NEW YORK: Stadiums/Arenas (NETS, JETS, YANKS, and others) [Archive]

NYguy

01-16-2005, 08:13 AM

NY TIMES

Stadium Games: Give and Take and Speculation

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2005/01/16/nyregion/16arena.large1.jpg

A Nets arena would have a public garden on top. The project is also intended to be an anchor for residential and commercial development in Brooklyn.

By CHARLES V. BAGLI
January 16, 2005

Just after he was elected, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg told New Yorkers in his first State of the City speech that there was no money in the budget to subsidize two $800 million baseball stadiums for the Yankees and the Mets.

Three years later, the city faces a $2 billion gap in the coming fiscal year's $47 billion budget. Nonetheless, the mayor and Gov. George E. Pataki are on the verge of approving three new sports sites - a football stadium for the Jets, a baseball stadium for the Yankees and a basketball arena for the Nets - that will require a combined public investment of at least $1.1 billion.

It is not easy to assess precisely what the taxpayers will get out of their investment, which is equivalent in cost to a major Manhattan skyscraper or 25 schools with 600 seats each. In part, that is because the economic benefits are based on studies commissioned by the teams themselves, and promoted by the government sponsors of the projects.

Nonetheless, from interviews with public and team officials, it is starting to become clearer how much tax money will be spent on each project, and what city residents are being promised in return.

The Jets stadium will require a combined public investment of $600 million from the state and city. In exchange, New York will get a football team back from New Jersey, and a West Side stadium with a retractable roof that can be used for games, Olympic events and large conventions.

The new Yankee Stadium will require a public investment of about $300 million. New York will get a modernized, more comfortable stadium a block north of the existing stadium in the Bronx; more baseball fields and tennis courts for the public; and new garages and transportation stations.

The Nets arena in Brooklyn will require a public investment of about $200 million and the condemnation of several blocks of housing and stores. New York will get a basketball team back from New Jersey and an arena with a public garden on top that is intended to serve as an anchor for a residential and commercial development. The arena could also be used for high school or college games.

All three projects would be built on public land and use tax-free bonds for financing. All three are also designed to bypass the city's land use review process and a vote by the City Council, thereby avoiding potentially troublesome public hearings.

Beyond the physical improvements, the mayor, the governor and the teams themselves assert that the projects will spark new development and generate far more in state and city tax revenues than government will spend. But many independent critics say these indirect benefits are speculative compared with the cost to the taxpayer.

"Nationally, many of these projects wound up costing more and delivering fewer public benefits than promised by their proponents," said Doug Turetsky, chief of staff for the city's Independent Budget Office.

Sports economists have long said that stadiums and arenas often enrich teams but are relatively poor public investments.

"There's no intrinsic economic benefit from building a sports facility," said Andrew Zimbalist, a leading sports economist who teaches at Smith College. "You have to look at the details of the financing, the facility and the location."

Andrew Alper, president of the city's Economic Development Corporation, said that while each project was different, all had gone through a rigorous analysis by city officials. He said that for every dollar invested by the city in the three projects, taxpayers would get a return of $3.50 to $4.50 over 30 years.

"Our goal is to make the minimum government investment that's required to make a project reality," Mr. Alper said. "We have a range of things we look at in terms of analyzing a rate of return."

He said the sports deals were more about direct and indirect taxes, jobs, the vibrancy of neighborhoods and parks than how many basketball, football or baseball games are played.

The Jets are proposing a $1.4 billion stadium that would be used much of the year as an exhibition hall linked to the nearby Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, enabling the city to attract thousands of new visitors to New York. The team is proposing to invest $800 million in the project and to cover any cost overruns, while the state and city would invest $300 million each.

More recently, the team has also agreed to pay for a concourse on 33rd Street in front of the stadium and half the cost of two pedestrian bridges over the West Side Highway, at an estimated cost of $75 million.

The city and state contend that they are only paying for infrastructure, specifically the retractable roof ($225 million) and platform ($375 million) on which the stadium would be built. But infrastructure usually refers to public works like roads, sewers or subways, not to two items without which the stadium could not function or attract a Super Bowl, concerts and basketball games, as the Jets propose.

"None of the money is for a stadium or an arena," said Charles A. Gargano, chairman of the Empire State Development Corporation. "It's for the economic development portion of the project. The Jets stadium is unique in that it gives us a multiuse facility."

The Bloomberg administration describes the stadium as a key element in plans to redevelop the Far West Side of Manhattan and its bid for the 2012 Olympics.

The Jets estimate that in its first year the stadium would generate $30 million more in tax revenues than it would cost the city and the state, with a net gain over 30 years of $716 million. The team estimates that 75 percent of the revenues would come from trade shows, not football games.

The city's Independent Budget Office, however, did its own study and pared the net gain of the Jets project by two-thirds, to an estimated $200 million. "It's only a net positive because of the convention center activities," Mr. Turetsky said.

Betsy Gotbaum, the city's public advocate, and others argue that the true public investment actually exceeds $600 million. The city, for instance, will presumably pay half, about $18 million, toward the cost of the pedestrian bridges and $30 million for the tunnel connecting the stadium and the Javits Center. The Jets say that the $55 million deck over the highway depicted in their stadium renderings is part of the 2012 Olympic budget and not their responsibility.

The Nets' $430 million Brooklyn arena, in the Long Island Rail Road yard at Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues, is an eye-catching but ultimately modest element of a larger $2.5 billion residential and commercial development next door. The developer Bruce Ratner bought the New Jersey-based team for $300 million last year, intending to use it as a lever to build the arena, 4,500 apartments and 2 million square feet of office space on a 21-acre site in downtown Brooklyn.

The project has won considerable support in Brooklyn, but some local residents and others object to the state's willingness to condemn land on behalf of a private developer, especially in an area that is finally enjoying a revival. They also say that the level of subsidies outweigh the benefits of the project.

Mr. Ratner's initial request for $450 million in subsidies and infrastructure work has been whittled down to $200 million to $215 million in negotiations with the city and the state, according to officials involved in the talks.

A newly revised analysis by Mr. Zimbalist, the sports economist, estimated the net fiscal impact of the entire project at $1.06 billion over 30 years. Proponents argue that the principal benefit is the housing, about half of which would be for middle-, moderate- and low-income tenants. Of course, those apartments would benefit from an as yet undetermined level of tax breaks and other incentives.

Real estate executives in Brooklyn said that Mr. Ratner was considering a sharp reduction in the amount of office space, and an increase in the number of apartments.

Sifting out the value of the arena alone is difficult, but based on Mr. Zimbalist's original analysis, it would appear to be a modest $107.5 million over 30 years, after deducting the cost of the public investment.

"The arena is an indirect value creator," Mr. Alper said. For the developer, he added, "the economics are really in the commercial space and the housing."

Unlike the projects for the Jets and the Nets, there is little if any opposition to plans by the Yankees, which spent much of the 1990's belittling the Bronx and demanding a stadium in Manhattan. The team ultimately found that abandoning the Bronx was politically untenable.

The Yankees have told public officials that their offer to pay the entire cost of building a new stadium in the Bronx was motivated, in part, by a recognition that they would have to "pay most of the freight" to get the project done under the Bloomberg administration.

New rules in Major League Baseball allow the team to deduct much of the cost of construction from the revenues that the Yankees are required to share with other teams.

The Yankees have agreed to pay the estimated $800 million cost of a new 50,000-seat open-air stadium in Macombs Dam Park, across 161st Street from the current stadium, which was built in 1923 and refurbished in the 1970's, according to state and city officials. The team, which does not expect to pay rent for the land, has asked the city and state for about $300 million in "infrastructure work," including about $160 million for new garages, a ferry terminal on the Harlem River, a Metro-North train station and 16.7 acres of new parkland to replace Macombs Dam Park.

As part of the deal, the city would create a park along the Harlem River, south of Macombs Dam Bridge, with Little League ball fields and a softball field. There would also be basketball courts, with tennis courts and possibly a soccer field atop the garages.

The Yankees project dovetails with efforts by the Bloomberg administration and Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion to rejuvenate the surrounding neighborhood. There are plans to turn the dilapidated Bronx Terminal Market into a major retail center, with a waterfront park. Mr. Carrion wants to preserve most of the existing stadium and build a hotel, conference center and Yankee museum and sports-related high school in the area.

Stephenapolis

01-16-2005, 04:19 PM

I am excited for both the Jets and the Nets stadiums. The Jets back in NY (Manhattan no less) and the Nets Arena looks fabuolus with the roof top garden.

NYguy

01-16-2005, 06:53 PM

Some earlier proposals for the new Yankees Stadium (not the offical stadium design)...

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/35249309.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/26056332.jpg

And the three finalists designs for the new Newark arena (DEVILS)

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/35396635.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/35396643.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/35396645.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/35396646.jpg

TalB

01-17-2005, 12:05 AM

Eigenwelt

01-17-2005, 01:51 AM

That KPF design is sweet when juxtaposed against those exisiting buildings.

Most new age arena designs stike me as one trick ponis destined to be dated in a decade. That however looks damn good.

The first proposal is par for the course of arenas today, and the last one is a spectrum clone. About 35 years too late for that design.

John F

01-17-2005, 02:42 AM

What about the new Mets stacdium? Can't include it because the Wilpons remain all talk?

