The New York Islanders in Talks on New Arena
July 21 2016 - 9:16PM
Dow Jones News
By Keiko Morris and Eliot Brown
The New York Islanders are in talks with the owner of the New
York Mets to build a new arena next door to the Citi Field baseball
stadium in Queens, according to a person familiar with the
discussions.
The hockey franchise has been speaking with Mets owner Sterling
Equities and Related Cos. over the past few months, this person
said. Sterling Equities and Related together control a 23-acre
parcel in Willets Point, Queens.
The plans are early, and it is unclear if the Islanders, who now
play at Barclays Center in downtown Brooklyn, are also looking at
other sites to build an arena. The Islanders declined to
comment.
Bloomberg News earlier reported Thursday that the Islanders were
talking to the Mets' owner about building an arena.
News that the Islanders are considering a Queens move came about
a week after the team's co-owner Jon Ledecky declared the Brooklyn
arena as the franchise's home.
Mr. Ledecky "last week told the media, and later fans at a town
hall, that 'Barclays is our home,'" said Barry Baum, a spokesman
for Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, which oversees business
operations and marketing for Barclays Center. "If there's any other
questions, call Islanders ownership."
The hockey team, which was previously playing at the Nassau
Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, just completed its first
season at Barclays Center.
The Islanders and Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment have an
escape clause allowing both sides to end the agreement to play at
Barclays Center after the fourth season there.
--Alex Raskin contributed to this article.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
July 21, 2016 21:01 ET (01:01 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Barclays (LSE:BARC)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2024 to May 2024
Barclays (LSE:BARC)
Historical Stock Chart
From May 2023 to May 2024