Time is running short for Nassau County officials to have a new arena in place for the New York Islanders, National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman implored last week.
Voters on Aug. 1 rejected a $400 million bond proposal to replace the aging Veterans Memorial Coliseum and build a minor league baseball park.
“The team needs a new building and there has to be concrete plans on the horizon that’s going to get it done, otherwise we’re going to have a problem,” Bettman said on the New York radio station WFAN.
The Islanders’ lease with the county expires in 2015.
In its latest try, the Long Island county has submitted a plan to New York’s Empire State Development Corp. that calls for a new arena and a bioscience research and development park in the Hub, the area around the existing coliseum in Uniondale.
Nassau’s proposal also calls for building around the Belmont Park horse racing track in Elmont, with options including a soccer stadium and homeland security research facilities.
Under a state program, top projects in each of 10 regions compete for $200 million in funds.