I call it Jackie Robinson field. They've had the plans for it for more than 10 years.

TalB

01-17-2005, 12:48 PM

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ideas_opinions/story/271928p-232873c.html
Voice of the people
Bronx: I say city taxpayers should be allowed to vote on the approval of a West Side stadium.

JoLinda Aloisio

NYguy

01-17-2005, 01:21 PM

The only reason why the new stadium for the Yankees isn't hated is pretty much b/c it doesn't use a lot of subsidies and it isn't taking away anyone's home like the other two plan to one or the other.

AS usual, you play"fast and loose" with the truth. No one's home will be "taken" away. Not in Brooklyn, and certainly not on those Westside railyards in Manhattan. If you had learned only one thing from these multiple postings, it should have been that. AS far as your other comments go, I'll repost this for you since you obviously didn't bother to look at it...

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2005/01/16/nyregion/0116_JETS_GRAPH.gif

The Jets are proposing to invest $800 million in the project and to cover any cost overruns, while the state and city would invest $300 million each.

the team has also agreed to pay for a concourse on 33rd Street in front of the stadium and half the cost of two pedestrian bridges over the West Side Highway, at an estimated cost of $75 million.

billyblancoNYCII

01-18-2005, 03:14 PM

What about the new Mets stacdium? Can't include it because the Wilpons remain all talk?

I call it Jackie Robinson field. They've had the plans for it for more than 10 years.

I think this will move sooner rather than later. Wilpon is in full control and is starting to operate like a huge market team, like the Yanks. He's ponying up the cash for star players, so they will be a draw for the TV network due 2006. Also, as the Yanks are doing, all the money spent to finance a stadium will be like a deduction from the luxury tax, so it makes sense to build and pay to improve your house than to imprive everyone else's. In addition, the city is looking to redevelop the entire area around there, so this would be a logical addition to the plan.

TalB

01-18-2005, 08:12 PM

AS usual, you play"fast and loose" with the truth. No one's home will be "taken" away. Not in Brooklyn, and certainly not on those Westside railyards in Manhattan. If you had learned only one thing from these multiple postings, it should have been that. AS far as your other comments go, I'll repost this for you since you obviously didn't bother to look at it...
I did read the article, and I will elaborate on these sports facilities on what I meant on why there is hatred towards them.

Nets Arena:Will force evictions from anyones homes if not already compensated and will have state/city taxes for funding.

Jets Stadium:Involves taxes from the city/state as well.

Yankees Stadium:Involves some taxes but not a lot as compared to the other two.

FerrariEnzo

01-18-2005, 08:45 PM

The KPF design for the Devils is awesome!

STERNyc

01-18-2005, 10:10 PM

Nets Arena:Will force evictions from anyones homes if not already compensated and will have state/city taxes for funding.

I believe Ratner now owns all the land under the stadium's footprint. Can anyone confirm this?

SJPhillyBoy

01-20-2005, 06:08 PM

STERNyc

01-20-2005, 06:36 PM

TalB

01-20-2005, 07:18 PM

SJPhillyBoy, whether or not those stadiums will get built, it will have nothing to do with their records.

John F

01-20-2005, 08:51 PM

I think that after watching two of sports all time choke jobs, the Yankees choking against the Red Sox in the playoffs AND the Jets missing two field goals against Pittsburgh, they should cancel both the Yankees and Jets new stadium projects.

LOL! This is coming from a Philly Phan?

With that logic, Philadelphia should have been wiped off the map during the 1990's - let alone had their new stadiums canceled.

Phillies = Choked in the World Series
Flyers = Choke in the playoffs EVERY F'N YEAR
Eagles = likewise

Evergrey

01-21-2005, 12:52 AM

NYguy

01-21-2005, 01:26 PM

I think that after watching two of sports all time choke jobs, the Yankees choking against the Red Sox in the playoffs AND the Jets missing two field goals against Pittsburgh, they should cancel both the Yankees and Jets new stadium projects.

Being that you're from Philly, I'll go ahead and excuse those comments, the way you excuse a child who spills milk on the floor. You know they really don't know any better...:rolleyes:

NYguy

01-21-2005, 01:29 PM

Original JETS stadium thread:
http://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=20185

DAILY NEWS

Jets gotta bring in green
Poll: Nobody loves a money loser

BY MICHAEL SAUL

Most city voters are not rooting for a new stadium on the West Side - unless the project pays for itself, a poll released yesterday reveals.

The survey by Quinnipiac University showed 58% of voters are generally opposed to the $1.4 billion stadium, which would house the Jets and possibly host the 2012 Olympics.

But if they could be guaranteed the stadium will generate enough new tax revenue to offset the city and state's $600 million share, voters were for the stadium, 53% to 41%.

But if the stadium's a money pit, voters don't want it, by an overwhelming 78% to 17%.

The split poll gave ammunition to both critics and backers.

"The public says they'd like to have the stadium as long as it pays for itself," said chief supporter Mayor Bloomberg. "And there is no question, even the most conservative economic analysis by anybody reputable says this will be a big payback for the city."

But Councilwoman Christine Quinn (D-Chelsea) said the poll shows taxpayers don't want to help pay for the stadium.

"If the people don't want it and the city can't afford it, then it's time for the city to start listening and move forward with alternative plans to develop that area of the West Side," Quinn said.

Among the poll's other findings:

By a 63% to 32% margin, voters want the city to host the 2012 Summer Olympics.

66% of adults said they would come to the stadium by mass transit, while 15% said they would come by car.
The poll, conducted Jan. 11-17, surveyed 1,027 registered voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

TalB

01-22-2005, 08:17 PM

That article does speak the truth about how people really think about using their tax dollars.

billyblancoNYCII

01-23-2005, 07:20 AM

Fuck the people. These are the same people that support the crap that causes the state to have a $105 billion budget, and the city to have a $50 billion budget.

NYguy

01-23-2005, 05:29 PM

TalB

01-23-2005, 06:31 PM

http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/39109.htm
FERRER: LET NYERS VOTE ON STADIUM

By STEFAN C. FRIEDMAN
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January 23, 2005 -- Democratic mayoral front-runner Fernando Ferrer yesterday called on Mayor Bloomberg to put the fate of the controversial West Side stadium in the hands of New Yorkers.
In an interview with Gabe Pressman to be broadcast on WNBC-TV/ Channel 4 today, the former Bronx borough president challenged Bloomberg to put the issue on the ballot at the same time as the mayoral election.

"The mayor has an obligation to call upon his Charter Commission to put this measure on the ballot this November for a vote," Ferrer said.

"It's time to take the secret debate, the lack of disclosure on all the facts, out of the back room, bring it in front of the public and let the people vote on it."

Ferrer's suggestion came just two days after a Quinnipiac University Poll found 58 percent of New Yorkers don't want to see the stadium built.

Mayoral press secretary Ed Skyler dismissed Ferrer's proposition.

"Delaying the decision on the stadium would end our chances at getting the Olympics," he said.

mpls

01-23-2005, 07:19 PM

"The new Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island has recently been completed..."

now thats a nice little stadium, thanks for the info.

NYguy

01-24-2005, 01:35 PM

It is nice. I'll post the photos again so it doesn't get lost in the field...

The new Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island has recently been completed...

http://www.risf.org/images/Icahn.gif

http://graphics7.nytimes.com/images/2004/08/20/nyregion/stadium.large1.jpg

http://www.risf.org/images/lights/8-9.jpg

http://www.risf.org/images/lights/9-2-04img2.jpg

http://www.risf.org/images/lights/7-22img3.jpg

http://www.risf.org/images/lights/9-2-04img3.jpg

http://www.risf.org/images/roof/9-21img2.jpg

http://www.risf.org/images/roof/11-8.jpg

http://www.risf.org/images/roof/11-8img3.jpg

http://www.risf.org/images/roof/11-8img6.jpg

http://www.risf.org/images/roof/11-8img8.jpg

NYguy

01-26-2005, 01:43 PM

NY TIMES

So What's in a Big, Bright Name on the Skyline? For City, $10 Million

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2005/01/26/nyregion/stadium.583.jpg

Drivers on the East Side of Manhattan have no trouble spotting the name for a sports stadium on Randalls Island that will open in April.

By SAM ROBERTS
January 26, 2005

Carl C. Icahn, the philosophy major turned corporate raider, investor and philanthropist, is New York's latest man of letters.

Five letters, to be precise, costing him $2 million apiece.

To the surprise of some East Side residents and passing drivers on the Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive, the name Icahn is now spelled out in eight-foot-high, stainless-steel type atop a new track and field stadium on Randalls Island.

And just in case any potential donors, spectators or athletes missed the name "Icahn Stadium" since it was installed on the grandstand roof last fall, concerns about inconspicuousness dissipated last month when the sign was illuminated by white light-emitting diodes.

The stand-alone letters read backward from the adjacent Triborough Bridge elevated roadway that leads to and from Queens, where Mr. Icahn was born. But they are plainly legible from Manhattan, which was precisely the point.

"Look, it's plainly large, but from our perspective it attracts attention to the fact that there are things happening on the island," said Richard J. Davis, a lawyer and the chairman of the Randalls Island Sports Foundation, a partnership with the city's Parks Department.

