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
4 SCHNEPS MEDIA | DEC.10, 2021
the life of the developer’s lease,”
Long Island Association CEO
Matthew Cohen said.
Local business groups view
the opening on New York stateowned
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 medicalgrade
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-squarefoot
Islanders locker and team
training facility.
While some worry that the
UBS Arena could compete
with the Isles’ longtime home,
Courtesy of UBS Arena
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 Awardwinner
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.