Under a new proposal, a new arena would be constructed on Long Island and potentially host an ECHL team and other events.
More details are expected to be released on Wednesday at a Medford Taxpayers and Civic Association meeting, but businessman Bernard Shereck has discussed some information about his proposed arena. Estimated at a cost $120 million, the 300,000-square-foot, 7,500-seat venue would be constructed at the site of a former move theater in Medford. Shereck wants a professional hockey team in the ECHL to play games in the arena, which would also be designed to host events like concerts, college hockey, and more.
The proposal is being billed as a way to bring more affordable entertainment options to Long Island. However, it faces some questions at this point, including potential property acquisition issues, as a Brooklyn-based auto dealer is looking move forward with its own plan for the site. More from Newsday:
Shereck faces several hurdles in his pursuit of the Medford property, which has been vacant since the Brookhaven multiplex closed there about 15 years ago.
The land is owned by Suffolk County Regional Off-Track Betting Corp., which plans to sell the parcel for about $12 million to Plaza Auto Mall. Auto mall officials have requested a zone change from Brookhaven Town to store up to 5,000 used cars at the site. The plan has faced opposition from Medford residents.
Shereck said he has not spoken to OTB officials. Suffolk OTB president Phil Nolan said he has “not been contacted by anybody about an ice skating rink or anything like that.”
Bill Germano, a Holbrook attorney representing the auto mall, said the arena plan is “really not relevant to our client because we’re in contract with OTB for the parcel.”
This is not the first discussion in recent years of bringing minor league hockey to Long Island. It was at one point expected that an AHL team would occupy the Nassau Coliseum once it reopened after renovations were completed, but those plans have not come to fruition and the New York Islanders will play home games at the Coliseum on a limited basis in the coming years while awaiting the completion of a new arena at Belmont Park.
