Bass Pro Shops is circling Hicksville for its first Long Island superstore, eyeing the former Sears property for a 130,000-square-foot Outdoor World that would come with roughly 200 jobs and about $8 million in annual payroll. The catch: the deal leans heavily on Nassau County tax breaks, including mortgage and sales tax exemptions plus a 20-year payment in lieu of taxes, or PILOT. The proposal has landed at the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency for review, setting up the usual tug-of-war over whether public incentives should help land a big-box retailer.
Documents filed with the IDA show Bass Pro intends to lease a 9.8-acre site at 195 North Broadway, the former Sears Auto Center, and build the 130,000-square-foot store at an estimated cost of $65 million, according to Long Island Business News. The application lists requests for mortgage and sales tax exemptions and a 20-year PILOT, and the filing reflects the same job and payroll projections that the company is using to sell the project.
Where they'd build it
The planned Outdoor World would sit across from the Broadway Mall and just down the road from IKEA, putting Bass Pro in the middle of Hicksville's busiest retail corridor, Greater Long Island reports. IDA board members gave the project a preliminary green light at their May 28 meeting, which allows staff to start a formal economic analysis of the requested incentives.
What the county would give up
If approved, the incentive package would let Bass Pro keep sales tax normally charged on eligible construction purchases and avoid mortgage recording fees. It could also allow a deviation from standard property taxes so the company and the county can lock in a negotiated PILOT instead of full freight, according to Long Island Business News. The parcel is owned by Bethpage-based Steel Equities, which bought major pieces of the former Sears site and has been repositioning sections of the property as part of a broader redevelopment push.
Next steps
The Nassau County IDA posts project documents and agendas publicly, and the Bass Pro application will stay under staff review until a final board vote determines whether any tax benefits actually happen, according to the projects page at Nassau County IDA. If the agency signs off on the incentives, the company would still need town approvals and building permits, so even with a tax deal in hand, construction would remain at least several months out.
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