4 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • JANUARY 2022
WELCOMING UBS ARENA
Businesses hope to score boon from UBS Arena debut
BY CLAUDE SOLNIK
You didn’t have to be
at the recent grand
opening of the UBS
Arena in Elmont to know it
was a big deal. The Empire
State Building, Pier 17 at
The Seaport and the Nassau
County seat of government’s
dome were all lit in Islanders
and Nassau County blue and
orange on Nov. 20. Key players
— not on the Islanders,
in this case — in the project
were slated to ring the
morning bell at the New York
Stock Exchange a little more
than a week later.
The opening of the UBS
Arena, which held a ribbon
cutting ceremony on
Nov. 19 a day before the
Islanders’ first game there,
is part of a celebration where
the venue itself is the star.
The arena built at Belmont
Park on the border of Queens
and Nassau is a major development
in terms of entertainment
and could have a big
economic impact.
“The new UBS arena keeps
the Islanders here, contributes
to Long Island’s sports
economy and will have
a multiplier impact of billions
of dollars over the life
of the developer’s lease,”
Long Island Association CEO
Matthew Cohen said.
Local business groups view
the opening on New York
state-owned land as a win for
the community, bringing in
new businesses and benefiting
those in the area.
“This development will
bring a steady stream of revenue
locally and statewide,”
said Julie Marchesella, president
of the Elmont Chamber
of Commerce. “The Islanders
as well as arena partners
in the construction process
have already been using several
delis, restaurants, printers
and other business services
to effect a change in the
economic circumstances of
our community.”
The new home of fourtime
consecutive Stanley
Cup Champion New York
Islanders was developed as
a partnership between Oak
View Group, the New York
Islanders and Jeff Wilpon.
Construction went on despite
the pandemic, building facilities
including medical-grade
air filtration and ultraviolet
light systems to help with
cleaning.
Tim Leiweke, CEO of Oak
View Group and leader of
the arena project, talked
about the project’s “promise
of helping reinvigorate the
New York economy,” among
other benefits.
Organizations are hoping
to harness the arena
as a marketing engine as
well. Northwell Health CEO
Michael Dowling announced
a sponsorship agreement
with the Islanders and UBS
Arena, saying his system is
“proud to align ourselves
with New York’s newest premier
sports and entertainment
venue.”
The arena, in a region where
the division between Nassau
and New York City goes
beyond an area code, builds
a new, big bridge between
Nassau and the Big Apple.
The structure is in Nassau, a
slapshot away from Queens,
but with sections of the parking
lot in Queens.
“You really don’t even know
whether you’re in Queens
or in Nassau,” Queens
Chamber of Commerce CEO
Thomas Grech said. “There’s
no demarcation literally
between Nassau and Queens.
In that area, it’s fungible.”
Marchesella said the arena
realizes a vision the community
first outlined years ago
for a sports/entertainment
venue.
“Elmont’s vision plan,
written almost 15 years
ago, is now coming to fruition,”
she said. “This was
the vision for Elmont. Other
things were added, like a
hotel and stores. From a
regional approach, it had to
be economically viable.”
The $1.5 billion arena and
surrounding redevelopment,
according to developers,
is expected to generate $25
billion in economic activity,
including infrastructure
improvements such as
the revamp of the nearby
Elmont-UBS Arena Station.
The development is slated to
include 315,000 square feet
of retail and a 250-room boutique
hotel along with the
23,000-square-foot Islanders
locker and team training
facility.
While some worry that
the UBS Arena could compete
with the Isles’ longtime
Courtesy of UBS Arena
home, Nassau Veterans
Memorial Coliseum in
Uniondale, developers bill
the venue as a boon in a
region big enough for both.
Organizers say the arena,
able to fit up to 19,000 for
concerts and 17,250 for NHL
hockey games, is slated to
host more than 150 major
events annually.
“Before and after games
and events and concerts,
we want folks to come and
stay, eat, drink and be merry
in Queens,” Grech said.
“There’s a lot of restaurants
right on the outskirts of the
parking lot and the arena.”
The Islanders debuted in
their new home Nov. 20; that
was followed by Grammy
Award-winner Harry Styles’s
performance on Nov. 28 and
WWE Monday Night RAW
on Nov. 29.
But some Hockey fans hoping
to see the Islanders play
a game at UBS may have
to watch them on TV. As of
press time, suites were gone,
and there were very few single
game tickets left.
“Selling out season tickets
is a true testament to this
loyal fanbase,” Leiweke said.
/LONGISLANDPRESS.COM