nassau Hub, which includes the 77 acres surrounding the aging Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, the home of the Islanders, will receive part of the next state funding effort to be awarded next year.

The team's owner, Charles Wang, has said he will move the team if he does not get a new arena by the time his lease with Nassau County expires in 2015.

"It's critically important that we keep the Islanders here on Long Island," said Long Island Association president Kevin Law, who co-chaired the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council, which picked the projects to be funded. "Something needs to happen there."

Long Island received $101.6 million in state aid last week for projects ranging from roads at Heartland Town Square in Islip to Hempstead Village sewer improvements. Of that money, $40 million has yet to be allocated and will be distributed by next March. On top of that, the state announced last week that there will be another competition for new financing in 2012.

Nassau officials filed an application in October for the Nassau Hub to receive financing toward building a biotechnology park and convention center, in a plan that would have included a new Coliseum, parking garage and other infrastructure investments.

But the Regional Economic Development Council didn't include it in their "transformative projects" list for funding last month -- and the state followed the local council's lead in its announcement.

Several council members said the Hub wasn't "ripe" enough to be included, especially since winning projects were supposed to be near shovel-ready.

"We really wanted to include the Hub as one of the transformative projects," Law said. "We just wish they were further along like the Ronkonkoma Hub."

Nassau County officials declined to comment.

The Ronkonkoma Hub, a mixed-use project planned near the Ronkonkoma train station and Long Island MacArthur Airport, had issued its request for proposals this fall and announced its master developer last week.

Law noted that 31 other projects that applied to the council also did not receive state aid.

Vision Long Island executive director Eric Alexander said that plenty of other projects did not fall under the state's guidelines for this most recent funding process -- but can still move ahead and help the region's economy.

"There are a lot of great projects under way on Long Island," Alexander said. "Some projects are on a timetable for state assistance now, and some will need it later."

Advocates and development council members said they weren't closing the door on future funding opportunities for the Nassau Hub.

"The Hub issue in terms of the regional council is far from dead," said Hofstra University president Stuart Rabinowitz, who co-chaired the council with Law. "It really is alive and well."

Law agreed with that assessment.

"I think it's going to be at the top of our wish list in future years," he said.