Trustees Sue Las Vegas Sands, County Over Casino Project: Docs

GARDEN CITY, NY — Plans for constructing a Nassau casino are in the environmental review stage. But trustees for the Village of Garden City are suing Nassau County to stop the process, court documents show.

The board hired a law firm for litigation regarding the 42-year lease between the county and Las Vegas Sands at the Hub, a spokesperson for the Garden City Mayor, said.

A public hearing Monday to discuss the environmental review will be held at the Nassau legislative building, and is a chance "to voice our serious concerns about the environmental impact of a Las Vegas Sands Casino project at the Nassau Hub," Mayor Mary Carter Flanagan wrote in her weekly email.

"We urge our elected officials to review the research as it exposes legalized predatory gambling for what it is — a destructive drain by all measures, be it economic, environmental, or social," Allison O'Brien Silva of "Say No to the Casino," said.

The Las Vegas Sands had no comment regarding the Garden City suit.

"Nassau County entering into the 42 Year Lease with Sands, should also be declared null and void and the 42 Year Lease should be annulled," the suit states.

Representatives for the Village of Garden City filed the suit on Friday in Nassau County Supreme Court, stating that a full environmental review had not been undertaken.

"Garden City Trustees today showed that they are thoughtful advocates for their community, and by extension, the whole county, " O'Brien Silva said.

Patch attempted to reach a spokesperson for Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman for comment.

County lawmakers approved the Sands project in August by an 18-1 vote.