The Belmont Park Redevelopment Project will now include a fulltime Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) train station for the Elmont community, according to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The fulltime station, a first in almost 50 years, is set to generate almost $50 million in new public revenue per year and $725 million in annual economic output, according to an analysis of the project’s economic impact.
The Belmont Park Redevelopment Project already includes a new arena for the Islanders, a hotel and retail village. The train station project will now provide a convenient and affordable way for New Yorkers to enjoy the updated area, and is expected to help with traffic congestion and ease pressure at the Belmont spur station during major events.
"The Belmont project will help drive the region's economy forward while building the Islanders a state-of-the-art facility at home on Long Island, creating thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in economic output along the way," said Gov. Cuomo. "Now with the addition of the first fulltime LIRR train station in almost 50 years, we will provide millions of visitors and fans a fast and affordable way to get there and continue New York's nation-leading investments in 21st century transportation infrastructure."
The Empire State Development Board is scheduled to receive the project’s final environmental impact statement the week of July 8 before the project can start the final public approval process. To gain community feedback on the project, the Empire State Development Board so far has held 11 public meetings, 20 briefings with elected officials and the Community Advisory Committee, and 27 site tours and smaller meetings. Because of the community feedback, the board has changed the project by reducing the height of the hotel by 100 feet, reducing the size of the retail space by 85,000 square feet, relocating a planned PSEG substation away from a local school, adding the LIRR station, and committing to renovate local Elmont parks.
Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Howard Zemsky said, "This new train station is proof we listened to the community's feedback and took action. Providing a direct ride to Belmont Park, the Islanders' arena, the hotel and the retail village will drive even more New Yorkers and visitors to spend time on Long Island, boosting the regional economy with hundreds of millions of dollars."
The LIRR station specifics
Located between Queens Village and Bellerose stations on LIRR’s Main Line, the new station will be just east of Cross Island Parkway. There are also plans of having electric shuttle buses run from parking lots at Belmont Park to the arena site, giving riders access to the arena, hotel and retail village.
Unlike the LIRR spur, the new station will have direct service to Belmont Park from east and west. Long Island commuters coming from the east will now have a one-seat public transit ride instead of having to backtrack to the spur. This is expected to reduce travel times and increase the number of event attendees using public transit instead of driving.
LIRR President Phillip Eng said, "We are delighted by this plan, which allows us to provide full time year-round service to the Elmont community and a second station at the redeveloped Belmont Park, all at no construction cost to the LIRR. This new station will allow us to provide direct service to Belmont from Long Island as well as from New York City with trains traveling on our Main Line, which is being expanded to a third track for greater service reliability and flexibility. I thank Governor Cuomo, Empire State Development, and New York Arena Partners for their vision and commitment to public transportation."
For the fulltime schedule, the station is planning on having services run every half hour during peak times and hourly during off-peak times. The 2,860-space lot north of the Belmont racetrack will be for commuters and arena patrons.
There are also still plans on completing upgrades to the existing LIRR Belmont spur, which were previously agreed upon. This upgrade includes the installation of automated track switches and will allow trains leaving the spur after an event to serve both east and west stations of Belmont. Updating the existing station and building the new station will cost $105 million, with the arena developers covering $97 million, or 92 percent of the total cost, and New York covering the remaining $8 million.
Economic breakdown
According to an analysis of the redevelopment project executed by BJH Advisors, about 10,000 construction jobs and 3,200 permanent jobs are expected, generating almost $50 million in new public revenue annually. This also includes an estimated $725 million in annual economic activity, generating about $133 million in annual employee earnings.
"The Belmont Redevelopment project, buoyed by a new full-time LIRR station, is expected to have a significant economic impact and projected to generate nearly $50 million in annual public revenue,” said New York Lieutenant Governor Kath Hochul. “This station will enhance quality of life for New Yorkers and revitalize the community, strengthening the overall economy of Long Island."
One-time economic benefits related to the construction of the new arena, hotel, retail village and LIRR station include:
· $2 billion in total economic output from construction;
· 6,900 direct construction jobs paying an average salary of $78,000 and 3,100 spillover construction jobs; and
· $707 million in total earnings from construction employment.
Annual economic and fiscal benefits starting in 2024 related to the operation of the arena, hotel and retail village include:
· $725 million total annual economic output;
· 750 direct and indirect arena-related jobs and 2,450 direct and indirect jobs connected to the hotel, office, community space and retail village;
· $133 million in annual direct and indirect employee earnings;
· $44 million in new tax revenue to Nassau County, the state of New York, the town of Hempstead and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority; and
· A total of $272 million in PILOT payments over the next 49 years, including:
o $154 million to the Elmont and Sewanhaka School Districts;
o $103 million to Nassau County; and
o $15 million to the Elmont Fire District.
Overall, for every $1.00 in private money invested, another $1.40 of economic activity will be generated. To view the full analysis, click here.
Megan Perrero | Editor in Chief
Megan Perrero is a national award-winning B2B journalist and lover of all things transit. Currently, she is the Editor in Chief of Mass Transit magazine, where she develops and leads a multi-channel editorial strategy while reporting on the North American public transit industry.
Prior to her position with Mass Transit, Perrero was the senior communications and external relations specialist for the Shared-Use Mobility Center, where she was responsible for helping develop internal/external communications, plan the National Shared Mobility Summit and manage brand strategy and marketing campaigns.
Perrero serves as the board secretary for Latinos In Transit and is a member of the American Public Transportation Association Marketing and Communications Committee. She holds a bachelor’s degree in multimedia journalism with a concentration in magazine writing and a minor in public relations from Columbia College Chicago.
