Amid authorized challenges from Hofstra College, an environmental evaluate that’s a essential element of Las Vegas Sands’ efforts to doubtlessly construct a on line casino lodge in Lengthy Island, NY is continuing.
Nassau Coliseum. The city of Hempstead, N.Y. says it’s taking the lead in an environmental evaluate associated to a Las Vegas Sands on line casino proposal. (Picture: LongIsland.com)
On Tuesday, policymakers within the city of Hempstead voted unanimously to make the city the go-to regulator for the State Environmental High quality Assessment Act train. That research will decide the viability of Sands’ plan to construct a $4 billion on line casino resort on the web site of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, NY.
Hempstead halted efforts to take the lead within the State Environmental High quality Assessment Act process final month. That’s when New York State Supreme Court docket Choose Sarika Kapoor dominated that Nassau County’s switch of Coliseum’s lease to Sands violated New York’s open assembly legal guidelines. That ruling was later topic to a maintain issued by the appellate division of the New York State Supreme Court docket.
Hofstra, the plaintiff within the go well with heard by Kapoor, has asserted that Nassau County officers didn’t give the general public ample avenues or time to make their voices heard on the on line casino problem. That’s whereas different teams opposing the mission claimed no efforts have been made on the environmental evaluate course of.
Hempstead, Sands Search for Transparency
Opponents of the Nassau County on line casino plan have alleged lawmakers accredited the cope with Sands in a backroom style, and that processes regarding associated regulatory evaluations have been shrouded from public remark.
Conversely, supporters of the built-in resort assert that Lengthy Island politicians have made abundantly clear their backing of the Sands proposal, noting that there have been quite a few conferences at which residents voiced endorsements for the mission.
As for the environmental evaluate course of, Hempstead lawmakers voted to make use of a evaluate drafted by Sands as a template and to carry two associated evaluate periods on January 18 on the Lengthy Island Marriott in Uniondale.
The Uniondale Chamber of Commerce is among the many teams backing the Sands proposal. The chamber chief famous many native companies, together with eating places, are supportive of the Sands on line casino proposal. For LVS, the placement is fascinating as a result of Nassau County is the second-most populous county in New York after New York Metropolis. Moreover, Lengthy Island is a brief drive to the Kennedy and LaGuardia airports.
Environmental Assessment Vital Piece of Puzzle
Authorized consultants speculate that Hofstra’s case facilities round sending Nassau County and Sands again to sq. one, doubtlessly betting {that a} prolonged authorized battle will forestall the county and the gaming firm from being ready to credibly bid for one the three downstate on line casino licenses New York regulators may award subsequent yr.
Each the county and Sands have made clear they intend to forge forward no matter Hofstra’s authorized efforts. That makes a complete and clear environmental evaluate important to rebutting Hofstra’s claims.
It’s additionally crucial to assist expedite the authorized course of as a result of New York’s larger courts are struggling by backlogs and are taking years to listen to some environmental evaluate circumstances.
