To keep the process transparent for county residents and Nassau legislators, three hearings were held on the proposed HUB this month, more specifically, chosen bidder Lighthouse Development Group, LLC's vision to revamp the 77-acre Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum site into a first class sports and entertainment facility.

Because the Lighthouse Group controls the 73 acres surrounding the site, there are also plans for a retail corridor of sorts, to include a five-star hotel, shops, sports-related entertainment, a restaurant and more, housing (20 percent of which will be next generation) and a $55 million HUB bus-trolley system to serve the coliseum and immediate surrounding area, of which the Lighthouse Group would operate at its cost.

As the process moves closer to a lease agreement, the legislature's Planning, Development and Environment Committee, which conducted the hearings, wants to assure the proposed redevelopment is a financial benefit for residents and the county.

Islanders owner Charles Wang and real estate developer Scott Rechler, Lighthouse Development Group principals, came before the Planning, Development and Environment Committee Thursday, June 8. On Tuesday, June 13, Deputy County Executive Helena Williams spoke and fielded questions from committee members. Then on Friday, June 16, Nassau's Office of Legislative Budget Review, directed by Eric Naughton, provided financial background on the proposed plan's economic impact.

Upon execution of the 99-year lease, the Lighthouse Group will immediately begin paying the county a non-refundable $1.5 million annually plus a Consumer Price Index (CPI) adjustment - with a $1 buy back option at lease completion. Of the 77 acres of county-owned land, it is anticipated that approximately 27 acres will revert back to Nassau while the remaining 50 acres will not. The CPI is currently capped at 3.5 percent and cannot be less than 2.5 percent.

"The entire property is going to be leased but when you're not anticipating a reverter, that's a sale in my eyes. Maybe not the legal definition but the people of Nassau County, after the 99 years, will either have it or not," Legislator Edward Mangano (Legislative District 17) said. "As legislators, we have to be focused on the economics of it - this is the people's land and what are they getting out of the land."

He requested Paul Travis, a consultant the legislature's Office of Budget Review hired to analyze the deal, provide the value of the property residents are essentially trading for the multimillion upgrades.

With labor unions steadfastly supporting the proposed project because of the number of jobs it would create, Legislator Dave Mejias (Legislative District 14) thought serious consideration should be given to using Nassau County's Industrial Development Agency (IDA) for financing, as opposed to the Town of Hempstead's. "Can't we require that financing be done through Nassau County's IDA, which would require an apprenticeship program and prevailing wage, which would resolve the labor issue right off the bat?" he asked.

Deputy County Executive Williams wasn't sure mandating which IDA be used was in the county's realm of legal requirements but told Legislator Mejias that specific project labor agreements could be included in the lease.

Legislator Richard Nicolello (Legislative District 9) wanted projections on how much the Lighthouse Group would make on the project when all is said and done. Wouldn't it be important that the owners of this property know what the lessees will be making, he asked. "If they're going to be making $500 million a year and we're getting back $1.5 million, I have a problem with that. I think most people would," he said.

Legislator Nicolello was also uneasy about making the Town of Hempstead the lead agency. Most of the communities he represents lie within North Hempstead and he wants to ensure his constituents' voices are heard.

Although Legislator Vincent Muscarella (Legislative District 8) does not sit on the Planning, Development and Environment Committee, he still wanted his transportation concerns heard. "As part of this development, they have made it clear that they support a transportation system set up from the outlying mass transit systems - from the train stations moving people not only within the development but from outside the development into and out of," he said.

"That's going to affect our communities. That's going to affect the people that we represent ... They're talking about a Long Island Rail Road easement, a light rail system let's say from Mineola through Garden City to the HUB ... That's what we, as an elected legislature, are going to be concerned about, at least I'm going to be concerned about it. The vision they have looks like a wonderful development. However, that's going to affect people - the people that we represent."

Residents from several communities, including Garden City, Mineola and East Meadow, spoke before the committee and were clearly concerned about air quality, traffic and the overall impacts such a grand project would have on surrounding communities.

Presiding Officer Judy Jacobs (Legislative District 16), assured, "We will be looking at this just as if we were you. Whether we live exactly in East Meadow or exactly in Mineola, the background that I know most of us bring to this whole area, we'll make it our business to be very, very mindful of traffic, of pollution, of proper roadway being constructed if necessary and what the overall effects will be. I want to assure you this is not something that we take lightly. We understand it's one of the biggest projects to come along really I think in forever ... This has potential, if done correctly, of literally helping every single one of us, no matter where we live in Nassau County, economically. It's a very big burden, a welcome one, on every legislator..."

For more information on the proposed development, residents can visit www.nassaucountyny.gov and click on "Redevelopment of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum."

County Executive Tom Suozzi made it clear during negotiations with the Lighthouse Group - no baseball, no deal. The Lighthouse Group agreed to construct a new minor league baseball stadium adjacent to the Mitchel Field Athletic Complex, subject to its own Request For Proposal (RFP) and approval process. The developer is also willing to provide parking at market rate to whomever might win a bid for the baseball stadium at the Mitchel Field Athletic Complex, if that in fact ends up being the chosen location. The Lighthouse Group has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball Clubs.

Last August the county issued an RFP for the proposed coliseum redevelopment. An Evaluation Committee comprised of Deputy County Executive Williams, County Executive Counsel William Cunningham III and Executive Commissioner of Planning Patricia Bourne reviewed four proposals.

Williams reiterated that the goal of her office was to conduct a fair, open, competitive process transparent to the public and the legislature. "These hearings are important to that end," she said.

The Evaluation Committee recommended moving forward with the Lighthouse Group for several key reasons. Perhaps, most significant, certainty that the Islanders would continue to play hockey in Nassau for an additional 10 years, through 2025, with the possibility of further extensions beyond 2025.

With competition looming in Brooklyn and Newark, where construction of new sports facilities are in the works, Travis thought such a process crucial for an outdated coliseum in need of a major overhaul.

"There is an absolute need to do something about the Nassau Coliseum now," Travis said, noting, however, that it would be more beneficial for Nassau if a new facility were built. "Is the coliseum capable of being renovated to first-class caliber?" Travis asked. "Right now, that's not the case." He suggested the county hire a sports architect to scrutinize renovation plans and certify the coliseum will truly be "first-class," as promised it would be.