Senators: Listen To Community For Belmont Development

Change is most definitely coming to Belmont Park. But what that is -- whether it's an arena for the Islanders or something else entirely -- has yet to be decided. On Thursday, three New York Senators have signed a letter outlining what they would like to see at the property before they would be willing to support development there.

Democrats Todd Kaminsky (9th SD) and Leroy Comrie (14th SD), as well as Republican Elaine Phillips (7th SD) jointly signed the letter that was sent to Howard Zemsky, the commissioner of the Empire State Development Corporation, which is overseeing the development at Belmont. The letter outlined what those senators, who all represent the area around Belmont, would like to see happen at the stie for their constituents.

Last week, it was revealed that the Islanders were very likely to submit a proposal to build a new arena on the site, which is adjacent to the Belmont Racetrack. However, that is not the only option on the table: supermarkets and other community-oriented projects have been proposed in the past.

"At this early stage of the process, it is imperative that both the state and all potential bidders understand that our support for any project will depend upon whether, and to what extent, developers welcome and act upon

community input," the senators wrote. "The greater Belmont area is comprised of middle-class families who care deeply about their communities, have well-developed ideas as to what will improve them, and do not wish to be dictated to. We will take seriously those developers and theft projects that take community input seriously."

The senators went on to outline some of the things that the community would like to see at the site, saying that the suggestions came after meeting with civic leaders in the area. They included:

• A full-time LIRR station at Belmont Park.
• Good-paying jobs that will attract young people who will hopefully want to live in the area.
• Facilities that can be used by the entire community.
• A plan that will mitigate the increased traffic that will come to roads in the area due to any development on the site.

"We fully understand the enormous economic potential of this project and that it is a shame that previous attempts to develop the site have failed," wrote the senators. "It is time we move forward. However, let us all proceed with an open door to community input."

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