Don't delay on a Coliseum plan
Aerial view this summer of the Nassau Coliseum (July 23, 2011) Credit: Kevin P. Coughlin
The solid defeat by voters of a taxpayer-financed plan to build a new Nassau Coliseum at the Hub was, while not a dead end for the 77-acre tract, certainly a turning point.
The process had, for years, revolved around Charles Wang and the Islanders, first with the Lighthouse project that called for private funding to redo the arena, and most recently with this $400-million plan. Now, interest is surfacing from national and international development companies that might have fatter wallets and fresher concepts.
In addition, there may be developmental seed money available from Albany. State officials say a parking garage, crucial to the future of the Hub because it would free land for other uses, could be eligible for new state funds if the governor's recently created Regional Economic Development Council for Long Island puts its weight behind such a plan.
Let's hope county officials don't scare these players away.
Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano, the day after the vote, announced he wanted to see developers' visions for the Hub and use the best concepts to create a request for proposals. He granted 10 days to submit ideas, likely too little time to craft a solution for a project that's proved unsolvable for years.
Nassau received about 10 responses, but officials now say it could take as long as six months to put out the RFP.
Why would the county give 10 days to present ideas, but take six months to turn them into an RFP? Politics.
Demanding plans so quickly seems to have been Mangano's way of calling out referendum opponents, particularly the developers group Association for a Better Long Island, which insisted there were better ways to do this deal. Waiting months to release the RFP means a controversial issue is postponed until after the November election. Political strategies shouldn't set this agenda, and while it's true that the county's financial challenges will take a lot of time and energy to deal with, dealing with the Hub can't be postponed while that happens.
County officials already know the 10-day window for submitting ideas wasn't workable and continue to listen to every concept put before them. As for taking six months to issue an RFP, it's not certain the county can do this and keep the Islanders. The team has signed a lease through 2015, but must know where it will be after that, and soon.
And the worst part of this wrangling is that it sends the message, again, that it's all but impossible to do business in Nassau County.
The challenges at the Hub, particularly the need for a parking structure if the land is to hold both a Coliseum and other development, are not insurmountable. That new council, with its potential to tap into a $1-billion fund Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has set aside, now has a Hub-specific committee. Interesting ideas have surfaced on developing the land in a way that would be an economic engine for the region.
The referendum defeat may have been more than taxpayers saying they didn't want to pay. It could be a warning about the lack of faith residents have that the county could get the job done. Nassau should take a few more weeks to assess ideas, then issue an RFP.
It's time for Nassau County to put the politics aside and show it can take care of business. hN
