GRAND VISIONS: Two of the possibilities for a redesigned Nassau Coliseum. (
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Developer Bruce Ratner and Madison Square Garden officials yesterday pitched rival plans to renovate Nassau Coliseum that closely resemble Brooklyn’s Barclays Center and the major renovation of MSG.
“It would be what the Eiffel Tower is for Paris!” boasted Ratner about his plan for a $229 million complex to be designed by SHoP Architects, which planned his Barclays Center.
The Coliseum’s current anchor tenant, the NHL’s New York Islanders, will be moving to Barclays Center after the 2014-15 season.
MSG’s $250 million plan would use BBB Architects, which designed the Garden’s ongoing, $1 billion top-to-bottom makeover.
Both plans – which promise to bring more than 300 events a year and new development — are considered the front-runners among four submitted to redo the 41-year-old, 17,686-seat eyesore in Uniondale, LI.
Ratner’s group — which includes rap mogul Jay-Z — wants to downsize the arena to 13,000 seats. It would also build on site a 2,500-seat outdoor amphitheater, 50,000 square feet of retail space and a veterans’ memorial.
The group is also trying to cater to the Islanders’ dejected Long Island fan base by having the club continue to play four regular-season and two pre-season games a year in the revamped arena.
The Brooklyn Nets would also play a pre-season game there, and group says it would also bring a minor league hockey team and plenty of concerts – including performances by Jay-Z.
Barclays Center honchos dubbed their group “the Dream Team.” It also includes Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, concert promoter Live Nation, Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, and Legends — an entertainment and food-concession company owned by the New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys and headed by ex-MSG President Dave Checketts.
MSG’s proposal includes downsizing the arena to 14,500 seats – still large enough to attract A-list performers like Justin Timberlake and Elton John, Garden officials said.
It would also include an on-site development called “Long Island Live” — five acres with 150,000 square feet of high-end restaurants featuring celebrity chefs like Jean Georges, retail shops, sports bars and a public plaza for free shows and events.
“We’ve put together a quality team … plus this is what we do! We operate seven venues, and we’ve restored and revitalized each and every one, “said MSG President Hank Ratner, who is not related to Bruce.
MSG promised to bring pro sports to the arena, including games by the New York Liberty, the New York Rangers’ minor-league affiliates and the New York Knicks’ D-League team.
“We know we can create a quality sports and entertainment experience, which includes the return of pro sports,” said Hank Ratner, adding that MSG’s plan would create “a destination that provides people — particularly young people — a reason to come to Long Island and stay in Long Island.“ Syosset developer Ed Blumenfeld proposed razing the Coliseum and building a new 9,000- to 12,000-seat arena with an adjacent convention center at a cost of $200 million. He said the arena would feature minor league hockey.
Bayville developer Bernard Shereck, CEO of New York Sports & Entertainment, pitched a $60 million to $80 million plan to downsize the arena to 8,000 to 10,000 seats. He said he’d also bring minor league hockey to the venue.
Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano formed a 17-member business advisory council that hosted yesterday’s meeting in Mineola. County officials want to choose a winner by June.
Nassau voters in August 2011 rejected a plan to use county money to redevelop the site.