The stadium is to open in April with an Olympic-class 400-meter running track, a soccer field, locker rooms and a dance studio that will be available to school and community groups with permits.

The city contributed about half of the $45 million cost, with the rest raised by the foundation from private sources.

Mr. Icahn's $10 million gift was the biggest private contribution to any park facility in the city. (The sign itself cost $327,000.)

Mr. Davis recalled that about a year ago, Mr. Icahn was offered "a highly visible naming opportunity." He responded by offering to contribute $10 million through two foundations to help complete the structure. Without the gift, the stadium would probably have been built without the roof, which is suspended over a grandstand, or the two light towers that were designed to evoke the architecture of the adjacent bridge - not to mention the sign.

"For $5 million we probably wouldn't have named a whole stadium after someone," Mr. Davis said. "And we were happy to get an individual rather than, say, Krispy Kreme, so it wouldn't look like advertising."

In New York, though, any incursion on the skyline can be jarring, at least initially. This month, the columnist Cindy Adams complained in The New York Post about the "monster-size letters" atop a stadium built for "track or field or soccer or Olympics of businessman Carl Icahn's ego." She suggested that he "hire an electrician for $30 to dim the lights." Others are worried about the precedent of buying skyline prominence.

"It's a great gift to the city and Icahn deserves plenty of attention," said Kent L. Barwick, president of the Municipal Art Society of New York, "but we hope the city, as it seeks private funding, will not overwhelm us with billboard credits."

How big, or bright, can a sign be legally? If it's in Central Park, not very big. In 1997, a Manhattan couple, Edith and Henry Everett, withdrew their $3 million donation to help rebuild the Children's Zoo after the city's Art Commission decided that their names could be officially recognized in letters only two inches tall.

Randalls Island is in another class. Last April, the Art Commission approved the Icahn Stadium design, sign included.

Mr. Icahn said the giant surname was not his idea. "I was going to put the name of one of my companies on it to get publicity," Mr. Icahn said in an interview the other day. "They preferred I do it personally. They said, 'If we have Icahn's name on it we'll get other rich guys to follow.' "

No size was specified for the sign; Mr. Icahn eventually chose from among several mock-ups.

"I don't recall him rejecting one and saying, 'Make it bigger,' " Mr. Davis said.

Given the potential exposure to passers-by, if not necessarily to spectators, Mr. Icahn's investment could be a bargain, considering that Reliant Energy committed about $300 million over 30 years for naming rights to the Houston Texans' football stadium, and FedEx promised $205 million over 27 years for the home of the Washington Redskins. What with mergers and takeovers, the sort that Mr. Icahn engineers, many corporate names do not survive that long anyway.

Icahn Stadium was built on the footprint of the old Municipal Stadium, which was unobtrusively renamed in 1955 for John J. Downing, the city's recreation director. That stadium was demolished in 2002.

"We loved to see those signs," said Joan Kane, one of Mr. Downing's daughters.

NYguy

02-03-2005, 12:58 PM

NYguy

02-03-2005, 01:01 PM

NY TIMES

Newark and Devils Sign Lease and Agree to Build an Arena

By RONALD SMOTHERS
February 3, 2005

NEWARK, Feb. 2 - Newark officials and the owners of the New Jersey Devils signed a lease agreement on Wednesday, clearing the way for the long-delayed construction of a $310 million, 18,000-seat arena for the National Hockey League team.

Officials in the state's largest city hope that the planned arena downtown, a few blocks from Pennsylvania Station in Newark, will generate hundreds of millions in office and retail development.

Under the terms of the 30-year lease, the city will contribute $210 million to the construction of the arena, while the Devils' owner, Jeff Van der Beek, will contribute $100 million.

The city's portion of the cost is already in hand and comes from money borrowed last year by the Newark Housing Authority. The funds were secured by windfall rent payments won in a legal dispute between the city and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for the operation of Newark Liberty International Airport.

If all goes well, Mayor Sharpe James said, the team, now using Continental Arena at the Meadowlands, could be playing in the new arena by October 2007.

Neither city officials nor Mr. Van der Beek seemed troubled that the current lockout of the league's players over pay issues, now nearly five months long, is threatening to lead to the cancellation of the season.

"It is clear to us that with the lockout and the negotiations, hockey is where professional baseball and professional basketball will eventually be in dealing with the salary cap issue," Mr. James said. "The players and owners will realize that they need each other, and what will emerge is a viable National Hockey League."

Whatever N.H.L. labor difficulties may remain, they pale alongside the litany of challenges that a sports arena in Newark has faced since it was first proposed in 1998.

Initially, the arena would have served the New Jersey Nets basketball team alone, and would have required state financing and strong support from Trenton. Then it was to be the home of both the Devils and the Nets, once the franchises were brought under a single ownership.

It would still have required state financing and support from Trenton, both of which repeatedly failed to materialize.

In 2002, the need for financing from the state was overcome when the city, with the help of the governor, James E. McGreevey, settled a dispute with the Port Authority over back rent for the agency's operation of the city's airport. The windfall freed the city from the politically arduous quest for state money.

But then came disputes within the ownership ranks of the two teams, eventually resulting in the sale of the Nets to a group that plans to move them to Brooklyn and the sale of the Devils to Mr. Van der Beek, a newcomer to sports.

What followed was a long courtship period between the city and the new owner of the hockey franchise.

Mr. Van der Beek, who joined Mr. James at a City Hall ceremony to sign the agreement, said: "It was a long time coming, with a lot of fits and starts. But we're signing a definitive, binding agreement with the City of Newark today."

NYguy

02-10-2005, 03:19 PM

NY TIMES

New Jersey in Talks With Giants and Jets

By RONALD SMOTHERS
February 10, 2005

NEWARK, Feb. 9 - New Jersey officials reported progress on Wednesday in talks with the New York Giants over a new stadium at the Meadowlands, while they also reached out to the New York Jets to persuade them to stay in New Jersey for at least 10 more years.

"A whole host of additional items were resolved" during a three-hour meeting over a new $700 million, 80,000-seat stadium to be financed by the Giants, said officials with the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which operates the Meadowlands sports complex.

Carl Goldberg, the authority's chairman, refused to discuss details, but said that the parties were scheduled to talk more on Friday.

However, other officials said that the major movement had been on nonfinancial items, including the Giants' insistence that a $1.3 billion family entertainment and retail complex scheduled to be their neighbor be closed on game days to prevent traffic and parking problems.

According to those officials, the Giants accepted the authority's position that they could not require the huge Meadowlands Xanadu complex to close.

"We are landlords for both the Giants and Xanadu and have an obligation to both of these critical tenants to show that not only can they coexist together, but can flourish together," Mr. Goldberg said.

Meanwhile, authority officials and Acting Gov. Richard J. Codey met with the owners of the New York Jets. The Jets currently share Giants Stadium with the Giants, but the team is pursuing construction of a home stadium on the Far West Side of Manhattan. That effort has encountered legal and political challenges.

George Zoffinger, president and chief executive of the authority, said that the conversation with the Jets concerned a lawsuit over the issue of rent paid by the Jets to play at the Meadowlands. State officials sought resolution of the dispute to help persuade the team to continue to play in New Jersey for at least the next 10 years.

"We made the offer because we want to have good relations with them while they are here," Mr. Zoffinger said. "They will consider our offer, but they were very clear that although we would like for them to stay, they wanted to continue to pursue the West Side stadium."

Privately, consultants for New Jersey say that the best deal for the state would involve a new Meadowlands stadium used by both the Jets and the Giants. According to officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the consultant reports say that would prevent the state agency from being held hostage by one team or the other and would generate more revenue.

The Giants and the authority have inched closer in recent weeks to an agreement that would allow the construction of the new stadium. The state and team had agreed to renovate the existing stadium, but when Mr. Codey took office last November, he signaled his desire to see sporting events remain the dominant focus of the Meadowlands, and the push for a new 80,000-seat stadium began.

His predecessor, James E. McGreevey, had pushed in another direction, introducing Meadowlands Xanadu, a retail, family entertainment and sporting complex that would include indoor ski jumps, surfing pools, Formula racing and other activities, to the area.

John Mara, the Giants' executive vice president, and other Giants executives dusted off plans for a new stadium, as well as a Giants Hall of Fame building, on a larger piece of property. Mr. Codey assigned Mr. Goldberg to lead the negotiations, in place of Mr. Zoffinger, who had been one of the main forces behind the Meadowlands Xanadu project.

The team soon went from calling for state financing of the stadium to offering to build it with its own money in exchange for a token rent to the state. When Mr. Goldberg balked at the token rent, the talks seemed to be at an impasse.

But last week Mr. Mara returned to the negotiations and offered to build the stadium at team expense and to pay the authority a rent of $6.3 million a year. Currently the agency receives $18 million in rent and percentages from concessions and nonsporting events at the stadium.

"It is a far cry from the zero that they were offering for rent some weeks ago," Mr. Goldberg said, adding that "an enormous amount of progress had been made" in the talks.

For his part, Mr. Goldberg had begun to accept Mr. Mara's contention that the Giants and the new stadium deal should not be burdened with the authority's concern about paying off $117 million in debt on the existing 28-year-old stadium. Mr. Mara had insisted that the stadium was owned by the authority and the debt associated with it should be paid off by the authority.

