UPDATE 3/31- NEWSDAY - Coliseum gets $6M for renovation to host Isles

[Boris Zubov]

All I know is my one and only trip to Nassau to watch the Islanders-Penguins was awesome! The sightlines were amazing, the low ceiling made you feel cozy, I absolutely loved that old barn. Compared to the old Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, well there is no comparison. Mellon had all the old, smelly things you'd find at an old arena sans any of the charm that Nassau had.

Maybe it's because it reminded me of when I used to go to the old Montreal Forum, or maybe it's because that is how hockey arenas are supposed to look/feel.

I hope they go back.

Completely agree. NVMC really was a great place for hockey with perfect sight lines. Such an intimate setting. Even seats in the upper level felt like they were right on top of the ice.

I enjoyed everything about going to NYR-NYI games there back in the day... other than the fact the Rangers could never win in that building.

 

[Steve55]

http://www.qchron.com/editions/quee...cle_91b30fc5-d51e-575b-b505-5e3018f99780.html

'Posted: Thursday, September 21, 2017 10:30 am
by Ryan Brady, Associate Editor

“The doors have to be wide open with CB 7,” board First Vice Chairman Chuck Apelian said Monday to the Economic Development Corp. and a lawyer for the Queens Development Group.

Apelian and others on the board met on Monday with the development corporation and the QDG, a joint venture between Sterling Equities and the Related Companies, for a quarterly update meeting about Willets Point...

The state’s highest court struck down the proposed Willets West mega-mall in June, deeming it illegal because it would be built on the neighboring Citi Field parking lot, which is technically parkland. Opponents of the plan had maintained that parkland can only be alienated by the state Legislature...

Ethan Goodman, the attorney for the QDG who spoke on its behalf before CB 7, spoke similarly about the future of the project.
“We can’t execute the plans originally envisioned, so we have to work with the city to come up with a new plan,” he explained.'

 

[Steve55]

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/27/sports/soccer/nycfc-stadium-belmont.html?_r=0

By ANDREW DAS

SEPT. 27, 2017

The Empire State Development Corporation, which controls the Belmont site, had issued a request for proposals from developers interested in the Long Island property, and it set a deadline of Thursday at 2 p.m. for submissions. The Islanders are also expected to submit a proposal to build an arena on the site.

N.Y.C.F.C., which plays in Major League Soccer, confirmed it would submit a proposal in partnership with the developer, the Related Companies...

N.Y.C.F.C., which currently plays home games at Yankee Stadium, and Related expressed interest earlier this year in an Empire State Development Corporation site at the Harlem River Yards, a 12.8-acre parcel on the Harlem River in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx...

And the team is investigating at least two sites in Willets Point, Queens...

A fifth potential site, a nine-acre parcel near Yankee Stadium that once seemed the team’s most promising option, could also be back in play. That site, between the Major Deegan Expressway and East 153rd Street,..'

 

[aqib]

Why is Nassau in such a rush? I would think this site would be the county's best option if they were making a bid for the Amazon headquarters.

 

[Steve55]

https://www.newsday.com/sports/hock...bmit-bid-for-arena-at-belmont-park-1.14293712

'Updated September 28, 2017 6:11 PM
By Jim Baumbach and Robert Brodsky [email protected], [email protected]

The Islanders said Thursday they have “submitted a comprehensive proposal to create a world-class sports and entertainment destination at Belmont Park.”...

New York City FC, a soccer club partially owned by the New York Yankees, is proposing a roughly 26,000-seat soccer-specific stadium, according to a source familiar with the team’s plans.

Syosset-based Blumenfeld Development Group also submitted a proposal although company officials declined to discuss their bid...

Belmont is not NYCFC’s preferred location for an arena, according to a second source. NYCFC has expressed interest in two Bronx locations — Harlem River Yards in South Bronx and another location near Yankee Stadium — and in Flushing...

ESD has given no timeline for its decision and it could be months before the state picks a winning bidder...'

