A neighbouring group has filed a lawsuit against the redevelopment of Belmont Park, the future home of the New York Islanders and a race track, in the hopes of stopping construction. The Village of Floral Park wants a judge to overturn any and all approvals of the project and to restart the environmental review process. The moves comes just ahead of a ceremonial groundbreaking expected at the site of the new Islanders arena later this month.
Floral Park has filed an "Article 78" against the municipality, claiming the public bidding process for the development rights at Belmont Park was flawed and tipped in favor of developer New York Arena Partners due to a "secret plan" conceived before the state issued a request for proposals. The suit also claims the state's final environmental review did not fully study the impact of the new Elmont Long Island Rail Road station that will be built on the site of the racetrack's north parking lo
If successful, the suit would halt construction of the $1.3 billion project and start the lengthy approval process all over again.
New York Arena Partners are approved to build a 19,000-seat arena for Islanders' games and concerts; 350,000 square feet of upscale shops and restaurants; a 250-room hotel and parking on 43-acres of vacant state-owned property at Belmont Park. The New York Islanders new arena is slated to open in time for the 2021-2022 NHL season.
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