Thursday, October 1, 2026
Community leaders are growing frustrated at the lack of progress by Empire State Development in fulfilling its plans to build a community center in Elmont, nearly six years after the signing of a 2019 agreement with New York Arena Partners that promised residents a “community space.”
NYAP — the partnership of the New York Islanders; the Oak View Group, a professional sports and commercial real estate company; and Sterling Project Development that developed and built UBS Arena — received a six-month extension on the project last November from ESD, the state department tasked with overseeing the development, after facing a $5 million penalty for not completing the project by that month’s deadline.
Since the extension expired, Emily Mijatovic, Empire State Development’s downstate communications director, explained, the department has given NYAP month-to-month extensions to ensure continued progress on the project.
According to members of the Belmont Community Advisory Committee — whose board comprises residents of Elmont, Floral Park and Queens appointed by state senators representing districts impacted by the development, as well as state senators and assemblymembers — ESD has not met with them since last July, or provided a written update since December.
Mijatovic did not offer any details on the status of the development, but she claimed that the organization was actively exploring locations in Elmont that meet the project’s requirements: a 10,000-square-foot building, sufficient access to public transportation, and proximity to other community uses.
“An update will be provided once key details are finalized,” Mijatovic wrote in an email to the Herald. “ESD remains committed to transparency throughout the community center development process.”
Advisory committee members, on the other hand, say this has been a long, drawn-out process. Sandra Smith, a committee member since ESD formed it in 2019, said she understood that ESD and New York Arena Partners are making their best attempt to build the community center, but both parties should be offering regular updates so residents know why it’s taking so long.
“It’s now becoming more frustrating,” Smith said. “No matter where things are at, if they haven’t found a location — may as well say it at this point, right? It’s still going to cause the same uproar if you wait to say it two months from now.”
Smith noted that many locations were proposed for the center, including the southern portion of the Belmont Park Village property; the sump on Dutch Broadway, near Elmont Memorial High School; and an office building at 570 Elmont Road. She even toured the Nassau County PAL New Hyde Park Unit building with representatives from ESD in 2019 to observe and explore the possibility of a multi-level center.
But, she added, ESD told the committee about Elmont’s fluctuating water table, saying it was one of the reasons why the department has been unable to find a suitable location with a firm foundation on which to build.
Smith said that many people in the community were unaware of the efforts the committee and ESD have made up to this point. “I know that it’s not for lack of them trying to find a place,” she said. “But the community at large has not participated in this from Day One, so I can understand their frustration. As far as they can see, nothing’s being done.”
On July 24, two days after Smith contacted Sen. Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick’s office, Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick released a statement demanding immediate action from Empire State Development, in the form of a full status update, along with a consistent meeting schedule going forward.
“It is unacceptable that residents are being left in the dark about the future of their promised community center,” Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick stated. “The project was supposed to deliver real, tangible benefits to the families who live here. The people of Elmont deserve better.”
According to Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages, a longtime advocate of the community center who has maintained communications with ESD, there have been no recent updates because the team is still searching for a location and an operator for the center, and disclosing those details could interfere with any potential deal.
“We don’t want to lose the possibility of a property,” Solages said. “The price could increase, or someone else can come in with a higher bid.”
Solages assured residents that her office is engaged in weekly talks with ESD.
Mimi Pierre-Johnson, a community advocate and the founder of the Elmont Cultural Center, said there is a great need for a community center in Elmont, and that she has been advocating for one since 2009.
“If we had a community center, so many of these kids from elementary school would have a place to go to,” Pierre-Johnson said. “I think in all this fight and confusion, people have forgotten that part.”
What’s missing from the movement, she claimed, is direct contribution from Elmont residents. She said she worried that the advisory committee does not represent the community at large, adding that she hoped ESD, NYAP and elected officials would work together, alongside residents, to push the project forward.
“You cannot have a community center and not have all the people in the community participate,” Pierre-Johnson said.
Solages, who agreed that more community members should be involved in the planning process, also urged elected leaders to work together and dedicate funds to the project, and to actively participate in negotiations.
“I hope that they can get involved,” Solages said. “We want to see it get done.”
