New York City FC Stadium
Rendering of the stadium from May 2023
New York City FC Stadium is located in New York City
New York City FC Stadium
New York City FC Stadium
Location within New York City
New York City FC Stadium is located in New York
New York City FC Stadium
New York City FC Stadium
New York City FC Stadium (New York)
New York City FC Stadium is located in the United States
New York City FC Stadium
New York City FC Stadium
New York City FC Stadium (the United States)
LocationWillets Point, Queens, New York City
Coordinates40°45′29″N 73°50′36″W / 40.75806°N 73.84333°W / 40.75806; -73.84333
Public transit Long Island Rail Road (LIRR):
  Port Washington Branch
 at Mets–Willets Point
New York City Subway: "7" train"7" express train​ trains at Mets–Willets Point
Bus interchange New York City Bus: Q19, Q48, Q66
TypeSoccer-specific stadium
Capacity25,000
Construction
Construction cost$780 million
ArchitectHOK[1]
General contractorTurner Construction Company[1]
Tenants
New York City FC (MLS) (planned)
Website
www.nycfc.com/stadium

The New York City FC Stadium is a proposed soccer-specific stadium to be built in Willets Point in the New York City borough of Queens for New York City FC of Major League Soccer, who currently play home games at Yankee Stadium and Citi Field. The stadium is scheduled to be completed in 2027.

History

Previous proposal sites

Prior to an expansion team being awarded to private ownership in 2011, Major League Soccer (MLS) considered building a stadium in the borough of Manhattan on Pier 40 at the west end of Houston Street adjacent to Hudson River Park. The plan was scrapped due to local opposition.[2][3]

In 2012, before the club's founding was announced in May 2013, MLS presented initial plans to build a soccer stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in the borough of Queens.[4] In 2013, Major League Soccer was in negotiations to build a stadium in Flushing Meadows for a future team. The stadium would be located on the site of the Pool of Industry/Fountain of the Planets from the 1964 New York World's Fair.[5] The plan received opposition from community advocacy groups, for converting public park space for a private enterprise, and leasing 13 acres (5.3 ha) of public land for $1 a year for 35 years.[6] Any deal that uses public park land would require a land swap and the creation of a replacement public park. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who expressed support for the Flushing Meadows site proposed converting the nearby site of the decommissioned Flushing Airport, but that plan too has encountered criticism, as it would not require the club to purchase any land, and would replace a park in a low-income neighborhood with one in a more affluent neighborhood and not accessible by public transit.[6] The New York Mets, the crosstown rivals of New York City FC's minority owner, the New York Yankees, have also expressed their opposition to a new stadium at Flushing Meadows, as the site is within sight of Citi Field, the Mets' home field. The Mets responded with an apparent demand for up to $40 million in compensation for the use of their parking facilities at soccer games should the new stadium be built.[7] The league announced that the club would "continue to review other potential sites".[8]

After the Queens proposal was scrapped, there was a proposal to build the stadium in the borough of the Bronx adjacent to Yankee Stadium.[9] The club plans to play at Yankee Stadium for an unspecified number of years.[10] On August 29, 2013, plans for a proposed nine-acre complex near Yankee Stadium, between the Major Deegan Expressway and East 153rd Street, were leaked. Randy Levine, the president of the Yankees, confirmed these reports, but stated that any plans were far from final.[11] In December 2013, the team and Mayor Bloomberg's administration were close to an agreement over a $350 million stadium near Yankee Stadium. Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio, who replaced Bloomberg in January 2014, expressed opposition to the deal, as it involved tax breaks, public financing and a sale or lease of public land, potentially leaving the city responsible for its $240 million debt.[12] In March 2015, New York property lawyer Martin Edelman, a member of Manchester City's board of directors, said that NYCFC had abandoned the Bronx plan and were looking at locations in Queens and Brooklyn to build a new stadium.[13]

In April 2015, NYCFC was reported to be interested in building a new stadium in Columbia University's Baker Athletics Complex in the Inwood neighborhood of Manhattan. The 17,000 seat Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium would be demolished and replaced with a $400 million 25,000-seat stadium to be used by NYCFC and the Columbia Lions.[2] As of October 2016 the pursuit of the Baker Athletics Complex as a potential stadium site was abandoned.[14]

