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Master planners picked to redo Nassau Coliseum area
by Elizabeth Moore - July 20, 2007 - Newsday.com

Charles Wang and Scott Rechler have hired Baltimore-based Development Design Group Inc. and The Spector Group of North Hills to form their master-planning team for the Nassau Coliseum redevelopment project.

DDG is a planning, architecture and design firm with an extensive portfolio of town centers, mixed-use destination developments and malls throughout the United States and in cities across the world. It was selected from among eight to 10 companies after a national search by Wang, owner of the New York Islanders, and Rechler, chairman of RexCorp Realty. The Spector Group, a leading Long Island company, designed the buildings now dubbed RexCorp Plaza in Uniondale, as well as the Islandia headquarters of Computer Associates, where Wang was founder and longtime chairman.

Wang and Rechler's Lighthouse Development Group is planning a multibillion-dollar redevelopment of the Islanders' home and its surrounding 77 acres. The two have begun detailed talks with the Town of Hempstead on the county-owned property, where they envision a new suburban center for sports, entertainment and tourism, with offices, housing and stores. They have also set up planning, design and economic study groups that have begun work to navigate the regulatory process.

"I'm very, very optimistic," Wang said yesterday, predicting the project will be "the pillar of smart growth and a model for suburban redevelopment."

Nassau County's Byzantine land-use politics don't faze DDG, which has built award-winning mixed-use developments in the capital of Byzantium itself - the city now called Istanbul, one of history's most warred-over pieces of real estate. Those are the Akmerkez development, a blue-glass office tower built atop four stories of destination retail with apartments on its upper floors, and Istinye Park, an 882,500-square-foot "omnicenter" complete with entertainment rotunda, open-air park and a glass-roofed indoor mall.

In Indonesia, DDG designed Jakarta's first multilevel shopping center and in China, a shopping and dining complex on Shanghai's Century Boulevard. In Glendale, Ariz., it will soon open Westgate City Center, which has an open-air "events plaza" that features some of the same kinds of interactive outdoor displays that have been envisioned for the Uniondale project.

What appealed to the Lighthouse Group about DDG, Rechler said, is the way its projects blend in to the neighborhoods where they are built, connecting with and adding to what's already there.

"We want to create an exciting suburban center, but respect the environment and the community that surrounds it," he said.

Trio of Hub transportation proposals thrown out
by Sid Cassere - July 17, 2007 - Newsday.com

Proposals for a Long Island Rail Road stop, a monorail or a trolley at the Nassau Hub development have been thrown out, according to a report released yesterday.

The county, with community input, now will decide from among an automated guideway transit, which is akin to a small elevated train; light rail transit, which rides tracks like a trolley, or bus rapid transit, Patti Bourne, the head of the Nassau Planning Department, told a county legislative committee in Mineola yesterday.

Just 16 months ago, a similar report included all six ideas as possibilities. The proposals included extending LIRR routes to Hub sites.

The Hub project is a joint government and private investor initiative. Nassau owns the land; the investor, the Lighthouse Development Group, headed by Charles Wang and developer Scott Rechler, will put up the money.

At the core of the project is a $1.6-billion renovation of Nassau Coliseum and 77 acres surrounding it. The deal hinges on Lighthouse obtaining necessary approvals from the Town of Hempstead.

The new report by the county planning commission said the transportation would connect study and recreation areas from Adelphi University in Garden City to Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, curve through commercial and retail connections from the Source Mall in Westbury through Roosevelt Field, and the Nassau Coliseum to Reckson Plaza.

There would also be an education/recreation route connecting Adelphi, Hofstra University in Hempstead, Nassau Community College and a series of local parks.

"This is land use and transportation-oriented development. The town must be a part of this because it controls the zoning," Bourne said, adding that the investor expects to soon go before the town.

