Village of Garden City sues Nassau County, Las Vegas Sands over push to build casino at Coliseum

The Village of Garden City has filed suit to prevent Nassau County from leasing its 72-acre Coliseum site to Las Vegas Sands, arguing that recent approvals by lawmakers and regulators violated the State Constitution and the county's own administrative code.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in Nassau State Supreme Court, names several defendants including the county, the Legislature, and Las Vegas Sands, which seeks to build a $6 billion casino resort on the Uniondale property.

The suit contends that a 42-year lease between Nassau and Sands, approved by county lawmakers that provides Sands control over the Coliseum property, should be declared void because officials failed to conduct a proper environmental review that considers the full impact of the casino development.

"The Legislature did not take a 'hard look' at the potential environmental impacts of the 42-year lease, in violation of [State Environmental Quality Review Act]," the lawsuit states. "The 42-year lease has the potential to result in several significant adverse environmental impacts." 

Attorneys for the village, which did not respond to a request for comment, also said the Planning Commission acted "arbitrarily, capriciously and in violation" of Nassau's Administrative Code by claiming the lease was consistent with the county's Master Plan, a long-term development blueprint.

The Village's board of trustees voted 5-4 last month — with Mayor Mary Carter Flanagan casting the deciding vote — to spend $150,000 on legal fees to move forward with the lawsuit. 

A Sands spokesman declined to comment. Representatives for County Executive Bruce Blakeman and the GOP-controlled County Legislature did not respond to requests for comment.

State Supreme Court Judge Sarika Kapoor ruled last year, in a lawsuit brought by Hofstra University, a casino opponent, that Nassau violated the state's Open Meetings Law and SEQRA. The decision voided an initial lease agreement between the county and Sands.

In October, the State Appellate Division reversed the lower court ruling and returned the legal battle back to Nassau Supreme Court.

After restarting planning and legislature meetings and public comment following Kapoor's ruling, Sands was granted a lease that allows it to operate the Coliseum.

The company is currently in the middle of an environmental review needed to gain county and Hempstead Town approvals to develop the property. An environmental review hearing is scheduled for Monday in Mineola.

Say No to the Casino, a community group which opposes Sands' plan, applauded the lawsuit.

"After Hofstra University successfully sued on grounds that the county mishandled the first attempt to issue Las Vegas Sands a lease for the Nassau Hub, the county yet again showed blatant disregard for federal, state, and even their own county laws in their second attempt to push the lease through," the group said in a statement.

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.