By last week, Mr. Goldberg said he had come around to the view that any deal with the Giants should be based on the value of the real estate on which they wanted to build and not on the broader financial situation and obligations of the agency.

"At the very onset of the negotiations I incorrectly made a connection between the new stadium and retiring the debt on the old stadium," Mr. Goldberg said. "But now I see that no outstanding obligations of the authority should be included as part of any ground lease for the new stadium. I'm not sure you will see any other team in the country making a 100 percent private investment in construction of a stadium and it is appropriate for us to recognize that in negotiating the lease terms."

Earlier this week, the Giants said that in an effort to help raise money, they were willing to sell the naming rights to the new stadium they are hoping to build for as much as $100 million.

billyblancoNYCII

02-11-2005, 05:00 PM

http://bronxboropres.nyc.gov/en/PDFs/YankeePresents.pdf

NYguy

02-15-2005, 11:52 AM

NY TIMES

New Jersey to Offer Plan for Jets-Giants Stadium

By RONALD SMOTHERS
February 15, 2005

NEWARK, Feb. 14 - With the prospect of a new Manhattan stadium for the New York Jets still uncertain, New Jersey officials are increasingly extolling the virtues of building a new stadium in the Meadowlands that could house both the Jets and the New York Giants.

Officials are expected to present a proposal on Wednesday to board members of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority portraying the financial benefits of a shared stadium to both teams, as well as to the state, according to one official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The idea of a shared stadium is emerging as the state authority continues to negotiate with the Giants over a replacement for the team's 28-year-old stadium in the Meadowlands. The existing stadium, which is owned by the state, is shared by the Giants and Jets. But the Jets have been seeking a new stadium on the West Side of Manhattan, while the Giants have said they would stay in New Jersey in a new $700-million stadium they want to build on a larger plot of land near the current site.

John Mara, president of the Giants, would not comment on his possible endorsement of a plan to build a new stadium that would be jointly owned and used by the two football teams. But he said that the Jets would be welcome as a tenant at the envisioned new Giants-owned stadium.

For their part, officials of the Jets insist that they are still aggressively pursuing construction of a West Side stadium. But in recent days, key legislative leaders have said that New York City should not build a $1.7 billion stadium unless it is awarded the 2012 Olympics - something which will not be determined until a July meeting of the International Olympics Committee.

Carl Goldberg, chairman of the New Jersey sports authority, said that one of the challenges of his talks with the Giants has been to come up with a stadium plan that accommodates Mr. Mara while maintaining "a flexibility" to accommodate the Jets should they decide to stay in the Meadowlands longer than they had planned.

One state official said that the ideal arrangment would be a new stadium on authority land, financed equally by the teams. As owners, each team would be able to keep all of the range of revenues from their games, including luxury boxes, advertising and concessions, while the state would gain the rights and revenues from leasing the stadium during the off season for nonsporting events.

Benhamin

02-15-2005, 08:50 PM

I like the first proposal for the Devil's arena in Newark. Icahn Stadium looks nice too.

NYguy

03-06-2005, 04:47 PM

NEWSDAY

NY teams hoping for new stadiums

Faced with huge costs and political turf wars, the NY area’s 9 pro franchises hope to beat the odds and build new or improved playing venues

BY STEVE ZIPAY
March 6, 2005

From Seattle to Miami, sports fans who enjoy the bells and whistles that transform games into events never have been happier.

In the last decade, state-of-the-art palaces boasting amenities such as cushy premium seats, digital scoreboards, luxury suites with high-definition TVs, and expansive concourses leading to gourmet restaurants and Halls of Fame have sprung up in dozens of communities.

Everywhere, it seems, except New York.

Conspicuous by their absence from the list of home improvers have been the nine major professional franchises in the New York metropolitan area. No major-league ballparks, football stadiums or indoor arenas have been constructed here since Brendan Byrne Arena, currently named Continental Airlines Arena, opened its doors in East Rutherford, N.J. nearly a quarter century ago.

That is about to change.

After watching so many of their competitors generate tens of millions of dollars in additional annual revenues from their new venues, the owners of New York and New Jersey's pro franchises have jumped into the game. All nine teams are proposing new or renovated homes to replace their aging buildings over the next five years. The projected cost: more than $5 billion.

"The venues in New York are economically obsolete," said Sal Galatioto, managing director of Lehman Brothers Sports Advisory and Finance Group. "They all have to be replaced. Teams with new stadiums are moving ahead of them in revenues, and they need the extra revenues to field competitive teams."

In Pennsylvania alone, the Phillies, Pirates, Eagles and Steelers each have moved into facilities with 21st century amenities in the past four years. But the coming sports-building boom in the New York area, provided each project comes to fruition, would be unprecedented in the nation's sports history.

"Cleveland did three venues pretty much at once, Minneapolis is considering three now, but clearly, there's been nothing like this," said Neil deMause, a journalist and co-author of "Field of Schemes: How The Great Stadium Swindle Turns Public Money Into Private Profit."

"No other area has nine big-time professional teams with so many older facilities and pent-up demand," deMause said. "And once one team sees that it can get the mayor or some politician's ear, everybody lines up."

Olympic bid is key

The firestorm over the proposed $1.7-billion stadium project on Manhattan's West Side, which would host the Jets as well as the Olympics if the city's bid for the 2012 Summer Games is approved in July, has engulfed politicians, business people and community leaders and dominated media attention. But the Yankees, Mets, Giants, Islanders, Knicks, Rangers, Nets and Devils also have put together plans and proposals, to considerably less fanfare.

Some of these teams have proposed new venues in the past, and their inability to get them off the ground illustrates why the New York metropolitan area has fallen behind the rest of the country. Several plans for new stadiums and arenas were shelved or withdrawn because of changes in city, county and state government, or changes in ownership of the franchises themselves.

Just before Mayor Rudolph Giuliani left office in 2001, for example, he announced a tentative agreement to build new stadiums for the Yankees and Mets. When Michael Bloomberg arrived, he scuttled that nonbinding deal, which called for the city and the teams to split the $1.6-billion cost. In New Jersey, former Gov. James McGreevey steadfastly opposed subsidies for sports teams, but interim Gov. Richard Codey vowed to assist the Giants' hopes for a $700-million stadium and negotiations have advanced quickly. And current efforts by the Jets, Nets and Devils to get new buildings have been sparked by new owners.

These projects differ from proposals in the past, and from projects in some other cities, because local teams now are willing to contribute a significant portion of the funds necessary to build.

Public funds used

The four projects in Pennsylvania, for example, were two-thirds funded with public monies. Though details of financing for many of the New York projects are far from final, total public outlays should be far less than two-thirds. The Jets, for example, are willing to contribute $1.1 billion of their $1.7 billion project, and the Nets signed an agreement Thursday with the city and state that calls for those governments to contribute $200 million in infrastructure toward the $2.5 billion housing, retail and arena development in downtown Brooklyn.

No public subsidy will be required for the renovation of Madison Square Garden by Cablevision, which owns the Rangers and the Knicks.

"What is striking about these [New York area] deals are the real dollars from the private sector investors, and when there are real dollars and partners, cities should be aggressive in making the deals take place," said Mark S. Rosentraub, dean of the Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University and author of "Major League Losers," an analysis of the economics of professional sports. "This is a far cry from giving money away in the hope that something happens."

Similar proposals

The eight projects are in various stages of development. Experts agree that some -- but perhaps not all -- will see the light of day. Taken together, the projects as envisioned would add some 500 luxury suites and thousands of high-priced premium seats while reducing the overall number of regular seats by an estimated 15,000.

There are some similarities -- and key differences -- in the various proposals.

The Yankees, Mets and Giants want to build new facilities nearly adjacent to their existing buildings. The Nets and Jets want to return to New York after spending time in New Jersey's Meadowlands. Islanders owner Charles Wang and Cablevision want to renovate their existing buildings. The Devils, Nets and Jets want to move from a facility they share with another team to a building they can call their own.

All of the projects, with the exception of Cablevision's refurbishing of the Garden, are tied to proposals for new commercial and/or residential development in the same area, each worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Handicapping which team's dreams will become reality has become a bit of a parlor game for experts. Several factors could change the course of many projects. Should the International Olympic Committee decline to award the 2012 Olympics to New York, for example, that could scuttle the Jets' and the city's plans for the site and send the Jets back to New Jersey or even to a new site in Queens. [On Friday, Jets President Randy Cross indicated a preference for New Jersey over Queens, according to the Newark Star-Ledger.]

Political muscle pumping up some projects could wither; Bloomberg and Gov. George Pataki are up for re-election this year and next, respectively, and Codey, who has pushed his state's Sports and Exposition Authority to forge a deal with the Giants, will not seek a full term in the fall.

Here is a snapshot of where each team stands at the moment:

JETS
The Jets' sweeping plans -- under which the city and state would contribute $600 million -- have been stalled by community opposition and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's decision to seek other bidders for air rights over the Long Island Rail Road yards, above which a platform would be built to erect the 80,000-seat stadium. In response, the team recently indicated it would submit a new proposal. But the team got a boost from last month's site visit by the IOC, which said the city would not get the Olympics without the stadium.

