The New York Islanders in Talks on New Arena

By Keiko Morris and Eliot Brown 

The New York Islanders are in talks with the owner of the New York Mets to build a new arena next door to the Citi Field baseball stadium in Queens, according to a person familiar with the discussions.

The hockey franchise has been speaking with Mets owner Sterling Equities and Related Cos. over the past few months, this person said. Sterling Equities and Related together control a 23-acre parcel in Willets Point, Queens.

The plans are early, and it is unclear if the Islanders, who now play at Barclays Center in downtown Brooklyn, are also looking at other sites to build an arena. The Islanders declined to comment.

Bloomberg News earlier reported Thursday that the Islanders were talking to the Mets' owner about building an arena.

News that the Islanders are considering a Queens move came about a week after the team's co-owner Jon Ledecky declared the Brooklyn arena as the franchise's home.

Mr. Ledecky "last week told the media, and later fans at a town hall, that 'Barclays is our home,'" said Barry Baum, a spokesman for Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, which oversees business operations and marketing for Barclays Center. "If there's any other questions, call Islanders ownership."

The hockey team, which was previously playing at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, just completed its first season at Barclays Center.

The Islanders and Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment have an escape clause allowing both sides to end the agreement to play at Barclays Center after the fourth season there.

--Alex Raskin contributed to this article.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 21, 2016 21:01 ET (01:01 GMT)

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