Charles in charge at hub
Wang-Reckson team wins go-ahead from Suozzi for $1.6B face-lift of Coliseum, area's development
by Monte R. Young - Mar. 16, 2006 - Newsday.com

Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi has named the team of billionaire businessman Charles Wang and Reckson Associates to renovate the aging Nassau Coliseum and develop the surrounding 77 acres of prime county land.

Suozzi will formally announce the $1.6-billion deal with Wang, owner of the Islanders, at a news conference today in Mineola, according to sources close to Suozzi.

Last month, the county narrowed the candidates for the development to two: Wang's and Reckson Associates' Lighthouse Group vs. the New York Mets Development Corp. and Sterling Equities, with partner Blumenfeld Development Group.

'We are thrilled'

"We got a call from county officials that our proposal had been accepted and we are thrilled," said Reckson Associates chief Scott Rechler, in a call from Australia, where he is on a business trip.

Rechler said the development of the hub area has been talked about for decades, but "This is the most momentum I've seen with public support for what the hub area can be. It's becoming a reality."

The decision comes after months of intense negotiations over the development of the area in Uniondale that has come to be called the Nassau Hub.

County officials said Nassau will get a renovated, state-of-the-art Coliseum financed entirely by the developers.

The $1.6-billion project includes a 22-story apartment tower, hotels, a stadium for a minor league baseball team, a sports technology center and a convention center.

Deal makes dollars, sense

Residents have long complained about conditions at the 16,300-seat Coliseum, one of the oldest arenas in the NHL, including shabby rest rooms and a sometimes leaky roof.

Wang said he has lost millions of dollars because the facility has few luxury suites.

County officials are projecting $162 million in new property tax revenue, and sales tax revenue on merchandise including tickets and food.

The Lighthouse Group will pay the county $1.5 million a year in rent for the Coliseum.

Suozzi's panel of three county employees, headed by Deputy County Executive Helena Williams, informed the winner yesterday, but also asked Fred and Jeff Wilpon, of the Mets and their Coliseum Redevelopment Corp., to keep their offer on the table for future consideration if a memorandum of agreement and a lease cannot be reached with Wang.

Wilpon ready if needed

Jeff Wilpon said he got a call yesterday from a county official telling him they had lost.

He maintained that his group had the better plan and that Wang's plan, which recently added a minor league stadium, now looks a lot like the Mets' plan.

"I'm happy that we were able to help the county get a higher price for the hub area," said Wilpon. "We were going to bring baseball to Nassau, but the one thing we didn't have was control of the Islanders. I told Suozzi that, if the deal falls through, we will be there to help out."

The deal still has a number of hurdles, including approval by the Nassau County Legislature. The county will now move to formalize a memorandum of agreement with Wang and then to reach a lease agreement. Suozzi will then recommend approval by the 19-member Nassau County Legislature. Lawmakers will review the proposal before sending it back to Suozzi for final approval. Wang will then go before Hempstead Town officials for zoning approval.

Legis. David Denenberg (D-Merrick), chairman of the planning development and environment committee, which will take first crack at reviewing the Coliseum plan, said, "Once we get a proposal we will act swiftly but we will also act thoroughly. There's no 'done deals' with the legislature."

Wang will spend $320 million for renovations and new parking facilities at the Coliseum. His proposal also calls for extending the Islanders' lease on the Coliseum through 2025 and for the construction of a sports technology center, housing and a conference facility.

County sources said the deal turned on which bidder could provide a professional team to play in the newly renovated Coliseum.

They said the Coliseum Redevelopment Group tried to reach out to Wang through NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, to get the Islanders to extend their Coliseum lease. But Wang said he had no interest in partnering with anyone other than the Lighthouse Group.

Approval will take time

The approval process for the Nassau Hub project could take up to two years, officials say. Going forward, it includes these key elements:

Nassau County will move to formalize a memorandum of agreement and reach a lease agreement with the winning bidder, Lighthouse Group.

County Executive Thomas Suozzi then recommends approval by the 19-member county legislature.