 

[Steve55]

https://www.newsday.com/beta/sports...krf-to-work-with-belmont-developer-1.14335410

'By Jim Baumbach [email protected] jimbaumbachOctober 2, 2017 6:39 PM (EDT)

Empire State Development, the state’s primary business development agency, received board approval last month to enter into a two-year contract with Manhattan-based firm AKRF to provide environmental review support to the Belmont winning developer...

AKRF will receive up to $2 million for its work, paid for by the developer, according to ESD.
Last week the Islanders and New York City FC submitted proposals to build new arenas on the 36-acre Belmont property...

ESD has declined to state a time frame for its decision, but one is not expected to come for months...'

 

[Steve55]

http://jewishvoiceny.com/index.php?...o-build-new-sports-arena&catid=112&Itemid=792

'
Written by Ilana Siyance
Created: October 03, 2017

Belmont Park may be fated to become one of the last all-new sports arenas for decades. As such, two of the richest teams in New York are going for it head to head. The New York Islanders and New York City Football Club each want to build on the site of Belmont racetrack and have submitted proposals, as reported by Bloomberg News...

The Islanders have reportedly looked into several possible stadiums, including building by Mets’ Citi Field in Queens. The Islanders said they submitted a proposal “to create a world-class sports and entertainment destination at Belmont Park.” The proposal is partnered with Oak View Group, whose investors include the illustrious James Dolan’s Madison Square Garden Co., which owns the Knicks, the Rangers and their namesake arena...'

 

[Steve55]

Perhaps Isles are willing to fight NYCFC tooth and nail for Citi Field Willets Point area; even if it means fighting opponents like Tony Avella and Co

 

[Mightygoose]

Not too familiar with Willet's Point though it's been discussed for years even before the Barclays deal was made.

My understanding there's still lots of hurdles to clear that needs state approval

So with no timeline of a Belmont decision or if one will be made at all, I wouldn't shake a hand with NYCFC on this exchange.

 

[Lame Lambert]

Nothing will happen at Willets for decades

 

[Steve55]

http://www.empireofsoccer.com/nycfc-talking-willets-point-stadium-but-hurdles-remain-65883/

'By Christian Araos on 10/06/2017@Christian_Araos

New York City FC remain in discussions with Queens Borough President Melinda Katz and city officials about building a stadium at Willets Point, Katz told Empire of Soccer on Wednesday.

NYCFC confirmed a report in The New York Times report that it was viewing two sites in the Willets Point area as potential locations for a stadium, and Katz did as well. At the moment, Katz said, the overall plans for re-developing the area are uncertain after a State Appellate Court determined that a part of the area west of Citi Field was parkland and could not be built upon without approval from the state legislature.

“The City has not determined how they want to move forward,” Katz said. “We’re in discussions with the developers and they’re also in discussions with legal teams as to what can be done there. It’s 23 acres that the City now owns outright and I have made it very clear that my first priority would be a soccer stadium there and affordable housing.”..

“You keep assuming it’s NYCFC, which is nice,” she said, “but at the end of the day, I want to see a soccer stadium there. That can be a small one, it can be a larger one. I just think we just need to answer constituents’ calling to have soccer represented in a larger fashion in Queens.”'

 

[Lame Lambert]

http://m.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2017/10/09/People-and-Pop-Culture/Plugged-In.aspx

Yormark on the Islanders’ business struggles at Barclays Center: "The economics just don’t work. It’s a Long Island team trying to create a fan base in Brooklyn, and to date it has been met with very modest success and not at the numbers we have hoped."

 

[NYI365]

http://m.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2017/10/09/People-and-Pop-Culture/Plugged-In.aspx

Yormark on the Islanders’ business struggles at Barclays Center: "The economics just don’t work. It’s A HOCKEY team trying to create a fan base in a BASKETBALL ARENA, and to date it has been met with very modest success and not at the numbers we have hoped."

