New York Islanders co-owner Jon Ledecky said there is no backup plan in regards to the Belmont Park arena proposal. He says that he and his partners are “ready to go and all in.”
Newsday’s Jim Baumbach interviewed the co-owner and Ledecky feels strongly the Islanders are going to be awarded the Belmont site by Empire State Development, although there is no timeline to when that might happen despite the fact that proposals were submitted on Sept. 28 of this year. Despite that, Ledecky won’t even consider options if they don’t get awarded the Belmont site.
“We have no Plan B,” Ledecky said, “and we haven’t even thought about one.”
The team also has to work out a deal to opt-out of their 25-year lease with the Barclays Center, their current home since 2015. Without knowing the state of their Belmont proposal, they have until Jan. 1, 2018, to negotiate a modification of their deal and must officially opt out before Jan. 31, 2018. Ledecky remains confident that the team will get the Belmont bid and doesn’t see it affecting the team interest in negotiating a deal to leave Barclays Center.
“I don’t think that’s in our thinking,” Ledecky said. “Instead of dealing in the hypothetical, we wake up every day optimistic that the state agency will reach a decision on a timely basis.”
Ledecky said the Islanders are ready to proceed the moment they are awarded the site, saying the Wilpon family’s Sterling Project Development will build their arena and Madison Square Garden-backed Oak View Group will operate it.
“We are in position to proceed immediately,” Ledecky said. “if the ESD makes the decision to give us the opportunity to do so . . . We are ready and poised and focused, hoping for good news.”
The team is well known, however, for having issues with their arena plans and the question is, will this be any different? The success of the team locking up their star player, John Tavares, to a long-term deal might just hinge on this deal.
“The past is the past, and we’re all about the future,” Ledecky said. “And we think we have something that really will galvanize the community in a very positive way. It will galvanize the fanbase and we think it’s a tremendous opportunity for the Long Island area to have a world-class, really state-of-the-art arena.”
Joke Franchise
not at all they already know without an arena thet cant stay in ny
and Paul Allen and seattle are both willing to buy the franchise
thats todays NHL
and Politicians are corrupt unfortunately Nassau would rather lose the franchise than to lose their graft and Payola