Lawmakers review the proposal and, if they vote to approve it, return it to Suozzi for his final signature.

Lighthouse then goes before Hempstead Town for zoning approval.

When it's done

$1.6 BILLION Value of project

$162 MILLION New annual tax revenues

$1.5 MILLION Annual rent to county for arena

The Lighthouse Group Video Proposal

Parkland proviso may be an obstacle
by Celeste Hadrick - Mar. 16, 2006 - Newsday.com

The venture selected to redevelop the Nassau Coliseum faces several potential obstacles and questions.

For one, the proposed Atlantic League baseball park -- a last-minute addition to the Wang-Reckson plan -- would go on county parkland not included in the 77-acre Coliseum property that was offered to bidders.

County officials acknowledge that a new request for proposals will be needed to determine whether other ballpark operators could offer a better deal than Frank Boulton, the Long Island Ducks team owner who joined in the Wang-Reckson proposal. For his part, Reckson chief Scott Rechler said this week he doubts anyone else could put a stadium on the Mitchel Park site -- because his company controls the surrounding parking.

In addition, county lawmakers say the State Legislature may need to approve any deal for a private ballpark, since Mitchel Park is dedicated parkland. After the Mitchel Field air base was dismantled in the 1960s, the federal government stipulated that the property always be used for park purposes when it was transferred to Nassau.

Legis. David Denenberg (D-Merrick) said leasing the land to a private owner, even a ballpark operator, could legally be considered alienation of the park property and require state approval. County officials disagree with that view.

Denenberg also expressed concern that community teams using the park's existing soccer and baseball fields could be displaced. County officials respond that those teams will not be affected because the new stadium would be located on a swath of open parkland next to Charles Lindbergh Boulevard.

In another unique wrinkle, Wang-Rechler plan envisions physically lowering both Charles Lindbergh Boulevard and Hempstead Turnpike to allow better pedestrian access.

While the winning venture, known as the Lighthouse Group, will contribute $25 million for mass transportation, that amount is "a drop in the bucket" for a project that could cost hundreds of millions of dollars, said Ed Ward, spokesman for Minority Leader Peter Schmitt.

Some yesterday recalled past county plans. During the development of Mitchel Field in the early 1980s, county officials said Meadowbrook Parkway would be widened to alleviate traffic congestion. The road improvements have yet to materialize.

Plan afoot for Nassau baseball team
by Celeste Hadrick - Mar. 9, 2006 - Newsday.com

A second minor-league baseball team would come to Long Island under a proposal to be presented today for redeveloping the area around the Nassau Coliseum.

Scott Rechler, president of Reckson Associates Realty Corp. and a partner in Charles Wang's Lighthouse Development Group, is expected to join with the Long Island Ducks baseball team's owner, Frank Boulton, and the Atlantic League's executive director, Joe Klein, to propose the minor-league team.

That joint venture is in a two-way competition against an alliance of Sterling Equities, owners of the Mets, and Blumenfeld Development Group, for rights to develop the Uniondale property.

Renderings by the Wang-Reckson team for a "new state-of-the-art minor-league ballpark in Mitchel Athletic Complex" is due to be unveiled at the news conference in Reckson Plaza in Uniondale, according to a statement from the group.

The group's spokesman, Howard Cannon of Rubenstein Associates, said the Suffolk-based Ducks would benefit from having a second Atlantic League team next door in Nassau. "It's almost like revenue-sharing," he said.

Cannon declined to say exactly where the proposed ballfield would go. The county's Mitchel Park athletic complex, which now includes a baseball field, is situated between properties leased from Nassau by Reckson Associates.

The complex is not part of the 77-acre Coliseum property that County Executive Thomas Suozzi is seeking an outside group to develop.

Cannon said the new Atlantic League team would go to Nassau only if the county chooses the Lighthouse development venture.

