This story was reported by Jim Baumbach, Robert Brodsky and Candice Ferrette. It was written by Baumbach.
A trove of Long Island residents, politicians and business leaders expressed both strong support and opposition to the Islanders’ $1.3 billion Belmont arena project Monday as the state agency moved the proposal into the final approval stages.
People ranging from Belmont-area homeowners and elected officials to lifelong Islanders fans took turns addressing a table of Empire State Development board members before they voted to adopt a new report detailing its impact on the community.
The three hours of commentary from 50 people occurred at an otherwise standard meeting of the state agency coordinating the project.