Josh Harris Could Get New Jersey State Money For Newark Arena Upgrades

The 18-year-old building needs upgrades according to a New Jersey politician.

The National Hockey League’s New Jersey Devils franchise owner Josh Harris is looking for the stadium game hat trick in getting public dollars. Harris is building a new stadium for his National Football League Washington Commanders franchise in the nation’s capital. Harris is working with the owners of the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers franchise and will be building a new venue for his National Basketball Association’s 76ers franchise in south Philadelphia. Now Harris may be in a position to get New Jersey state funding to upgrade his Newark building, an arena that opened up in 2007.

A bill has been introduced in the New Jersey State Assembly by Democrat Eliana Pintor Marin of Essex, whose district includes most of Newark, would allocate up to $300 million in state subsidies for renovations at the Newark arena. “It’s at the point where it needs to have major renovations in order to not only make sure the only professional sports team that New Jersey has, which is the New Jersey Devils, can continue to play, but also so that they’re able to compete and bring in different spectators and bring in different shows,” Marin said. Harris’ lease with the Newark Housing Authority ends in 2038. Harris’ company runs the Newark arena. The Newark arena has an interesting history. The owners of the National Basketball Association’s New Jersey Nets wanted to move from the Meadowlands which is about eight miles away from Newark but could not get money from New Jersey politicians and ultimately the franchise moved to Brooklyn. Then Devils franchise owner Jeffrey Vanderbeek was able to work out a deal with Newark elected leaders to build a venue in the city. The Newark arena subsidies package will now be in front of the New Jersey state assembly as the arena game plays out.

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Newark Arena