Either way, Nassau can't lose
by Mark Herrmann - Newsday.com - February 19, 2006

Here is a new case for sports fans, who always measure everything by W's and L's, wins and losses. On Long Island these days, the choice is between W and W, Charles Wang and Fred Wilpon.

What it amounts to is yet another new rivalry in New York sports, one between the Islanders and the Mets. Wang owns the Islanders and wants to rebuild Nassau Coliseum and develop the area around it. Wilpon is the principal owner of the Mets and heads a group that wants to build a new Nassau Coliseum and develop the area around it.

Wilpon's and Wang's bids emerged this past week as the two finalists in the race for the property. It will be a tough call for the Nassau County Legislature, which made the great stride recently of finally deciding how to get itself back into existence after a paralyzing political imbroglio.

Both men are wealthy Long Islanders, sports figures and representatives of the American dream. Both built themselves up with hard work. Each heads a franchise with a solid base on Long Island and has its own rivalry with a big-time team in the city. Each has had a falling-out with a partner (Sanjay Kumar for Wang, Nelson Doubleday for Wilpon).

Both are good men and nice guys, at least judging from the times this observer has been in their company.

Each has a $1.6-billion plan on the table and each has pledged to put up $300 million to renew the Coliseum, one way or another.

Batter up, or drop the puck.

This could be hot stuff. What's more, it's not the first tango between these two teams. In the early 1980s, John O. Pickett, the Islanders' owner and a shrewd negotiator, was working a deal with SportsChannel. While he was at it, he was allowed to strike one for the Mets by Doubleday, his friend and former Islanders minority owner. Conventional wisdom was that Pickett did a lot better for himself than he did for the Mets.

So Wilpon pulling the ice out from under Wang might be payback. If nothing else, the one-upmanship will be interesting.

For whom should you root? That's also a tough one. Match them up.

Background: Wilpon is from Brooklyn, where - as everybody knows by now - he played high school ball with Sandy Koufax. He made his fortune in real estate, as co-founder of Sterling Equities. He brought baseball back to the borough with the Cyclones, a Mets minor-league affiliate.

Wang is from Shanghai, China, and moved with his family to New York when he was 8. He founded Computer Associates, which became a world-renowned technology firm. He recently sponsored a youth hockey team from China in its trip to a tournament in Canada.

What his proposal would mean to the Islanders: Wang has a personal stake in this, insisting that his teams (including the Arena Football League Dragons) and their fans deserve a better place. A refurbished Coliseum would preserve the impeccable sight lines. On the other hand, this isn't about running the team but building the site, and Wilpon would put Wang in a sparkling new arena.

What his proposal would mean to all Long Islanders: Wilpon would build a minor-league baseball park on the site, maybe one like the lovely field his organization built in Coney Island. Wang is wary about Wilpon's plan because, he said, it would be "the biggest super-regional shopping mall on Long Island." He didn't say this, but we will: With the Ducks and their beautiful park only a half-hour away, does Long Island need another minor-league baseball team?

Sports savvy: Wilpon knows his way, having brought his fans one world championship and another pennant. Wang relies on input from others, which isn't all bad because he doesn't have a family member who insisted Kaz Matsui is great.

Loyalty: At times it has seemed that Wang was more loyal to general manager Mike Milbury than to the team's fans - sticking with his decision-maker even when the results just didn't justify it. Ultimately, though, he accepted Milbury's decision to step aside.

Wilpon never lets personal feelings get in the way of personnel decisions when the results aren't there. He always looks to make the team better. Then again, he showed a lack of loyalty to former GM Jim Duquette - ordering him to cut the budget, then demoting him because the Mets weren't good.

Two words that came back to haunt him: Wilpon - "skill sets" (awkward description of the criteria for his top baseball executive).

Wang - "Alexei Yashin."

The winner is ...: From this vantage point, by a narrow margin, it's Wang. He bought the Islanders largely out of civic responsibility. He lost a lot of money and took a lot of flak from fans. Now he deserves a shot at good times, and achieving them his way.

