from Jim Baumbach of Newsday,

The Islanders’ proposal to build a new arena at Belmont Park was selected as the winning bid, according to people familiar with the situation.

A news conference is scheduled for Wednesday morning at the racetrack in which Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is expected to be on hand.

The Islanders’ bid includes an 18,000-seat, year-round arena that would host 150 events annually as well as 435,000-square feet of space for retail, a hotel with 200 to 250 rooms and a 10,000-square foot “innovation center” that would be developed with resident input.

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