State asks for updated Belmont bids

A satellite view of Belmont Park. The state has declined to comment on the status of parcel A, north of Hempstead Turnpike and east of the Cross Island Parkway

Empire State Development

The Empire State Development agency has asked developers for updated proposals for vacant land in Belmont Park. This comes after nearly three years of inactivity, during which the state was reviewing submitted requests for proposals from developers.

The most elaborate proposal belonged to the New York Cosmos. The professional soccer team is hoping to build a 25,000-seat stadium, along with restaurants and retail space, on the Belmont site. Having initially submitted a bid for the privately funded, $400 million project in late 2012, team representatives said they are now adjusting their proposal to fit new guidelines set by ESD.

“We are still evaluating the correspondence from the state and look forward to presenting our updated plan,” said Cosmos spokesman Loren Riegelhaupt.

In 2012, when the state asked developers for proposals, there were two available parcels in the park. Parcel A is a lot north of Hempstead Tpke. that has approximately 700 parking spaces. Parcel B, which has close to 21,000 spaces, is south of the turnpike, adjacent to the Cross Island Parkway.

According to an article in Newsday on Nov. 24, the New York Racing Association, which oversees horseracing at Belmont and other locations throughout the state, is developing a plan for parcel A, and as a result, Empire State Development is no longer accepting bids that include development of that parcel.

NYRA declined to comment, directing all inquiries to the ESD press office. Asked about the status of parcel A, Jason Conwall, director of public affairs for ESD, released a statement:

“ESD recently requested updated information on respondents’ proposals in order to assist with making our determination on the matter. We continue to review and consider all responses.”

As previously reported in the Herald, the Cosmos will begin looking for new locations for a stadium in 2016 if Empire State Development does not make a decision by the end of the year. Team officials would not say whether the recent correspondence with the state would alter their timetable.