But ...: The margin is narrow. As long as Nassau officials really do let one of them win, as long as Long Islanders have a clean and roomy place (in which they don't have to hip-check each other to reach the restroom) and as long as the Islanders can afford to earn the revenue that other NHL teams do, it's a win-win choice.

Sporting chances
Principals involved with Islanders and Mets make final cut in race to rebuild Coliseum
by Monte R. Young - Newsday.com - February 17, 2006

In a rare matchup, the Islanders are facing the Mets.

Yesterday, Nassau County officials narrowed to two big-name suitors the search for the partnership that will renovate the aging Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum and develop the surrounding 77 acres of county land.

On one side is the team of billionaire businessman Charles Wang, owner of the Islanders hockey team, and its bidding partner Reckson Associates.

On the other side is the New York Mets Development Corp. and Sterling Equities, teamed in a joint venture with Blumenfeld Development Group.

At stake in the rivalry is the right to develop one of the last public pieces of open land in Nassau. "Now we will bring the two in individually, to negotiate and see which of the two is going to make us the best offer," Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi said.

Since last fall, the county has entertained proposals from four development groups to spruce up the Coliseum and develop the property known as the Nassau County Hub.

In a memo to Suozzi, his panel of three county employees, headed by Deputy County Executive Helena Williams, said the teams contending for the project both have $1.6-billion proposals on the table. The panel will consider and recommend to Suozzi what they consider the better deal. Suozzi said he will "soon" submit his choice to the 19-member Nassau County Legislature.

Both sides also propose paying the county $1.5 million in annual rent for the Coliseum and the site -- and say they'd spend more than $300 million on renovating the Coliseum and for constructing parking facilities.

David Blumenfeld and the Mets' Jeff Wilpon, who call their joint venture the Coliseum Redevelopment Corp., said in a statement they look forward to meeting with lawmakers to show "our proposal is best suited to meet the long-term interest and needs of the community."

Wang and Reckson Associates developer Scott Rechler issued their own statement, saying they were "pleased" to be finalists and "will continue to work closely with the County for the betterment of Long Island."

Wang removed from his proposal the controversial 60-story tower called the "Lighthouse," which had been the centerpiece of his vision for the area.

Wang has not made clear how he'd replace the tower, and county officials said during negotiations they want more information on what he plans to build.

His proposal also calls for extending the Islanders' lease through 2025 and building a sports technology center, housing and a conference facility.

The Mets, in their proposal, said they are willing to participate with the county in the cost of a new arena for the Islanders, county officials said.

Suozzi has said the county will not use taxpayer funds on the project and as an alternative to a new building, the Mets proposed $300 million in renovations to the Coliseum and a parking facility.

They also offered to build a $52-million minor league baseball park, a first for Nassau. They also would pay $25 million toward the construction of a monorail system.

The panel's memo also praised the work of two other developers, Vincent Polimeni and the Cordish Co. and Engel Burman Group of Lynbrook and Kabro Associates.

It was the county's sports franchise requirement, Polimeni said, that left him out.

"They asked us to keep our powder dry -- and if things don't work out we could be back in it," Polimeni said.

Islanders Have Sites on Suffolk
by Chau Lam and Mark Harrington - January 28, 2006 - Newsday

Two sites in Suffolk County under consideration as a possible new home for the Islanders are on county-owned land next to Suffolk County Community College campuses, one in Brentwood and the other in Selden, a source close to the negotiations said Friday.

The Brentwood campus is next to the Pilgrim State Psychiatric Center and the Selden campus is in the town of Brookhaven.

Ed Dumas, a spokesman for Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy, would neither confirm nor deny that those two locations are being considered.

"It's too early. It's too preliminary, and it would just be a mistake to discuss sites at this stage of our discussion," Dumas said.

Meanwhile, Nassau officials expressed concern that talks between Islanders owner Charles Wang and Suffolk have escalated.

