UNIONDALE, NY-The job of redeveloping the Nassau Coliseum and 77 acres surrounding the 41-year-old arena will fall to Forest City Ratner Cos., which last year lured the coliseum's Islanders hockey franchise to Brooklyn beginning in 2015. Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano made the announcement at a press conference Thursday morning.

This past December, FCRC was selected as development advisor on the overhaul of the arena, and recently was said to be head-to-head with Madison Square Garden Co. in the competition to redevelop the complex. “I really wish we could have picked both teams,” Mangano said Thursday, who added that the final decision boiled down to the amount of revenue the lease agreement would generate for the county.

FCRC's proposal, subject to approval by the county legislature, calls for a $229-million redevelopment including renovations to the 13,000-seat arena, a 2,000-seat indoor theater, an outdoor amphitheater, restaurants and retails, an ice-skating rink and a multiscreen movie theater. The developer of the Barclays Center arena in Brooklyn has signed a 34-year lease, with a 15-year renewal option. Similar to the Barclays Center project, part of FCRC's Atlantic Yards mixed-use complex, the coliseum reboot will be designed by SHoP Architects.

Published reports say the FCRC plan will bring 300 events per year to the coliseum. Among those will be six home games per season by the Islanders; a mix of concerts and family-oriented shows will fill out the calendar.

Instant Insights /

Ratner Gets Nod for Nassau Arena Reboot

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