Fixed the quote on Yormark's behalf

 

[Bood12]

I want to know what happens if they are going to build this arena in Belmont, and after a few years it is looking like the fans are not showing up and you are of course not getting the money that Barclays is getting in the advertisements and the suites, what is going to happen? are they going to move at that point? I can't imagine building a 800 Million dollar arena and than just abandoning it, but if it is not profitable, and is looking like it is not going to be, what happens? and that is my prediction, I do not see how the Islanders are going to be a success in Belmont, I am thinking it is a worse scenario than Nassau Coliseum and Brooklyn, if they are not going to be profitable in Brooklyn I do not see how they are going to be profitable anywhere in New York.

and for Yormark to basically sound like he wants to be rid of of the Islanders in that quote, that is not a good thing, I really thought Brooklyn was the Islanders future, the fans had 45 years to make Long Island their home, outside of the really good years the fans did not show up, Long Island is not a major sports market and Belmont is a arguably a worse location than Nassau Coliseum was.

 

[GordonGecko]

Belmont is a arguably a worse location than Nassau Coliseum was.

There's not even an argument, Belmont is on a more remote bottleneck highway that's even further from the fanbase than NMVC. But when people don't show up it becomes a question of the Islander lease terms. If they are contractually required to pay X over 20 years, they will not be able to get out of that without some serious pain, maybe even wiping out most of their equity

 

[gbislander]

There's not even an argument, Belmont is on a more remote bottleneck highway that's even further from the fanbase than NMVC. But when people don't show up it becomes a question of the Islander lease terms. If they are contractually required to pay X over 20 years, they will not be able to get out of that without some serious pain, maybe even wiping out most of their equity

I'm sorry, what? Belmont and the NVMC are less than 10 miles away from each other. You're telling me fans from Eastern Nassau/Western Suffolk won't drive an extra 25 min or so to Belmont? Please, that's ridiculous. Driving to Belmont is 10x better for those fans than driving to Brooklyn. When there is traffic on the highways, you can always use Hempstead Tpke, Jericho Tpke, Stewart Ave and some back roads to get there as well. Also, the Islanders are part of the group that is bidding for Belmont, so whatever the lease agreement is it will probably be catered to the them. The owners of the team might also be part owners of the building, but nobody knows the details. It's too early to tell.

 

[Fenway]

Islanders’ ‘Singular Focus’ Is New Arena at Belmont Park

Jon Ledecky, a co-owner of the Islanders, made his strongest statements yet that the team intends to leave Barclays Center in Brooklyn and hopes to build an arena near Belmont Park racetrack, for which New York State recently accepted proposals to redevelop.

“We have the singular focus of playing at Belmont Park,” Ledecky said Tuesday at a news media gathering in Midtown Manhattan. “Everything else about going here, there and everywhere else is absolute noise to us at this point.”

 

[Melrose Munch]

I want to know what happens if they are going to build this arena in Belmont, and after a few years it is looking like the fans are not showing up and you are of course not getting the money that Barclays is getting in the advertisements and the suites, what is going to happen? are they going to move at that point? I can't imagine building a 800 Million dollar arena and than just abandoning it, but if it is not profitable, and is looking like it is not going to be, what happens? and that is my prediction, I do not see how the Islanders are going to be a success in Belmont, I am thinking it is a worse scenario than Nassau Coliseum and Brooklyn, if they are not going to be profitable in Brooklyn I do not see how they are going to be profitable anywhere in New York.

and for Yormark to basically sound like he wants to be rid of of the Islanders in that quote, that is not a good thing, I really thought Brooklyn was the Islanders future, the fans had 45 years to make Long Island their home, outside of the really good years the fans did not show up, Long Island is not a major sports market and Belmont is a arguably a worse location than Nassau Coliseum was.

There's not even an argument, Belmont is on a more remote bottleneck highway that's even further from the fanbase than NMVC. But when people don't show up it becomes a question of the Islander lease terms. If they are contractually required to pay X over 20 years, they will not be able to get out of that without some serious pain, maybe even wiping out most of their equity

Agreed. This is so pointless. This is 1960's thinking as well. The islanders need to make it work in NYC. What if they lose money in Belmont? What happens when the TV contract ends? Who's the say Seattle, Quebec and Houston won't have their own expansion teams?

