New York State Senator Anna M. Kaplan (D-North Hills) and Assemblywoman Michaelle C. Solages (D-Elmont) held a ribbon cutting event at Elmont Road Park in Elmont, NY to celebrate the completion of the $3 million renovation project, and to announce that the park is open for residents in the community to enjoy.
Senator Anna M. Kaplan said “I was adamant that our community get significant benefits as part of the UBS Arena construction, and I’m grateful that New York Arena Partners and the New York Islanders delivered on their promise to invest in our community. It’s been a long road to get here, but I’m so thrilled that today the Elmont community has an all new park to enjoy with their families just in time for summer. I want to thank all the community members whose input guided this process, and I encourage everyone to come down, bring the family, and check out all the great new amenities right here in the neighborhood!”
“For decades the Elmont Road Park has been in a state of disarray, but now, thanks to the advocacy of Elmont residents, we have a renovated and refreshed park just in time for families to enjoy in the summer,” stated Assemblywoman Michaelle C. Solages. “I am delighted to announce the opening of the park. Since the beginning of the Belmont redevelopment effort, I have been committed to ensuring that Elmont receives tangible community benefits as a result of the project. Through community partnerships, we will ensure that all of the items promised by the developer are fully realized.”
As part of the development of the UBS Arena in Belmont Park, the developers of the project, New York Arena Partners (a joint venture of the New York Islanders, Oak View Group, and Sterling Project Development), agreed to a comprehensive community benefits package that was developed in partnership with Senator Kaplan and Assemblymember Solages. Empire State Development, the State agency responsible for overseeing the project, took an active role in managing the park redevelopment and ensuring that goals and targets set by the community were met by the developers.
As part of the community benefits agreement, a community-lead visioning process commenced, and ultimately decided upon significant renovations to Elmont Road Park, which had been neglected by the Town of Hempstead for decades and fallen into a state of significant disrepair. The newly opened park features a brand new multi-use sports field, renovated basketball and handball courts, a perimeter walking path, a new adult fitness area, new playgrounds and water play area, renovated seating areas, improved lighting and security features, and improved ADA accessibility.
There are still remaining community benefit projects associated with the UBS Arena development, and those projects are ongoing.
