Garden City Votes To Oppose Nassau Casino

GARDEN CITY, NY — At a Board of Trustees meeting Tuesday night, the Village of Garden City voted to formally oppose the development of a casino at the Nassau County Hub.

According to News 12, the board voted unanimously to oppose the development, which has been proposed by the Las Vegas Sands Corp. The vote is largely symbolic, as the village has no say in what happens at the Hub.

Sands has entered into a deal with Nassau County to purchase the lease to the Coliseum property. The development would include a casino, a resort, an entertainment venue and restaurants.

But the casino part of the project is not a guarantee. Sands first needs to get a license from the state to operate a casino. The state is going to issue three licenses for downstate casinos, but has not determined where yet. A decision is not expected until later this year.

Sands said the casino aspect of the project would be about a tenth of the total square footage.

Reaction to the casino proposal has been mixed. Some organizations have gotten on board with the plan. Nassau Community College plans to work with Sands to create employee training programs if the plan is approved, and school leadership has been supportive.

Hofstra President Susan Poser is on the other side of the issue, saying that a casino at the Hub would be a terrible idea.

The decision on whether to allow a casino at the Hub site would fall to the Nassau County Legislature.