Nassau County Executive Seeks $225M For Biotech Park at Coliseum Site
UNIONDALE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Vacant land surrounding the renovated Nassau Coliseum would become a multiacre biotech park, under a plan by County Executive Ed Mangano.
Mangano said the project would be an economic engine that would attract new green business and bring jobs, WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs reported.
The county executive told Newsday he hopes to convince the state to provide the $225 million needed to build it, money he says is available for transformative projects.
Nassau County Executive Seeks $225M For Biotech Park at Coliseum Site
"This unlocks the Hub's potential," Mangano told Newsday.
Nassau's Democrats like what they're hearing, Xirinaches reported.
"It sounds like it's going in a direction that we can support," said Kevan Abrahams, the county Legislature's Democratic leader. "Adding a restructure, adding a rapid transit system -- those are the kinds of things we want to see this county go in the direction in."
In May, the Hempstead Town Board and Town Supervisor Kate Murray approved a plan to renovate the coliseum and redevelop the property surrounding it.
A group headed by developer Bruce Ratner will renovate the aging arena and build a movie theater, restaurants, stores, recreation and office space on the 91-acre site.
The coliseum site was in need of revitalization after its main tenant, the Islanders, left for Brooklyn's Barclays Center.