"If [County Executive Thomas] Suozzi doesn't step up to the plate, Nassau is really threatened with the loss of the Islanders," said Ed Ward, a spokesman for Presiding Officer Peter Schmitt (R-Massapequa).

The discussions between Wang and Suffolk are being taken seriously, Nassau Deputy County Executive Helena Williams said, but she pointed out the team has a lease with Nassau through 2015.

Nassau Legis. David Denenberg (D-Merrick) doesn't blame Wang for talking to Suffolk.

"I am not surprised. The history with Wang is that if he doesn't get what he wants he'll look elsewhere. Some people call it bullying. Some call it smart business strategy. It's a little of both but I don't blame him," Denenberg said.

Wang couldn't be reached for comment.

Wang, has proposed renovating Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, where the hockey team plays. Wang, a billionaire who is also a developer, wants to build a sports technology center, conference facility and other buildings on the 77 county-owned acres surrounding the coliseum in central Nassau.

Wang proposed developing the project primarily by himself. But, after pressure from the Nassau County Legislature, it was put out for a 45-day bidding process. Wang's proposal is one of four being considered.

Frustrated with the slow progress, Wang approached Levy, and the parties are drafting a memorandum of understanding calling for "exploring plans, direction and an agreement" to relocate the Islanders, according to two people involved in negotiations.

Wang asks Nassau to decide

By Bill Bleyer and Alan Hahn
Sportswriters

January 13, 2006

The topic of the news conference yesterday was a new general manager for the Islanders, but team owner Charles Wang used the occasion to sound off again on the Nassau Coliseum and the county's plans to develop the area around it.

Wang said he's been talking to other venues on Long Island about moving the team if Nassau County doesn't move quickly on replacing or upgrading the aging Coliseum. "At one point, we won't be here," Wang said at the Coliseum yesterday. "How long is the question and ... I can't say exactly ... but it's pretty close, because you cannot subject the fans, the organization, myself, to this kind of, basically, neglect, for this long."

If the county chooses another proposal, Wang said, "We are talking to public places on Long Island. ... We want to make it a place where our fans get the kind of experience they want to pay to enjoy. ... It's the county's responsibility to provide us a first-class facility to play in. ... "

The billionaire businessman has criticized Nassau for not making a quick decision on the bids. County Executive Thomas Suozzi initially gave him the nod as the developer until county lawmakers insisted the bid process be reopened. Suozzi spokesman Joseph Calderone said "we agree that the Coliseum needs to be renovated. That's why we are in the midst of reviewing four exciting proposals."

Wang and his partner, Reckson Associates Realty Corp., last month withdrew a controversial plan for a 60-story tower that was to be the center of their $1.5-billion proposal that calls for renovating the Coliseum and building a sports technology center, conference facility and other buildings on the 77 acres.

New York Mets Development Corp. and its partners, Sterling Equities and Blumenfeld Development Group, have proposed a new Coliseum, a light rail terminal and a minor-league baseball stadium. Vincent Polimeni and the Cordish Co. have proposed a state-of-the-art county government seat. And Long Island builders Engel Burman of Lynbrook with Kabro Associates want to build four condo towers. The proposals are being evaluated by county consultants.

Wang also commented on the Mets proposal, which he noted "is a million square feet of retail, which makes it the biggest super-regional shopping mall on Long Island, if not in the country. If that's what the county wants, then the county should say so and go ahead and do it."

Tower plans topple
Wang says criticism of planned 60-story building overwhelmed rest of proposal for Coliseum property

By Emi Endo
Staff Writer, Newsday

December 29, 2005

The tower is out.

New York Islanders owner Charles Wang has pulled off the table the controversial 60-story tower that was the centerpiece of his vision for redeveloping central Nassau County.

Complaining that criticism of the tower had overwhelmed the rest of the $1.5 billion proposal, Wang and his partner refused "to allow the Tower to be the political football that keeps the Lighthouse Project from becoming a reality for the benefit of all of Long Island," they wrote in a letter to the county. They said they would instead seek to build an "appropriate" icon.

