New York Islanders Will Submit Arena Bid at Belmont Park
Jun 8, 2016; Elmont, NY, USA; Workers prepare the track for practice in preparation for the 148th running of the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

The Village of Floral Park is hosting this event with local politicians and residents as plans will be submitted to redevelop the property at Belmont Park, a potential future home for the New York Islanders

The New York Islanders are looking to build a new arena. One site that could be a potential fit is holding an event regarding the site to build on. Monday night at the Elmont Public Library, a public forum is going to be held for a listening session with various politicians about potential plans to redevelop the land at Belmont Park.

As first reported by Newsday‘s Robert Brodsky last month, the Empire State Development Corporation is drafting a ‘Request for Proposal’ to redevelop Belmont Park. The town is encouraging people to share their opinions on this important issue by attending Saturday’s meeting.

According to the Village of Floral Park’s Official Website, oral testimony will be limited to three minutes and written testimony will be accepted at the offices through Tuesday, July 11.

Where do the Islanders come into play here? If NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has his way, the team will be the one granted development rights for the property to build a new arena for the team.

“Yes, there is an RFP (request for proposal) for Belmont and I know they are going to participate in that,” Bettman told Peter Botte of the New York Daily News. “I believe that everyone thinks there is a terrific opportunity there, if not at Willets Point (in Queens), to create a more hockey friendly environment for the Islanders, which is something Scott (Malkin) is committed to do.”

This is the first step in the process of figuring out where the Islanders will call home for the long haul. More hearings will certainly be held, and the Islanders still need to be selected as the eventual winner of the bidding to redevelop the land.

Aside from the team’s new owners showing a commitment to keeping the team on Long Island, the beginning of this process could factor into the team’s negotiations on a long-term extension for captain John Tavares, whose contract expires after next season.

The Islanders and Barclays Center face a January 2018 deadline to renegotiate the current 25-year lease that neither side seems excited about continuing before both sides can opt-out of the deal.

John Santamaria joins as a writer in March 2017. He is a graduate of New York Institute of Technology with an M.A. and B.F.A. in Communication Arts. John currently is a Technology teacher and prior to that was employed at MLB Advanced Media and CBS Sports Network. He also works as a Public Address Announcer for various colleges including his alma mater NYIT. John is a lifelong sports fan rooting for the Mets, Islanders, Jets, and Knicks.