Levy: Suffolk in casino talks with tribe

Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy said last night that he is in advanced talks with the Shinnecock Indian Nation to fast-track the sale of all or part of the 250-acre Legacy Village parcel in Yaphank as a casino site.

Suffolk has long pushed for a casino site in the home county of the Southampton tribe, but the initiative comes as the tribe is said to be close to signing a memorandum of understanding with Nassau County about placing a casino near the Coliseum.

Levy and his staff met with tribal officials Monday night and Tuesday, following a meeting two weeks ago. The site would address a tribal desire to locate a casino closer to its Southampton reservation so Shinnecocks could commute to the site.

"We've got to know if they want to do this yesterday," Levy said. "Procrastination cannot be part of the process."

Shinnecock Indian National tribal chairman Randy King confirmed the recent string of meetings with Suffolk. "We are intrigued and heartened by the position Suffolk is taking," said King, who recently won re-election to the tribe's top post. "We've always said we'd do a facility in Suffolk."

King said specific sites at Legacy were still being evaluated. "They have certain parcels that we're looking at," he said. "Whether we take them all or part remains to be seen."

Any agreement would follow due diligence by the tribe on the property value, and must be approved by trustees, the tribal gaming authority, and the membership.

Legacy Village was to be Levy's signature development, a $400-million project that included a downtown center, indoor and outdoor arenas, a hotel, shops and restaurants. It has been undergoing an environmental review, but some county legislators have been pushing to sell the land instead.

The Suffolk Legislature voted Tuesday to declare the 250 acres of the project surplus land, but Levy said he will veto that legislation.

There are indications Levy and his staff will work hard to push through a deal with the tribe. "We're now at the point where we have to know that they have money to put up for the purchase of this land," Levy said. "If so, we could possibly effectuate a direct sale. The numbers have to work and it has to happen sooner rather than later."

Levy said the property may offer a better alternative for the tribe than the Nassau property near the Coliseum, where the Shinnecocks have been working to hammer out an arrangement with Nassau Executive Edward Mangano that could lead to the tribe buying and developing about 40 acres of county-owned land there.

Nassau spokesman Brian Nevin has refused to comment on any talks with the tribe, saying in a statement: "To create jobs and jump start our local economy, the county executive will move forward with a development plan this year."

Levy noted the Yaphank site "is a very good location for . . . [the tribe] because of its visibility, its accessibility and the fact you don't have a university [Hofstra] on site as you do in Nassau."

Levy also noted the property also "doesn't have FAA constraints," a reference to possible restrictions that could stall a casino at Brookhaven Calabro Airport, another location being viewed by the tribe. Brookhaven officials weren't available Tuesday to discuss progress on their talks with the tribe.

Sources say possible casino sites at Calverton and another at Parr Meadows in Shirley are off the table.

One observer close to the tribe said while Levy may seek to do a deal quickly, the reality of tribal casinos presents obstacles. "There's no such thing as fast-tracking a casino," the source said.

Levy said he understood that the tribe "has a lot of hoops to jump through" in terms of approving a final sale. In any case, he said a deal "could bring a lot of revenue," including once a casino is built. Construction "would be on their own dime," not the county's.