Wednesday, December 11, 2013

NY Yankees Looking to Seize More Bronx Parkland To Build Major League Soccer Stadium


The proposed soccer stadium would be proposed in the top center portion of this overhead view of Yankee Stadium.
The proposed soccer stadium would be directly across the street from residential buildings in the top center portion of this overhead view of Yankee Stadium. (Photo: Kevin P. Coughlin /New York Daily News)

The proposed public park land deal - just south of Heritage Field, the site of the old Yankee Stadium - would also require City, State and Federal appovel including requiring State alienation approval in order to use the land for the non-park purposes.


The Parks Department owned garage on E. 153rd Street & River Avenue, the proposed site of a $ 350 million, 28,000 seat soccer stadium is located 80 feet away from residents.   (Photos: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) Click on images to enlarge. 

Bronx

By Geoffrey Croft

Step right up for the next Yankee Bloomberg public parkland giveaway.

The New York Yankees are hoping to squeeze one last gift out of the Bloomberg gravy train in the final days of the administration.

The deal would also test park policy from incoming Mayor Bill de Blasio almost immediately after taking office under the proposed new deal.

The team is currently negotiating a behind closed door deal that would secure the rights to build on a parking garage on 153rd Street and River Avenue owned by the Parks Department in order to build a new 28,000 seat Major League Soccer stadium.

The proposed site is directly across the street from residential buildings. 

The lucrative gift involves using $300 million in tax-free bonds that would allow the Yankees and a royal from the United Arab Emirates to tear down one of the bankrupt Yankee Stadium garages and build the soccer stadium according to the New York Daily News.  

The team would pay virtually no rent for 38 years as part of a 99 year lease.


The proposed soccer stadium site is located 80 feet away from residents.


The soccer team is eighty percent owned by billionaire Sheik Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and twenty percent owned by the Yankees. 

Mayor Bill de Blasio would then have within 30 days of his inauguration to decide whether to approve the deal for the new soccer franchise, the New York City Football Club.

On Wednesday Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio's camp said they had some concerns.



The Times reports that Bill de Blasio was not briefed on the deal until Wednesday and did not immediately embrace the proposal, in part, because the Bloomberg plan entails tax breaks, the sale or lease of public land and public financing.

“We have real concerns about investing scarce public resources and forgoing revenue to support the creation of an arena for a team co-owned by one of the world’s wealthiest individuals, and will review any plan with that in mind, ”   said Lis Smith, a de Blasio spokeswoman.

Approvals

The proposed land deal would also require City, State and Federal approval. 

The public park land would require State alienation approval in order to use the land for the non-park purposes.  

The Federal government would also have to sign off  because an exit ramp from the Maj. Deegan would be impacted.    

The previous disastrous land deal allowed the Yankees to seize 25.3 acres of  historic parkland in Macombs Dam Park and Mullaly Park to build a new Yankee Stadium. The community lost several acres of parkland in the controversial deal. 

The Bloomberg and City Council debacle also forced the tax-payers to shell out more than two hundred the sixty-five million dollars in associated costs to replace the park land alone.

The Yankees also received hundreds of millions of dollars in tax-free bonds and forced the building of new parking garages which are now going bankrupt.

The New York Yankees and Manchester City have a deal to tear down a bankrupt parking garage on E. 153rd St. to build a soccer stadium on the site. GAL Manufacturing, a producer of elevator equipment that employs more than 350 workers, would also need to be relocated for the deal to go through.
The New York Yankees and Manchester City have a deal to tear down a bankrupt parking garage on E. 153rd St. to build a soccer stadium on the site. GAL Manufacturing, a producer of elevator equipment that employs more than 350 workers, would also need to be relocated for the deal to go through.  (Photo: James Keivom/New York Daily News) 





















The 86-year-old GAL Manufacturing Corp.,  an elevator equipment company, is located directly across the street from the garage on 153rd street  The City would de-map 153rd Street and close off the Maj. Deegan exit ramp.  (Photo: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) Click on images to enlarge. 


More land Needed For Soccer Stadium 

The Yankees are negotiating a deal to buy out a nearby elevator equipment company, GAL Manufacturing Corp.  which operates a 100,000 Square foot manufacturing facility  at 50 East 153rd Street,   located across the street from the garage.

In order to qualify for the tax exempt bonds the Yankees would then give the land to the city.

One of the sticking points is the company is requiring they be relocated near by.  The tax payers could be further be on the hook if the city is needed to help acquire land. 

Earlier this year Major League Soccer had launched an aggressive campaign to try and build the stadium in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park but strong community opposition  in Queens killed that proposal.


Under the new proposal  Heritage Field would be sandwiched between two professional sports stadiums.  The City would de-map 153rd Sreet (above) and close off the Maj. Deegan exit ramp. 


Read More:

Deal for Bronx Soccer Stadium in Works as Clock Ticks
New York Times - December 11, 2013 - By Charles V Bagli 

New York Daily News - December  11, 2013 - By Juan Gonzalez


Capital NY - December 11, 2013 


1 comment:

  1. How absurd can these thieves get?

    The two most profitable sports franchises in the world and a clown prince from the United Arab Emirates are being offered free public resources?

    The people who did that bond deal should be in jail, starting with the Arroyo's who greased the way with the alienation legislation.

    The kingsbridge armory deal went down and it is $300 million in private funding doing it, the days of these giveaways to corporations like they tried with freshdirect and others are over!

    ReplyDelete