The latest proposals to redevelop Nassau Coliseum "haven't yet met any significant political opposition," unlike previous efforts, according to Paul LaRocco of NEWSDAY. All of the projects "would be privately financed," unlike a failed '11 county referendum to authorize up to $400M in borrowing for a new arena. With the Islanders set to move to Barclays Center in '15 and the "local economy still struggling, there's a new urgency among public officials who want to avoid having 77 empty acres in the heart of Nassau County." Officials said that the new proposals also "lack the density and impact on traffic and schools that could have resulted" from Islanders Owner Charles Wang's $3.8B, 8.8-million-square-foot Lighthouse plan. Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray said, "First and foremost, the Lighthouse project was too big. It didn't fit with roadway infrastructure, and other systems wouldn't have been able to support it." Murray added that the new proposals "fit zoning for the area that the town created after the Lighthouse failed." RXR Realty Chair & CEO Scott Rechler, now a co-developer with MSG on its proposal, said that the loss of the Islanders has "removed the need for dense development to fund an arena with a pro team" (NEWSDAY, 6/30).
