The Lighthouse Project and Barclays Center By the mid-2000s, Nassau Coliseum was the fourth-oldest facility in the NHL, behind the twice-renovated
Madison Square Garden in
Manhattan (which remains in use today), the
Pittsburgh Civic Arena (built in 1961 and
replaced in 2010), and
Northlands Coliseum in
Edmonton (built in 1974,
replaced in 2016). It was also the smallest arena in the league, until the
Atlanta Thrashers moved to the smaller
Canada Life Centre in
Winnipeg and became the new
Winnipeg Jets. Various attempts had been made to pursue a renovation or replacement of the aging facility, including the
Lighthouse Project—a 2004 proposal to renovate the Coliseum and build a larger sport, entertainment, and residential district around it (including a minor-league ballpark and a 60-story
high-rise from which the proposal derived its name). While
Nassau County approved a version of the Lighthouse Project, the town of
Hempstead never granted a change in zoning that was required for its construction, and the project was reported to have been cancelled. In May 2010,
Jeff Wilpon, then COO of
Major League Baseball's
New York Mets, had discussions with then-Islanders owner
Charles Wang about constructing a new arena for the Islanders in the
Willets Point neighborhood of
Queens, adjacent to the Mets' ballpark,
Citi Field. Wilpon also discussed the possibility of buying the Islanders. In June 2010,
FanHouse reported that Wilpon and his father, then-Mets owner
Fred Wilpon, had begun working with real estate firm
Jones Lang LaSalle (who also worked on the renovation of
Madison Square Garden) on a feasibility study of a new Islanders arena in Queens. However, a source from
Newsday indicated that the
FanHouse report was not true. There were also reports that businessman
Nelson Peltz wanted to buy the Islanders and move them to
Barclays Center in Brooklyn. On July 12, 2010, Hempstead
supervisor Kate Murray announced an "alternate zone" created for the Coliseum property, downsizing the original Lighthouse Project to half its proposed size and making the project, according to then-Nassau County Executive
Ed Mangano and the developers, "economically unviable for both the developer and owner of the site". From that point, the Lighthouse Project would no longer be pursued by Wang, Mangano and the developers. In August 2011, Nassau County voters voted against a referendum that would have granted a $400 million
public bond to construct a $350 million arena and $50 million minor league ballpark. The plan was presented by Wang as a last-ditch effort to keep the Islanders in Nassau County. In October 2012, the Islanders announced that they would re-locate to
Barclays Center in
Brooklyn once their lease of the Coliseum expired after the
2014–15 season. Meanwhile, a group led by
Bruce Ratner (who had developed Barclays Center) secured an $89 million bid to renovate the Coliseum, aiming to host a minor hockey team as its main tenant, and have six Islanders games played there per season. As Barclays Center was designed primarily as a basketball arena, its hockey configuration was criticized by fans for having seats with obstructed views, while its ice quality was criticized as substandard by players.
Arena deal, construction In December 2017, New York Arena Partners—a joint venture between the Islanders,
Oak View Group, and
Sterling Equities, won a bid to construct a new, 18,000-seat arena and mixed-use district at Belmont Park, beating a competing proposal by
New York City FC for a new soccer stadium. The new arena was projected to be completed in time for the
2021–22 NHL season. In the meantime, the Islanders began to gradually play more home games at the Coliseum in the
2018–19 season. On September 23, 2019, the groundbreaking for the arena was held. It was attended by New York state governor
Andrew Cuomo, NHL commissioner
Gary Bettman, and officials, alumni, and current players from the Islanders. In February 2020, it was announced that beginning with the
2020 playoffs, the Islanders would temporarily return to the Coliseum for all home games before moving to the Belmont Park arena for the 2021–22 season. Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in New York, all non-essential construction projects in the state of New York were ordered to suspend operations beginning March 27, 2020. Construction was allowed to resume on May 27, 2020; team officials expected construction to finish in time for the Islanders to begin to play in October 2021, despite the two-month pause. In July 2020,
UBS was announced as the naming rights sponsor of the new arena under a 20-year deal, naming the facility UBS Arena.
Opening The Islanders were to begin playing home games at UBS Arena for the
2021–22 season. To allow additional time for construction to complete, the Islanders' preseason home games were played at
Webster Bank Arena in
Bridgeport, Connecticut, home of their
American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the
Bridgeport Islanders. The team then played 13 consecutive road games to start the regular season. UBS Arena formally opened on November 19, 2021, with a private fundraising event featuring rock band
Chicago. ==Social and economic footprint of construction==