In February 2017, it was reported that New York City FC had expressed interest in having its own soccer-specific stadium at a site within Belmont Park in Elmont, New York just outside the city limits in Nassau County.[15] The club participated in site development talks in January 2017, though they did not enter active negotiations. On December 19, 2017, the site was selected as the new home for the New York Islanders' 18,000-seat arena, effectively ending the plans to build the stadium.[16]

In April 2018, new plans for the Harlem River Yards development in the South Bronx were revealed, for the land north of the Willis Avenue Bridge; the area would be anchored by the new 26,000-seat stadium, which would be designed by Rafael Viñoly.[17] On April 25, 2018, club president Jon Patricof said that the club was focusing on other sites more seriously than Harlem Yards.[18]

In July 2018, New York City FC was again linked to a development project that would put a stadium in the South Bronx at East 153 Street between Yankee Stadium and the Bronx Terminal Market. The 20-acre (8.1 ha) proposal also included a "park, hotel and conference center, affordable apartment units, office space, a school, and retail."[19] On October 24, 2021, The City reported that stadium negotiations between the Yankees and the New York City Economic Development Corporation collapsed due to a dispute over 5,000 parking spaces in a city-owned garage, with community support waning as well.[20] In November, club CEO Brad Sims stated the project did not progress throughout the summer and is not actively pursuing the site; with all the focus now being shifted to the Queens project.[21]

Willets Point site

On January 17, 2019, the New York City Mayor's office released two development proposals for Willets Point, an industrial neighborhood in Queens. One of the said proposals "calls for a soccer stadium of up to 25,000 seats."[22] Located one block east of Citi Field and north of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, the soccer specific venue would share parking with the existing baseball stadium. While the proposal never mentioned New York City FC by name, speculation linked the site and the club as The Related Companies, the developers behind the proposed Harlem River Yards plan, are also spearheading this development. Queensboro FC had been linked to the site initially, before setting its sights on a new stadium at York College.[23][24]

In July 2022, the New York Post reported that mayor Eric Adams would approve a plan to build a stadium in Willets Point by 2025 and to be completed in time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, albeit it still has to go through the City's Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP).[25] That November, the government of New York City and NYCFC came to an agreement to build a 25,000 seat stadium in Willets Point that is expected to be completed in 2027.[26][27] The stadium would be part of a larger mixed-use development with a 250-room hotel and 2,500 housing units on a 23-acre (9.3 ha) lot.[27][28] In December 2023, Queens Community Board 7 voted to advance the plan to build the Willets Point stadium.[29] The project received the recommendation of Queens Borough President Donovan Richards in January 2024, conditional upon the club's written dedication to hire local vendors, improvements to nearby parks, and other commitments.[30]

The New York City Independent Budget Office has estimated that leasing the property rather than selling it will cost the City $516 million in tax revenue (adjusted to present value) over 49 years.[31] While local politicians have touted the potential economic benefits of the deal, economists say these deals rarely pay off for taxpayers.[32]

