Las Vegas Sands' casino plan for Nassau finds hope, skepticism in communities of color

When Verlin Laine and Su Chen consider Las Vegas Sands' $4 billion proposal for a casino and resort at the Nassau Coliseum site, they see an opportunity to grow the information technology business they started in Valley Stream during the pandemic. 

“It's a win-win,” said Laine, co-owner of TeamLogic IT and whose business would be interested in subcontracting work for the project. "This is right up our alley. Maybe they would hire us and then we'd hire more engineers." 

Uniondale resident Pearl Jacobs, however, is among the most vocal members of the grassroots "Say No to the Casino" group. She sees an enormous development that could reduce property values, increase traffic and bring social ills to the place she's lived for more than 30 years.

"We are opposed to this project for many reasons — social and environmental — for our county," Jacobs said.

More than six months after Sands officials set their sights on the 72-acre, county-owned Coliseum property in Uniondale, known as the Nassau Hub, communities of color surrounding the project show signs of division over whether a casino would help or hurt.

Business owners and startups anticipating opportunities from which they’ve been historically excluded are at odds with longtime residents concerned about the impact of a casino on their quality of life.

While the project is in its early stages, and dependent on winning one of three highly competitive state gaming licenses, the Nassau County Legislature's transfer of the Coliseum lease to Sands has advanced it further than most proposals for the downstate region. 

Opportunities vs. concerns

Sands' proposed resort is expected to include a casino with traditional Vegas-style table games, a luxury hotel, conference center, ballrooms, celebrity-chef restaurants, retail, community space, fitness club and high-end spa.

The project would bring between 5,000 and 8,500 jobs in more than 150 categories, according to Sands officials. There is a requirement that at least 30% go to members of economically underrepresented groups, according to the state Gaming Facility Location Board's request for proposals released in January.

Any casino license application to the state is strengthened by exceeding that percentage and demonstrating diversity in its business model, financing and employment, according to the request for proposal. A Sands spokesperson said they're on track to meet or exceed the requirements.

“We believe opportunity will level the playing field. More than anything on Long Island, minorities have not gotten the contracts, both government and private,” said Phil Andrews, president of the Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce, which represents 400 businesses, including restaurants, contractors and retailers. “Even if businesses are not ready for Sands today, we know it will be there and there might be something for them in the future.”

Opponents, including the nearby Nostrand Gardens Civic Association and the Village of Garden City, are skeptical of the company's promises. They say resort jobs won’t pay wages that would sustain the cost of living in Nassau, where the median household income is $125,696, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data.

Sands executives have said entry-level jobs would pay $70,000 annually. All wages will be based on union agreements, a spokesperson said.

Opponents say the roadways surrounding the project don't support the additional cars, trucks and buses expected to shuttle people to the 24/7 resort. There are few public transit options to the site. 

Additionally, there are concerns about light pollution and water usage.

"Uniondale, Roosevelt, Hempstead, Westbury — we have been identified as communities that are disproportionately affected by climate change and air pollution," said Jacobs, president of the Nostrand Gardens Civic Association. "We have environmental issues. Just the traffic here on Hempstead Turnpike, it's terrible."

"We do not want the casino, period," said Uniondale resident Marie Reimers, who worries the commute to her job in Brooklyn will get longer and the value of her house will drop. "I moved here so my son could have a better life. What is going on? We have invested here, too."

A Sands spokesperson said a major traffic study is underway and a plan for tackling the issues will be developed. Company officials have said they would create a new road through the Coliseum property and pursue LEED certification to minimize the environmental impact. An environmental review would be required.

In casting the only vote against the lease transfer, Legis. Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D-Glen Cove) said she could not vote for a casino for many of the same "quality-of-life" issues opponents have raised. She said she also wanted to see a project at the site that would bring jobs in technology or health care. 

"I would love for my kids to stay here, but to work in a casino — that's not what my dream is for them," DeRiggi-Whitton said. 

Building support

Though Sands has not yet applied for a state gaming license, the company has succeeded in wooing some entrepreneurs who say they believe the proposal is a once-in-a-generation investment. 

Sands officials expect to spend between $300 million and $500 million every year on services or goods from outside sources.

"For a lot of us this is the first opportunity to build a new generation of wealth," said Dan Lloyd, 37, president and founder of Minority Millennials, a youth development organization that helps young people of color secure jobs and become civically engaged. "We don’t have two to three generations of construction or food and beverage contracts." 

Lloyd's organization is one of several assisting Sands in reaching out to young entrepreneurs of color to build a pipeline to pre-apprenticeships and procurement opportunities. More than 300 entrepreneurs and small business owners attended a "procurement academy" in April at Nassau Community College, and 470 attended a second session at Suffolk County Community College last Wednesday.   

They learned about the process to get certified by the state as minority-owned businesses to apply for vendor opportunities in food and beverage, design and construction, technology and professional services such as marketing, labor and transportation.

Andre Perry, senior fellow at Brookings Institution, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit public policy organization, said it is not uncommon for communities of color to "not always [be] aligned in their goals" when it comes to large projects like Sands' proposal.

He said there's no guarantee the more lucrative contracts will go to minority-owned businesses. Meeting the state's 30% requirement isn't enough when talking about the number of businesses that might bid on work, Perry said. Sands needs to make an upfront commitment that shows a satisfactory percentage of their procurement budget is spent on contracts with minority-owned businesses, he said. 

"With every major opportunity there's a chance to do right, but the burden is on Sands to make some guarantees to the community," said Perry, who speaks on structural inequities and authored “Know Your Price: Valuing Black Lives and Property in America’s Black Cities.” 

"There's been decades and decades of hope, but at some point you need to cut the check. This is not about hope anymore, this is about striking a deal up front," Perry added.   

Sands officials did not directly respond to his comments but said they also are partnering with Long Island's African American Chamber of Commerce and Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to "ensure we achieve our intended goals."

Tracey Edwards, founder of Strategic Pathways, a Commack-based consulting firm hired to help create Sands' workforce development and diversity plan, said the minority business community was contacted early and has been helping write the plan.

"So, right now we can ensure that these small business owners that are out there understand what the requirements are, what type of opportunities for supplier diversity there will be, so that they can get into the pipeline now and understand what the [Sands procurement] process is," Edwards said. 

By Candice Ferrette

candice.ferrette@newsday.comcandiceferrette

Candice Ferrette covers Nassau County government and politics on Long Island. She has been a reporter at Newsday since 2011.