"The Jets deal is both tantalizing and frustrating: If the Olympics come to New York, then in my view the project is worthwhile, if the city believes its other development goals can be secured," Rosentraub said. "The city's share of funds from the Olympics would secure its investment and, hence, if other development goals are achieved, then the investment is essentially cost-free. Remove the Olympics and the calculus changes."

DeMause is not optimistic: "I'd be surprised if the Jets project happens."

That would be bad news for the Jets who, along with the Giants, desperately need a new facility to remain financially competitive with their peers. With the NFL's salary cap determined by average revenues, no team can afford to fall too far below that median.

"The Jets and Giants are in the lowest quartile in cash flow in the NFL," Galatioto said. "In the Giants' division, Washington has a fairly new park, Philadelphia just got one and Dallas is getting one."

GIANTS
The Giants want to build a $700 million stadium near their current home but need to resolve the issue of Sunday parking availability given the ongoing development of Xanadu, a $1.3-billion theme park and shopping complex that also will be located in the Meadowlands. Should that happen, the team reportedly would receive almost all the money from ticket sales, 200 luxury boxes, advertising, parking and concessions -- a total of nearly $20 million more in new revenue each year.

YANKEES
The Yankees see their proposed $800 million stadium as the focal point of a South Bronx redevelopment. The city would contribute parkland, the MTA would build a Metro-North station and extended subway platform, and the state would construct parking garages, a total public outlay of an estimated $300 million.

A city/state local development corporation would issue bonds and own the stadium, with the Yankees paying off the bonds over 35 or 40 years. Although design plans have not been made public, team officials said the exterior of the new stadium would mirror the original House That Ruth Built with modern amenities inside. Bronx and Yankee officials both want to see the current stadium preserved in some form perhaps as a Yankee museum and for community sports activities.

"The only one asking for a huge public subsidy is the Jets. They are the oddity here," Galatioto said. "The Yankees are asking to move one piece of parkland."

METS
While everyone jockeys for dollars and permissions, the Mets seem content to wait in the wings. The team first proposed a $500 million Ebbets Field-like ballpark in Flushing Meadows in 1997, but now is biding its time until the dust settles before asking the city and state for deals similar to whatever is given their local rivals.

NETS
Developer Bruce Ratner, who leads an investment group that purchased the Nets last year, wants to move the team by 2008 to a $430-million arena in downtown Brooklyn as part of a $2.5-billion housing and retail project. Ratner signed a memo of understanding with Pataki and Bloomberg on Thursday under which the city and state each will contribute $100 million in improvements such as streets, sidewalks and parking.

The agreement was a significant step in pushing the project forward. The Nets, deMause said, "are actually bringing in a team and they've got the advantage of a housing component. On the other hand, you do have some opposition. I'm not sure how much opposition will emerge on the Yankee deal. We haven't seen all the numbers."

ISLANDERS
There might be more behind Islanders owner Charles Wang's proposed $200-million renovation of Nassau Coliseum than a spiffy building for the hockey team. Two sources familiar with Wang's thinking said the Computer Associates founder -- who bid $250 million for the Nets last year but withdrew his offer and gave way to Ratner -- hopes to have the Coliseum ready by the 2008-09 season in case Ratner gives up on his Brooklyn dream and decides to sell the team. In that case, Wang would buy the Nets and the Coliseum would have two tenants, the same duo it had when it first opened in 1972.

KNICKS/RANGERS
Cablevision recently took complete control of the Garden and plans an extensive interior renovation with a $300 million price tag. The finished product could resemble Toronto's state-of-the-art Air Canada Center or General Motors Place in Vancouver. Plans will not be affected by Cablevision's bid for the West Side stadium site. Work should begin next year.

DEVILS
The NHL's Devils are closest to breaking ground. They agreed on architectural plans and signed a 30-year lease for an 18,000-seat, $310-million arena in downtown Newark last month. Demolition on the site, which includes an unfinished and abandoned shopping mall and office building, should begin no later than early fall.

The Garden and the Devils' arena in Newark might be among the first venues in the United States to feature "bunker suites," essentially under-the-stands mini-clubs for high rollers.

If all the venues are built -- experts say there are too many moving parts to make confident predictions about which will move forward -- the impact on sports fans and surrounding communities would be extraordinary. In addition to the enhancement for fans attending games, jobs would be created and neighborhoods would be transformed, for better or worse. Despite the fact that property owners continue to oppose Ratner's plan, he said a significant number of residents who would be displaced by the development have agreed to relocate in exchange for financial compensation. Ticket prices surely would increase and team owners certainly will benefit. But will New York?

Rosentraub pointed out that recent public partnerships in building new stadiums for the Padres in San Diego and the Cardinals in St. Louis were successful. San Diego received a binding, $150-million commitment for residential real estate development as part of the PetCo Park deal. St. Louis received a commitment for retail and residential development as part of the new Cardinals stadium, which is undergoing construction.

"The issue is always whether or not there is a return on the public's commitments relative to what they sought from the deals," Rosentraub said.

Around New York, that is a developing story.

TalB

03-06-2005, 07:33 PM

http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/40713.htm
OPTION PLAY FOR THE JETS

By STEFAN C. FRIEDMAN
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
March 6, 2005 -- Plan B for the Jets — a new domed stadium at the Meadowlands that the team would co-own with the Giants — would cost the franchise a comparatively paltry $450 million, The Post has learned.
An economic analysis conducted by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority — and shared privately with Jets brass — found that a two-team stadium at the Meadowlands could be erected for $900 million, a source with knowledge of the analysis said.

Attempting to seize the opportunity as controversy continues to swirl over the proposed West Side stadium, Jersey is pulling out all the stops to keep the Jets at home. As part of the deal, the Jets — who have long felt like second-class citizens playing at a venue called Giants Stadium — would finally be on "equal footing" with their NFL rivals, according to the source.

The two teams would split the cost down the middle.

"The best alternative for everyone is to have a joint stadium with a dome shared by the Giants and Jets," George Zoffinger, CEO of the New Jersey sports authority, told The Post.

"We could attract the Super Bowl as well as other unique events."

And the $450 million price tag is peanuts compared to what the Jets would have to fork over across the Hudson.

The West Side stadium would cost the franchise $1.175 billion, while an alternate site in Queens would run the team $900 million.

The NJSEA analysis concluded the Jets would have to pay $22 million annually to finance the stadium and $5 million a year to lease the land.

New Jersey Gov. Richard Codey was vague about the particulars of the new plan but did suggest the Jets might soon change their tune. "With every day that passes, it looks less and less likely that the [West Side] stadium is doable," Codey said.

While he admitted that the Jets had given no indication that they plan to stay in Jersey, Codey added, "That could change real quickly."

NYguy

03-07-2005, 01:00 PM

NY POST

JERSEY EXPLOITING N.Y.'S STADIUM BATTLE, MIKE SAYS

By STEPHANIE GASKELL

March 7, 2005 -- New Jersey is taking advantage of the fight over where to build a new stadium for the Jets by proposing a plan to build an arena there, Mayor Bloomberg charged yesterday.

"Gov. [Richard] Codey is working very hard to keep the Jets there," Bloomberg said during a press conference in Staten Island.

The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority did a study showing that if the Jets stayed in Jersey and built a stadium that the Jets and Giants could share, it would cost each team about $450 million.

That's much cheaper than the $800 million the Jets are willing to spend to come to Manhattan.

"We should realize we have plenty of competition from New Jersey, and if it gets too tough or too expensive for the Jets, you can see them doing that," Bloomberg said. "I hope they don't, and that's why we're working very hard."

A Jets spokesman insisted the team still wants to come to New York.

"We're ready to invest over $1 billion to bring our team back home to New York," said Matt Higgins, the Jets' vice president of strategic planning.

A source close to negotiations told The Post that Jets owner Woody Johnson "is determined to see this through to the end."

The stadium flap came on a day packed with several events for the mayor — including a St. Patrick's Day Parade in West Brighton, Staten Island, where the mayor got cheers for trying to get the stadium and some boos for not giving raises to teachers.

"People were screaming, 'Get the stadium! Get the stadium!' because people want jobs, and the stadium means jobs," Bloomberg said. "There were some people that screamed they want contracts . . . but I think the crowd could not have been friendlier."

While some paradegoers screamed things like, "Don't listen to 'em, Mike — Get the stadium!" others were peeved that the mayor wasn't listening to their needs. Dozens of teachers lined up along the route and chanted, "Don't turn your back on Staten Island schools!"

Earlier in Queens, Bloomberg defended another issue, gay marriage.

During the "all-inclusive" St. Patrick's Day Parade in Sunnyside, Bloomberg told thousands of paradegoers that "The city is doing what it can to make sure that it opens itself to everyone."

billyblancoNYCII

03-07-2005, 07:38 PM

Well, make the West Side stadium for the Jets and Giants, what's the problem?

NYguy

03-10-2005, 04:09 AM

Well, make the West Side stadium for the Jets and Giants, what's the problem?

Just heard on the news that the GIANTS deal with NJ is dead, and they are potentially looking "accross the river" to returning to New York.

Stay tuned to the "Stadium Wars".

tonyo

03-10-2005, 04:26 AM

cbsnewyork.com

Giants pessimistic about new stadium deal; Codey holding out hope

Wednesday March 09, 2005
By TOM CANAVAN
AP Sports Writer

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) The New York Giants' plans to build a new $750 million football stadium at the Meadowlands were thrown for a major loss when the state included two proposals that altered a deal the NFL team felt was reached three weeks ago.