I'm sorry, what? Belmont and the NVMC are less than 10 miles away from each other. You're telling me fans from Eastern Nassau/Western Suffolk won't drive an extra 25 min or so to Belmont? Please, that's ridiculous. Driving to Belmont is 10x better for those fans than driving to Brooklyn. When there is traffic on the highways, you can always use Hempstead Tpke, Jericho Tpke, Stewart Ave and some back roads to get there as well. Also, the Islanders are part of the group that is bidding for Belmont, so whatever the lease agreement is it will probably be catered to the them. The owners of the team might also be part owners of the building, but nobody knows the details. It's too early to tell.

The entire point was the make the islanders a city team. if you were driving to brooklyn, you were doing it wrong.

 

[Steve55]

Islanders’ ‘Singular Focus’ Is New Arena at Belmont Park

Jon Ledecky, a co-owner of the Islanders, made his strongest statements yet that the team intends to leave Barclays Center in Brooklyn and hopes to build an arena near Belmont Park racetrack, for which New York State recently accepted proposals to redevelop.

“We have the singular focus of playing at Belmont Park,” Ledecky said Tuesday at a news media gathering in Midtown Manhattan. “Everything else about going here, there and everywhere else is absolute noise to us at this point.”

I think that Isles feel the regulatory approval process for a rink in NYC will take longer than the NYS approval process

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/posts/135843463/ (post 220)

'a co-worker of my sister is supposedly pretty tied into the Islanders' ownership and she (my sister) told me that there is a lot of work being on a Willets Point arena proposal behind the scenes (both from a financing point of view and from a regulatory approval point of view) and that Oak View is involved in a similar way as they are in the Belmont proposal.'

Sep 18, 2017

 

[Fenway]

I have to admit I was 100% wrong about Brooklyn and when I first saw a game there 2 years ago I knew it was a horrible mistake.

The key to Belmont is LIRR service which would then make the arena accessible to the city and LI.

 

[Bood12]

I'm sorry, what? Belmont and the NVMC are less than 10 miles away from each other. You're telling me fans from Eastern Nassau/Western Suffolk won't drive an extra 25 min or so to Belmont? Please, that's ridiculous. Driving to Belmont is 10x better for those fans than driving to Brooklyn. When there is traffic on the highways, you can always use Hempstead Tpke, Jericho Tpke, Stewart Ave and some back roads to get there as well. Also, the Islanders are part of the group that is bidding for Belmont, so whatever the lease agreement is it will probably be catered to the them. The owners of the team might also be part owners of the building, but nobody knows the details. It's too early to tell.

yes there are definitely fans who are not going to make the extra 25 minutes or so drive to Belmont, alot of them I might add, Nassau Coliseum was the Islanders home and it was a familiar place to alot of fans, Belmont is practically Siberia to alot of Long Islanders, and yes driving to Belmont is definitely easier than driving to Brooklyn, however you are losing those millions of people who could potentially hop on a Subway and be at Barclays in under 30 minutes.

 

[MJF]

yes there are definitely fans who are not going to make the extra 25 minutes or so drive to Belmont, alot of them I might add, Nassau Coliseum was the Islanders home and it was a familiar place to alot of fans, Belmont is practically Siberia to alot of Long Islanders, and yes driving to Belmont is definitely easier than driving to Brooklyn, however you are losing those millions of people who could potentially hop on a Subway and be at Barclays in under 30 minutes.

And getting back the Suffolk County fan who became disenfranchised by the move to Brooklyn.

 

[Melrose Munch]

And getting back the Suffolk County fan who became disenfranchised by the move to Brooklyn.

you can't grow the fanbase that way. long island is losing people.

 

[MJF]

you can't grow the fanbase that way. long island is losing people.

Nassau County is losing people. Suffolk's population is growing.

 

[Melrose Munch]

Nassau County is losing people. Suffolk's population is growing.

So why do you want to do back there then? And what guarantess the Islanders will be better off at this place in 2025 when they had attendance problems last time in the burbs?