"The tower became an issue because people couldn't see past it," Scott Rechler, Wang's partner and chief executive of Reckson Associates Realty Corp., said yesterday. "Charles pulled the tower so they could concentrate on the important attributes -- the Coliseum, plans for housing, the public transportation." Lighthouse spokesman Chris Botta declined to comment yesterday.

Wang, the software billionaire, and Reckson Associates have proposed to renovate Nassau Coliseum and build a sports technology center, conference facility and other buildings on the surrounding 77 county-owned acres.

Called the Lighthouse Project, it was to be anchored by a landmark high-rise hotel-residential building that Wang has described as "very special, big and beautiful."

Rechler did not give an example yesterday of what might take the place of the tower, but said, "It can't just be sprawling office buildings and homes. It's got to be distinctive." He added they would work "with the local community to determine what that could be. We really want this to be seen as the center of Nassau County."

But Ed Ward, spokesman for the legislature's Republicans, said Wang's offer to remove the tower still left too much to the unknown. "He proposed to build a tower. Now he's taking it out, but he's not saying what he's substituting, so you have an unknown amount of acreage with unknown development ... "

The height of the tower immediately faced criticism that mounted during County Executive Thomas Suozzi's fall re-election campaign as some Republicans said that such a tall building would wreck Nassau's suburban character. It appeared to be doomed when Suozzi said during an Oct. 24 debate that he no longer found the idea attractive. Last month, Wang suggested that he was open to alternatives.

By the time the four competing developers had to submit their final offers to the county last Friday, Wang had removed the tower.

For their part, the New York Mets Development Corp. and its partners, Sterling Equities and the Blumenfeld Development Group, announced Tuesday that they now plan to build a new coliseum rather than renovate the old one, and would spend another $25 million to help build a light rail terminal. Their plan would give Nassau its first minor-league baseball stadium.

All proposals will now be evaluated by consultants to Suozzi, said deputy county executive Helena Williams yesterday. She said the panel would submit a report by mid-January. Suozzi will make his final recommendation to the legislature, and lawmakers intend to hold hearings and choose a plan next year.

The new revision to the Mets proposal prompted Legis. Lisanne Altmann (D-Great Neck) to say yesterday that it looked the best. "You'd have to imagine that they become the front-runner," Altmann said. "Now maybe Wang will try to top the Blumenfeld offer. This is healthy for taxpayers."

The other developers in the running are: Vincent Polimeni and the Cordish Co., envisioning a state-of-the-art county seat, and longtime Long Island builders Engel Burman of Lynbrook with Kabro Associates, offering four condominium towers. The proposals range in cost from $725 million to more than $1.5 billion. None of the other plans included buildings taller than the nearby 15-story EAB Plaza.

After being chastised by lawmakers for reaching a lease agreement with Wang in 2004 without a public bidding process, Suozzi agreed to seek competing proposals.

Staff writers Celeste Hadrick and Lauren Weber contributed to this story.

Photos of the Four Renovation Proposals - Newsday

More Articles...

Charles in Charge at Hub - Newsday March 16, 2006
Parkland Proviso May be an Obstacle - Newsday March 16, 2006
Plan afoot for Nassau baseball team - Newsday March 9, 2006
Either Way, Nassau Can't Lose - Newsday February 19, 2006
Scoring Chances - Newsday February 17, 2006
Bettman Supports Wang - Newsday January 27, 2006
Islanders, Suffolk go for Brokering - Newsday January 27, 2006
Mets Toss Changeup - Newsday December 28, 2005
Politics Dimming Wang's Nassau Coliseum Plan - Newsday October 26, 2005
Suozzi pressed by challenger to scrap 'unfair' Coliseum plan - Newsday October 20, 2005
Battle for Nassau Coliseum Shakes Sports Landscape - New York Sun October 13, 2005
Coliseum Group Adds Trump Player - Newsday October 7, 2005
Mets in Coliseum Bid - Newsday October 4, 2005
Wang, Reckson Team to Redevelop Coliseum - Newsday September 29, 2005
Text of Balboni's Letter - Newsday March 15, 2005
Proposed Lease Agreement - Newsday March 8, 2005
Q & A on the Nassau County Coliseum - Newsday September 28, 2004
The Reaction: Wang Tower Plan May be Shooting too High - Newsday September 27, 2004
Wang Reveals Plan for Rebuilt Coliseum, 60-story Tower - Newsday September 27, 2004