``There is always a chance, but I am not very optimistic it will happen,'' John Mara, the Giants executive vice president, said Wednesday after the team meet with reporters for about an hour to explain what went wrong.

Mara said that only a miracle would allow the team to build the new stadium for the 2008 season, adding the team's co-owners probably would not want to build a new stadium after that because of escalating construction costs.

The team is paying the bill on the new stadium.

Mara added that the Giants would now make the state honor its lease and begin ``state of the art'' updates to the current stadium. He added that the team would listen to any overtures, including a possible offer by the Jets to be a partner in a proposed new stadium on New York City's West Side.

Acting Gov. Richard J. Codey was still optimistic the state and the Giants could reach an agreement.

``There is still time,'' Codey said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.

Since taking office in November, Codey has taken a stronger interest in sports affairs than his predecessor, James E. McGreevey, but had left stadium negotiations to Carl Goldberg, chairman of the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority, and others.

The team believed that five months of talks and 17 revisions of a 12-page document had produced a deal on Feb. 16, but the state recently added two new demands, the executives said.

``I thought we would be here to announce a deal, but it blew apart today,'' said Joe Shenker, a lawyer who represents the team owners, adding that rent, demolition costs for the old stadium and other financial matters, including a profit-sharing deal if the Jets played in a new Giants Stadium, were all resolved.

The one new state demand that upset the Giants was a proposal that would give future governors the right to collect taxes from luxury box and ticket sales. Codey took it out of his current budget proposal, but refused to exclude it in the future.

``I will not grandfather it,'' Codey said.

The Giants believed the absence of a guarantee would make it harder for them to get loans to build a stadium.

With the deal seemingly falling apart on Wednesday, there was some high drama in the Giants board room while Mara and Steve Tisch, the son of owner Robert Tisch, explained the team's side of the story.

Shortly after they started talking, the telephone in the room rang with a call from Paul Fader, the governor's chief counsel.

Mara said he would not talk to him unless he had an agreement.

``He wasn't happy,'' Giants spokesman Pat Hanlon said after the call ended.

Halfway through the meeting, the Giants brain trust left for a meeting after being told Codey wanted to go over some proposals. They came back empty-handed.

The second issue that upset the Giants was an ultimatum from the sports authority that the team accept an existing agreement with developers of Xanadu, a $1.3 billion entertainment and shopping venue planned for the sports complex.

Codey felt the Xanadu problem could be resolved.

``I think the Giants are getting into a lather over nothing,'' Codey said.

Xanadu has been a major issue in talks. The Giants have said they are concerned that their fans would have trouble parking if Xanadu was open on game days, while the sports authority believed fans and Xanadu visitors could coexist.

Mara said the Giants and Xanadu developers are close to working out an agreement.

The Mills Corp. of Virginia and Cranford-based Mack-Cali Realty are developing Xanadu, which is to include an indoor ski slope, hotel, office towers and dozens of upscale stores.

If the Giants force the state to upgrade the stadium they will be looking improved concourses, scoreboards, luxury suites and a retractable roof.

The Giants prefer to replace the 28-year-old stadium, one of the oldest in the NFL, to reap more revenue from luxury boxes and concessions and to add premium club seating.

The Giants share the stadium with the New York Jets, who are seeking to build a stadium of their own on the West Side of Manhattan.

Other sports tenants of the complex in East Rutherford also are planning to leave. The new owner of the New Jersey Nets, who play at Continental Airlines Arena, plans to build an arena in Brooklyn, N.Y., and the New Jersey Devils are planning a move from the arena to a new venue in downtown Newark.

The other Meadowlands professional team, the MetroStars of Major League Soccer, could have a deal with the sports authority next month on a deal to build a soccer stadium in Harrison, near Newark.

AP reporter David Porter contributed to this story.

NYguy

03-10-2005, 01:57 PM

Other sports tenants of the complex in East Rutherford also are planning to leave. The new owner of the New Jersey Nets, who play at Continental Airlines Arena, plans to build an arena in Brooklyn, N.Y., and the New Jersey Devils are planning a move from the arena to a new venue in downtown Newark.

The other Meadowlands professional team, the MetroStars of Major League Soccer, could have a deal with the sports authority next month on a deal to build a soccer stadium in Harrison, near Newark.

Even if the GIANTS do decide to stay, the days of the Meadowlands as a sports meca are over. With the planned Xanadu complex, it will become more of an amusement destination, similar to Six Flags....

TalB

03-12-2005, 06:51 PM

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/12/nyregion/12codey.html
As Purse Strings Tighten, Let's Make a Stadium Deal
By DAVID KOCIENIEWSKI

Published: March 12, 2005

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/dropcap/t.gifRENTON, March 11 - He has ordered across-the-board spending cuts and plans to reduce the size of the New Jersey's state payroll.

He has told legislators to forget about their expensive pet projects and told homeowners they will have to do without their coveted property tax rebates.

He has resisted the kind of ill-advised borrowing and budget gimmicks that his predecessors used to the put New Jersey's finances into their current precarious state.

During his four months in office, Acting Gov. Richard J. Codey has been such a paragon of fiscal rectitude that many state officials are startled to see him in what has historically been one of the least cost-effective government projects - a stadium deal with a professional sports franchise.

Yet Mr. Codey's aides have been in intense negotiations for months with the New York Giants football team, whose current lease at the Meadowlands does not expire until 2026. Until the talks unexpectedly collapsed this week, the two sides were tantalizingly close to an agreement.

Mr. Codey argues that the stadium proposal is a bargain for New Jersey taxpayers because the Giants have agreed to pay to demolish the current stadium and foot the entire $700 million bill for building a new one. In addition, Mr. Codey says, the stadium plan would relieve the state of its obligation to perform as much as $300 million in renovations to make the current stadium "state of the art," as its lease requires.

Not everyone agrees. Critics, including some members of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, point out that the project would have hidden costs for the state. New Jersey has agreed to pay $30 million to build additional sewer and power lines for the project, and the $6.3 million in annual rent the team had agreed to pay is about $10 million less than the state now takes in from operations at Giants Stadium. Mr. Codey and Giants officials contend that the project would generate so much new business that the state would collect at least an additional $10 million in sales taxes.

But there is a long history of stadium projects that fail to deliver on such projections, according to Andrew Zimbalist, a Smith College professor who has studied public financing of sports facilities. That is why many political observers are puzzled that Mr. Codey, who has taken an eat-your-peas approach to state finances, would enter into any such arrangement at a time when the state is facing a budget gap.

Many Democrats have privately grumbled about Mr. Codey working to accommodate the wealthy owners of the Giants at a time when lawmakers in the Assembly who face re-election this year must confront constituents who are likely to lose some or all of their property tax rebates. Republicans, who have found few reasons to criticize the acting governor's fiscal discipline, have also questioned why the stadium is such a priority.

"Governor Codey has finally acknowledged that the state is on the brink of bankruptcy," said Douglas Forrester, a Republican candidate for governor. "As such, I do not believe the state should assume any further commitments that will drive us to it."

Even critics of the plan, though, concede that the Giants' proposal asks far less of taxpayers than do many other stadium deals. In New York, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has proposed that the city completely finance a stadium on the Far West Side of Manhattan; in many other communities, sports franchises have exacted expensive giveaways from government officials.

But some state officials believe it would be unwise of New Jersey to let the Giants operate the stadium and reap the profits from other events there, as the proposal calls for. Others question why New Jersey is negotiating now - when it already has a lease with 21 years remaining.

"This is not the act of someone consumed with fiscal austerity," said Ross K. Baker, a political science professor at Rutgers. "It almost makes you wonder whether Governor Codey has caught that stadium disease that afflicts so many politicians. They see these grand projects that employ a lot of people and leave behind towering monuments, and they can't help thinking about their own legacy."

Mr. Codey dismisses such theories - and to those who suspect that his better judgment might have been clouded by his unabashed enthusiasm for sports, he has this simple reply: "I like roundball, not football."

In describing his plans for the stadium, however, Mr. Codey does makes it clear that he views the Meadowlands as more than a mere economic issue. He sees it as a symbolic part of New Jersey's psyche. During the past two years, as the Devils and the Nets both announced plans to leave the complex and the Jets began negotiations to move to Manhattan, Mr. Codey said that the Meadowlands appeared to be veering toward obsolescence.

"There are polls that show that the thing people are most proud of in New Jersey is the Meadowlands," he said. "Clearly it needed a new vision. And I think we're providing that."

Despite the breakdown of the stadium talks this week, Mr. Codey said he still believed that the state and the Giants wouldl reach an agreement that gets a new stadium built by the team. While some may question whether a financially troubled state like New Jersey can afford the image improvement that a new stadium may provide, Mr. Codey said he was confident that history would look kindly upon the project.

"There are a lot of people who have doubts," he said, "but this is one of those things that makes sense for the team and for the state. Just wait and see."

NYguy

03-15-2005, 01:40 PM

NY POST

METROS KICKING AROUND STADIUM OPTIONS

By BRIAN LEWIS
March 15, 2005

One way or the other, the MetroStars' long-running search for a home is coming to a head.

