I support the Greater Uniondale Area Action Coalition in insisting that Nassau Events Center, led by Forest City Ratner Companies (FCRC), do the right thing for Long Island by entering into a substantive Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) with GUAAC and other public and private stakeholders as part of its redevelopment of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum and the Coliseum Plaza. I call upon the Town of Hempstead Board not to grant zoning approval for the site plan until Mr. Ratner keeps his promise to enter into a CBA for the project.

Greater Uniondale Area Action Coalition—Building a Better Community

FCRC has entered into CBAs with other projects, including Barclay Center, If CBAs are good enough for Brooklyn and other communities, why aren’t they good enough for Long Island?  

When the Nassau County Legislature was voting on the Coliseum lease, Mr. Ratner publicly testified that he would enter into a Community Benefits Agreement. Now that the lease has been approved, he has reversed course. When asked about the change of heart, a representative said that it is “a business decision” and refused to elaborate. If he can’t be trusted to follow through on his promises to the County, how can be trusted by the Town of Hempstead?

An outside developer is coming in and taking away our hard-earned dollars, competing with our locally owned businesses, imposing extra burdens on the host community (e.g., pollution, traffic, parking, noise), and refusing to take advantage of our last, best opportunity to attract a major industry with living wage jobs to Long Island by providing innovation spaces on excess parking lots. The least that they can do is to put together some offsets to benefit the host community; offsets such as supporting affordable, next generation housing, local minority owned small business incubator, and a community center that will ultimately benefit the developer’s bottom line by increasing the social, economic, and cultural vitality of the surrounding area.

So do the right thing by Long Island Mr. Ratner and we will do right by you!