References

  1. 1 2 "NYCFC Selects Hok and Turner Construction Company to Design and Build New York City's First-Ever Soccer-Specific Stadium". New York City FC. April 14, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Bagli, Charles V.; Das, Andrew (April 28, 2015). "New York City F.C., Searching for Stadium Site, Is Considering Columbia Athletic Complex". The New York Times. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  3. ↑ Diaz, Cesar (June 4, 2012). "The Problems With Pier 40". New York, New York: U.S. National Soccer Players. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  4. ↑ Picker, David (December 5, 2012). "M.L.S. Promotes Stadium at a Town Hall Meeting". The New York Times. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  5. ↑ Leight, Holly (May 13, 2013). "Be Our Guest: Major League Soccer Stadium Would Pollute Flushing Meadows-Corona Park". Daily News (New York). Retrieved June 3, 2014.
  6. 1 2 Carlisle, Jeff (May 21, 2013). "Many Questions Surround Stadium Plans, NYC FC". ESPN. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
  7. ↑ Belson, Ken; Bagli, Charles V. (May 21, 2013). "A Team Is Born, but Not All Cheer". The New York Times. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  8. ↑ Anuta, Joe (May 21, 2013). "Yankees Join MLS Stadium Project as Search for Site Expands". TimesLedger. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
  9. ↑ Martinez, Dave (February 1, 2014). "Favorable Returns for NYCFC After Stadium Town Hall". Empire of Soccer. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  10. ↑ Bradley, Jeff (April 21, 2014). "NYCFC Announces Plans to Play at Yankee Stadium; No Timetable Given for Stay". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on April 24, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
  11. ↑ Bagli, Charles V. (August 30, 2013). "Soccer Club's Latest Stadium Proposal Would Give the Yankees a New Neighbor". The New York Times. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
  12. ↑ Bagli, Charles V. (December 11, 2013). "Deal for Bronx Soccer Stadium in Works as Clock Ticks". The New York Times. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
  13. ↑ Williams, Bob (March 13, 2015). "New York City FC's home truth: Yankee Stadium will never be their field of dreams". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on March 13, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  14. ↑ Spedden, Zach (October 4, 2016). "Patricof: No News on NYCFC Stadium Search". Soccer Stadium Digest.com Powered by Populous. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  15. ↑ Schnitzer, Kyle (September 16, 2017). "NYCFC remain in active search for new home". nypost.com. The New York Post. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
  16. ↑ Baumbach, Jim; Brodsky, Robert (December 19, 2017). "Sources: Islanders' arena bid picked for Belmont Park". Newsday. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  17. ↑ Fedak, Nikolai (April 17, 2018). "Exclusive Reveal For $700 Million Harlem River Yards Mega-Project, Including New York's First Soccer Stadium Designed By Rafael Viñoly". New York YIMBY. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  18. ↑ Spedden, Zach (April 25, 2018). "Club President: NYCFC is Still Searching for Stadium Site". soccerstadiumdigest.com. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  19. ↑ Spedden, Zach (July 12, 2018). "Bronx Reportedly in the Mix for New NYCFC Stadium". Soccer Stadium Digest. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  20. ↑ Aponte, Claudia Irizarry (October 24, 2021). "Bronx Soccer Stadium Local Support Wanes as Yankees-City Hall Standoff Goes Into Extra Time". THE CITY. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  21. ↑ Abramowitz, Roberto; Crooks, Glenn (November 2, 2021). "Soccer in the City". omny.fm (Podcast). WFan. Event occurs at 30:05.
  22. ↑ Anuta, Joe (January 17, 2019). "City releases two Willets Point proposals". Crain's New York Business. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  23. ↑ deMause, Neil (January 8, 2019). "How A Mythical Soccer Stadium Became Queens' Biggest Political Futbol". Gothamist. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  24. ↑ "New for 2021: Queensboro FC". soccerstadiumdigest.com. November 12, 2019. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  25. ↑ Kosman, Josh; Hogan, Bernadette (July 26, 2022). "Mayor Eric Adams to approve NYCFC stadium for Queens: sources". New York Post. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  26. ↑ Arnold, Christian (November 15, 2022). "Nomads no more: NYCFC and NYC reach deal on soccer stadium in Queens". AM New York. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  27. 1 2 Rubinstein, Dana; Belson, Ken (November 15, 2022). "New York City Reaches Deal to Build Soccer Stadium in Queens". The New York Times. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  28. ↑ Gerbosi, Ryan (November 16, 2022). "Soccer stadium is centerpiece of Willets Point redevelopment plan". Newsday. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  29. ↑ Gonella, Catalina; Corso, Phil (December 5, 2023). "Queens community board endorses plan to bring soccer stadium to Willets Point". Gothamist. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  30. ↑ Kaye, Jacob (January 11, 2024). "NYCFC soccer stadium approved by BP". Queens Daily Eagle.
  31. ↑ Rubinstein, Dana; Belson, Ken (January 13, 2023). "Will New York City's Soccer Stadium Cost Taxpayers $0 or $516 Million?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  32. ↑ Haag, Matthew; Rubinstein, Dana (June 11, 2023). "A Pier Deal Is Full of Developer Perks, but Is It Good for the City?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
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