Their options include:

1) Working out their stadium deal with the city of Harrison, state of New Jersey and the NJSEA; 2) Pulling off a longshot and play in the Jets' proposed West Side Stadium, or 3) Moving from the area.

MLS commissioner Don Garber said the league can exist without a team in New York, but can't survive with an unsuccessful one in New York. And with the Metros losing two to three times as much as any other MLS club due to a horrid lease deal, they'll be unsuccessful as long as they stay at Giants Stadium.

AEG, the Metros' parent company, had agreed to split the cost of a stadium in Harrison with the state, but the NJSEA stepped in and demanded tangible guarantees of the league's long-term viability.

Garber said, "There's a consultant that's been hired by the sports authority to review our financials. A meeting will take place next week with AEG and the consultant."

If the consultant isn't convinced, relocation is a possibility.

"I've asked Nick [Sakiewicz, Metros GM] and AEG to consider . . . moving to New York," Garber said. "Every day that goes by is one more day playing in the Meadowlands. It's killing the opportunity for pro soccer in this market.

"We've had discussions with the Jets about the West Side stadium. It could mean getting involved in promoting the international matches they have in their plans; 2nd, the potential for a New York MLS team; 3rd, the potential for the MetroStars to be a tenant in the new facility."

Garber said leaving the market altogether would be a last-ditch option, but is a possibility.

"Absolutely. If we can't find a solution to their stadium situation, that team will not be able to exist in this market."

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Renderings from the Harrison proposal:

http://rds.yahoo.com/S=96062883/K=metrostars+stadium/v=2/SID=e/l=IVI/SIG=13438rp97/EXP=1110980087/*-http%3A//espndeportes.espn.go.com/2003/photos2004/0701/a_matrostars_stadium_ht.jpg

http://www.sportsvenue-technology.com/projects/harrison/images/Metrostars01.jpg

http://www.metrostars.com/images/stadium/harrison/sketch_arial_view3.jpg

http://rds.yahoo.com/S=96062883/K=metrostars+stadium/v=2/SID=e/l=IVI/SIG=12iefhosf/EXP=1110980140/*-http%3A//www.metrostars.com/images/stadium/harrison/siteplan.jpg

And the urban "village" to be built next to it...

http://www.sportsvenue-technology.com/projects/harrison/images/Metrostars02.jpg

NYguy

03-15-2005, 01:59 PM

STAR LEDGER

Soccer notebook: MLS says Metros must move or else

Tuesday, March 15, 2005
BY FRANK GIASE

With the Harrison stadium project stalled once again and still at least two years away, Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber said yesterday the league has had talks with the Jets and New York City about the MetroStars playing at the proposed West Side stadium in Manhattan.

The mounting financial losses at Giants Stadium have gotten to the point that Garber even suggested the possibility of the MetroStars relocating to another city.

"This is not about leverage," Garber said. "We need to continue to look where our opportunities are so we can ensure this team can stay in the New York metropolitan area.

"While the league can survive without a team in New York, it's inconceivable that a professional sports league would not have a team in the tri-state area, so we've got to find a solution. If we can't find a solution to their stadium situation, that team will not be able to exist in this market. We lose two to three times more money with that team than any other team in our league."

Late last year, Garber felt the financial parameters for the Harrison stadium project were close to being finalized. And then ... "It got derailed," he said.

Yesterday, Garber said the two sides "were close again," and that another meeting is scheduled for next week.

The major roadblock has been the state's insistence that MLS and Anschutz Entertainment Group, which owns the MetroStars, guarantee the bonds for the $84 million project if either folds.

"I don't think Phil Anschutz should have to pay for it himself," Garber said. "He's not asking for a handout. We're not asking for a fully funded public facility. We're asking to partner with the public entities so we can both benefit by it, and I don't think that's unreasonable.

"We do believe that we are providing value to the city of Harrison and Hudson County, significantly improving an area that right now is a bunch of abandoned gas tanks. The incremental tax value, the incremental real estate development and overall quality of life value -- and I live 20 minutes from there -- is something that as a tax payer in New Jersey I rather have somebody do something there that's going to improve that environment and I'm willing to help pay for that.

"So I do believe that our stadium is no different than a Wal-Mart, a Sears or an office building, and municipalities contribute in partnership with private developers because that overall development enhances the value to citizens and the tax coffers of the municipality."

Whether it's Harrison, Manhattan or another city, Garber says Giants Stadium is not the solution.

"I'm not sure when we're going to get our stadium in New Jersey. And while I have great admiration for Gov. (Richard) Codey ... every day that goes by is one more day we're looking at playing in the Meadowlands," Garber said. "And this team will fail if it has to stay in the Meadowlands. We simple cannot continue to play in the Meadowlands and be financially viable or have the (playing) environment that that team deserves.

"Right now, we're looking at 2007 (in Harrison) at the earliest and it's killing the opportunity we have for professional soccer in this market. AEG is very committed to the MetroStars and very committed to the project in New Jersey.

"We have a facility that is just not appropriate for that team. And it's not just the size; it's every aspect of it. It's the expense, it's the environment, it's the security, it's the cost of parking, it's the lack of amenities."

George Zoffinger, the chief executive officer of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, could not be reached for comment.

TalB

03-15-2005, 05:55 PM

http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/42557.htm
GIFF WANTS JETS-GIANTS STADIUM FOR QUEENS

By TOM TOPOUSIS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
March 15, 2005 -- Escalating his attack on Mayor Bloomberg over the proposed West Side stadium, City Council Speaker Gifford Miller yesterday urged the Jets and Giants to join forces and build a new facility in Queens.
In a letter to Bloomberg and the teams, Miller said a new Queens stadium could serve both of the football franchises and be used as an Olympic stadium in a "fiscally responsible manner."

"Putting a stadium in Queens would expedite our plans for building an Olympic stadium and would strengthen our chances of bringing the 2012 Games to New York City," Miller wrote.

"In addition, it would bring the Jets and the Giants back where they belong — in New York City."

Miller, like all the Democratic mayoral candidates, has strongly opposed the $1.7 billion West Side stadium for its reliance on $600 million in city and state money and because he believes other uses of the rail yard would fetch a much higher price for the MTA.

Miller's Queens overture yesterday did not budge the Jets from their drive to build in Manhattan.

"The New York Jets have made it unequivocally clear that we have no intention of building a new home anywhere but on the far West Side, because that's what makes the most sense for the city and for the team," said spokeswoman Marissa Shorenstein.

NYguy

03-15-2005, 09:55 PM

"The New York Jets have made it unequivocally clear that we have no intention of building a new home anywhere but on the far West Side, because that's what makes the most sense for the city and for the team," said spokeswoman Marissa Shorenstein.

Of course they have, and of course it does. But why let reason get in the way? Its an election year, we can expect more of the same grandstanding from candidates. Not that any of it will mean anything.

H-man

03-15-2005, 10:56 PM

if the giants are thinking about joining in maybe they can pay the 600 million then everyones happy, if they go back to the old design of the stadium

billyblancoNYCII

03-16-2005, 05:27 AM

This would be ideal (in round, estimates):

$1.5 Billion total (not sure where the $1.7 came from:

1) $200 million from the city/state for most of the roof
2) $100 million from the Metrostars. They were to pay $150 mil, I think, in Harrison.
3) $300 million from a developer to build some apts/hotel/offices. I think this would be a good deal if the developer gets 3 towers, maybe 60-70 stories each.
4) $450 million each from Jets and Giants. Each team seves a bundle of cash.
5) Corp. sponsorship from a Citigroup-type should yield $400-$500 million over 30 yrs.

Each team would have a PRIME venue, the developer a prime site, more revenues for each team and for the city/state, and a prime promotional spot for some mega corporation.

I think this is a mix that only the truest of NIMBYs can dare to complain about.

NYguy

03-16-2005, 01:43 PM

I think this is a mix that only the truest of NIMBYs can dare to complain about.

They'd be still complaining, believe me. They just have to be ignored, and I'm glad Bloomberg is doing just that. You can't cave in everytime somebody doesn't want something built, because in New York nothing would ever get done.

NYguy

03-17-2005, 02:27 PM

The stadium wars continue:

STAR LEDGER

Xanadu go-ahead adds fuel to Giants stadium feud
Latest twist in Meadowlands development drama is likely to land in court

Thursday, March 17, 2005
BY MATTHEW FUTTERMAN

The state gave developers yesterday the green light to begin construction of a massive retail and entertainment complex at the Meadowlands, adding to the confusion surrounding one of the state's prime pieces of real estate.

The move sets up a showdown that is likely to stir further controversy in the already overheated football stadium negotiations on both sides of the Hudson.

Consider the brickbats being tossed around.

A rival developer, the Sierra Club and perhaps even the Giants may sue as early as today to halt construction on the $1.3 billion Xanadu project.

Jets officials said an offer to buy Giants Stadium, confirmed by acting Gov. Richard Codey on Tuesday, was a "joke" and never meant to be taken seriously.

Codey fired back: "I guess the Jets want to get a jump on April Fools' Day, but this is too serious an issue to engage in fraternity pranks."

The Jets sued arch-enemy Cablevision, claiming the cable television company won't run adds touting the proposed West Side stadium.

