Lighthouse Group Picked To Renovate Nassau Coliseum Area

Nassau County Selects Lighthouse Group To Renovate Coliseum Area

Nassau County (NY) officials have chosen the Lighthouse Group, led by Islanders co-Owner Charles Wang and Reckson Associates, to “revive the area surrounding the Nassau Coliseum,” according to Paul Vitello of the N.Y. TIMES. The $1.5B proposal by the Lighthouse Group was one of four bids considered for the project, including one submitted by the Mets Development Co., after the Nassau County Legislature “insisted that [County Exec Thomas Suozzi] seek competing proposals.” Wang’s group “seems to have held the inside track all along because he alone could guarantee that a sports franchise” would occupy the arena. The Lighthouse Group proposal includes a minor league ballpark and a trolley “that would connect the stadium to the coliseum and to a mixture of residential and commercial buildings.” The plan also includes $200M in improvements to the arena. The Nassau County Legislature must still approve the plan. Mets Development Co. COO Jeff Wilpon and Blumenfeld Development Group Principal David Blumenfeld said in a joint statement, “We believe that a new state-of-the-art arena, a new minor league ballpark with a Mets-affiliated team, a significant commitment to a mass transit connection and the better economic return to the county contained in our plan was compelling” (N.Y. TIMES, 3/16). Wilpon: “The one thing we didn’t have was control of the Islanders” (NEWSDAY, 3/16).

OBSTACLES STILL REMAIN: Nassau County officials said that a “new request for proposals will be needed to determine whether other ballpark operators could offer a better deal than” Atlantic League CEO & Long Island Ducks Owner Frank Boulton, who is part of the Lighthouse Group. Reckson CEO Scott Rechler said that he “doubts anyone else could put a stadium on the Mitchel Park site -– because his company controls the surrounding parking.” County officials added that the New York state Legislature “may need to approve any deal for a private ballpark, since Mitchel Park is dedicated parkland” (NEWSDAY, 3/16).