Check out...

www.nassaucoliseum.com
www.lighthouseli.com

www.nassaucountyny.gov - Redevelopment of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum Site
*islesinfo.com comment: the above site is amazing as far as information and contains all four proposals in .pdf form that have been presented to Nassau County to redevelop Nassau Coliseum and the surrounding area. I advise anyone who wants to know all there is about the current situation on Long Island to check out this site!

History of the NVMC

Mitchel Field is a former Army/Air Force base located in the center of Nassau County. This 1,200-acre base was shut down in 1960 and declared surplus property by the U.S. Government. Nassau County obtained much of this property from the government in 1961. With the obtainment of Mitchel Field, many proposals were put forth. Some of the recommendations included a civic center, a large central library, residential housing, museum and cultural center. After consideration of these recommendations, the result was to build a 15,000 seat arena (additional seats were added from 1981-1984 that increased the seating capacity to over 18,000). The arena was built at the cost of 32 million dollars in 1972 and sits on sixty-three acres of Mitchel Field. The building was dedicated to those who had made the supreme sacrifice for their country; hence the name Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.(This is an excerpt from nassaucoliseum.com and the rest can be found here. It was obviously written by an employee of the SMG Corporation, the Management organization that operates the Coliseum and many other facilities across the United States. SMG has played a huge role in the history of the Islanders ownership and pursuit of a new Nassau Coliseum.)

The Four Proposals

1. WANG'S PROPOSAL

Developers: Charles Wang, owner of New York Islanders and co-founder of Computer Associates International of Islandia; Reckson Associates Realty Corp., of Melville

The plan: Residential, commercial and retail, including a sports technology center, a state-of-the-art conference facility and a hotel-condo tower

Centerpiece: The 60-story "Lighthouse" featuring an observation deck, a five-star hotel and luxury condos

The Coliseum: $150 million to increase seating to 17,500 from 16,300 for hockey games and up to 20,000 for concerts; adds 50 luxury suites to the current 31

Total cost: $1 billion

2. METS' PROPOSAL

Developers: New York Mets Development Corp., Sterling Equities of Great Neck, Blumenfeld Development Group of Syosset

The plan: A sports and entertainment development with hotel and convention center, offices, housing and a monorail link to the LIRR

Centerpiece: A new arena and a minor-league baseball stadium

The Coliseum: Plan calls for building new arena in current parking lot, and a new pedestrian bridge link with Hofstra University.

Total cost: $1.5 billion

3. THE COUNTY CENTER

Developers: Polimeni International, a Garden City real estate firm; and The Cordish Co., a Baltimore entertainment development company

The plan: County government center and buildings for the Nassau police and the Department of Social Services; an office building, three buildings of apartments and condos

Centerpiece: A $75-million, 600,000-square-foot government center to consolidate county offices

The Coliseum: $150 million to add skyboxes and rink-side boxes, and an entertainment venue

Total cost: $725 million

4. CONDO/COMMERCIAL

Developers: Engel Burman of Lynbrook and Kabro Associates of Woodbury

The plan: Two proposals: one for using all 77 acres for condominiums and office buildings, the other to use 40 acres for the condos

Centerpiece: About 800 condominium units in four 15-story towers, including senior housing

The Coliseum: No plans

Total cost: $800 million

Go Isles!