In the end, little was settled about Xanadu, a new Giants Stadium or the Jets' plans to build a $1.7 billion home in Manhattan.

The go-ahead by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority on Xanadu came just hours after the developers, Mills Corp. and Mack-Cali Realty said they received their final permit for the project, though the actual permit was not in hand, yet.

"We discussed this at length and decided the positives of beginning construction outweighed the risks of whatever that incurs," Carl Goldberg, chairman of the sports authority said. "It's time to get this project started."

Before the end of today, state and federal judges are expected to have something to say about that.

Rival developer Hartz Mountain Industries has threatened to keep construction from starting. The Giants, who fear Xanadu will cause a traffic nightmare on game days, may not be far behind.

Team officials, who this week re-started negotiations with the state for a new $700 million stadium at the Meadowlands, have insisted they have the right to approve major construction projects at the sports complex. The team has not signed off on Xanadu.

Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club, said state and federal agencies did a shoddy job of evaluating Xanadu's impact on water and quality and traffic in the region.

"We will be rushing our papers into court," he said.

The complex will include hundreds of high-end stores and restaurants, the country's largest cineplex and the western hemispheres first indoor ski mountain.

Bob Sommer, a spokesman for Mills/Mack-Cali, said barring court intervention, the beginning of construction on Xanadu will be quick and dramatic, as flatbed trucks carrying pieces of a 2,500-car garage descend on the site. Workers will also quickly fill in eight acres of wetlands.

"Unless someone says this can't happen, it will," Sommer said.

A spokesman for Hartz Mountain Industries, earlier sued to stop it, declined comment.

The Jets, meanwhile, hired super-lawyer David Boies and accused Cablevision of illegally using its monopoly power in the market to block Jets' commercials about its plans. The project would receive some $600 million in public money.

Charles Schueler, a spokesman for Cablevision, which owns Madison Square Garden, called the lawsuit a publicity stunt.

Jets officials, meanwhile, said team President Jay Cross was never serious about bidding for Giants Stadium.

"Jay made a tongue-in-cheek remark," to state officials, said Andrew Lee, counsel to the Jets.. He wasn't making an offer to buy Giants Stadium. It was an offhanded, tongue-in-cheek remark."

While Codey held firm in his interpretation of what happened, Goldberg went out of his way to reassure the Giants they are New Jersey's top priority in professional sports. He promised the state would not sell their home to their rivals in the neighboring locker room.

"Complicated negotiations include all kinds of creative ideas that are thrown on the table, and this was discussed but there are no substantive discussions about the Jets buying Giants stadium at this time," he said. "The Giants should not be concerned."

And through it all, Giants chief executive John Mara remained at the NFL meetings in Hawaii.

Through a spokesman, Mara declined comment on both the stadium controversy and Xanadu.

TalB

03-27-2005, 05:17 AM

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/27/opinion/27sun1.html?pagewanted=all
A Triple Play for New York Teams

Published: March 27, 2005

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/dropcap/l.gifately, New Yorkers have had a lot of opportunity to think about what the world owes professional sports. Lawsuits, charges and countercharges are flying over the proposed Jets football stadium like so many Hail Mary passes. The Nets have a deal with the city, and the Yankees could announce one soon. As it stands now, the public investment on these projects would be more than $1 billion, and that does not count the Mets, who will inevitably be heard from, or the Nascar racetrack being planned for Staten Island. While each plan should be judged on its own merits, those numbers defy reason.

The city should do what it reasonably can to keep and attract pro sports. That means using normal development tools like eminent domain rights and access to government-owned parcels of land. Teams have also become used to getting a financing break on construction through tax-exempt bonds, although Congress has begun to complain that the practice deprives the federal Treasury of tens of millions of dollars a year.

But given the enormous profitability of this sports market, the idea of adding on public subsidies is ridiculous. Sports teams should pay their own way. That includes "infrastructure improvements," unless that infrastructure is something that was already wanted and needed by the community. The community, by the way, should be consulted whether the law requires it or not.

Here is how we would rate the current deals:

The Jets on the West Side The Bloomberg administration very much wants the Jets to win the right to build a stadium on the Hudson River. Whether the team can beat back a competing bid for the site is still up in the air. But if football wins the day, the city and state are prepared to spend at least $600 million to help erect the most expensive stadium in the nation. That money would build a platform over the state-owned railyard on the site, and a roof, so the space could do duty for conventions and other events (including the Super Bowl, which the team has strategically secured for 2010). The Jets should pay for both, as well as for a tunnel to connect the stadium to the Javits Convention Center. This is precisely the kind of infrastructure deal that is generated by the team's needs and not the community's.

The Nets in Brooklyn The developer Bruce Ratner of the Forest City Ratner Companies (which is the partner of The Times in the building of its new headquarters) wants to build a Frank Gehry-designed arena in downtown Brooklyn for the team, which was purchased last year from its New Jersey owners. But the plan is really about offices, retail space and - most of all - housing. The developer has said that half of the proposed 4,500 residential units would be put aside for tenants of low to middle income.

A mixed-use development like this could be a shot in the arm for the local economy. The low- and moderate-income housing units would be a big plus, and the developer has agreed to pay fair market value for the railyards at the site. But the city and state are each supposed to contribute $100 million to build streets and sidewalks and prepare the site for development. That's unnecessary: Mr. Ratner should pay his own way. He should also make more of an effort to work with the community.

The Yankees in the Bronx While a plan is still being negotiated, the team seems to be acting like a superstar free agent and asking for the moon. The team is reportedly expecting the city and state to pitch in $300 million to build, among other things, a parking garage that would be used mostly during games. That is wrong, and if the city intends to give the Yankees Macombs Dam Park for its new site, the team - not the taxpayers - should pay to replace that open space elsewhere. The Yankees can boast that they would pay for the stadium - about $750 million - but under new rules they can deduct capital costs from annual payments to the league, so they will hardly feel the pinch.

The Yankees have the richest franchise in the league, and they have played the better part of a century in a depressed area of the South Bronx without adding much to the neighborhood. There are plenty of ways the team can give back, including helping to build affordable housing, schools and retail space in the area. The Yankees should also preserve at least the facade of the beloved House That Ruth Built.

Economic development is a good thing, when the target is right. Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration has delivered some worthy investments, like the more than $50 million that helped build a new Museum of Modern Art and the $100 million spent to bring improvements, including the Fulton Fish Market, to the distressed Hunts Point neighborhood in the Bronx and surrounding neighborhoods. But major professional sports teams just don't need the assistance. Government officials should be negotiating from positions of power, instead of standing ready to give away the store when professional teams bat an eye in New York's direction.

Maybe the city needs to get over abandonment issues that date back to the departure of the Dodgers. That kind of betrayal is not likely today. The Jets did leave when the city was struggling and needed them, but they only crossed the Hudson. And now, of course, they would like to come back.

NYguy

04-03-2005, 03:23 PM

NY POST

JETS FOE FREDDY HAPPY TO PLAY BALL WITH YANKEES

By DAVID SEIFMAN
April 3, 2005

FERNANDO FERRER, a vocal opponent of government subsidies to the West Side stadium, is prepared to support a new Yankee Stadium in The Bronx that would require some public funding.

"It's different," Ferrer said in an interview. "The Yankees propose to pay for their own stadium. I'm there. I think that's what the Jets ought to be doing."

The Yankees' proposal has the team footing the entire $800 million bill for construction of a new ballpark.

The city and state would spend up to $300 million for infrastructure improvements, including $75 million on park renovations and $140 million on a garage.

Adding a Metro-North station, an improved ferry dock and extending a subway platform could also be part of the deal.

In 1998, when he was Bronx borough president, Ferrer came up with a $535 million proposal to keep the Yankees in a renovated stadium. The city contribution would have been about $175 million.

Ferrer said there's a big difference between what he suggested seven years ago and what the Jets are in line to receive today.

The $600 million the city and state want to infuse into the West Side would go for a platform over the MTA's rail yards and a retractable dome.

___________________________________________________

"It's different," Ferrer said in an interview. "The Yankees propose to pay for their own stadium. I'm there. I think that's what the Jets ought to be doing."

The Yankees' proposal has the team footing the entire $800 million bill for construction of a new ballpark.

The city and state would spend up to $300 million for infrastructure improvements, including $75 million on park renovations and $140 million on a garage.

Adding a Metro-North station, an improved ferry dock and extending a subway platform could also be part of the deal

This is why you should pay no attention to the lip service being given by those anti-westside stadium politicians. Freddy Ferrer wouldn't dare come out against any spending for a new YANKEES stadium, even though it's basically the same thing as the JETS. Ferrer knows most of all, he can't afford to alienate his Bronx base while seeking to become mayor.

NYguy

04-06-2005, 01:18 PM

The stadium wars continue on the Jersey side of the Hudson...

NY TIMES

Giants Take Legal Action to Stop Sports Authority's Xanadu Construction

By RICHARD SANDOMIR
April 6, 2005

The New York Giants, angry that construction began last month on the $1.3 billion Meadowlands Xanadu project without their approval, went to court yesterday to halt the work and to enforce a clause in their lease that requires the state to renovate Giants Stadium into a modern, state-of-the-art facility.

"We needed to take action to protect our home," said John Mara, the football team's executive vice president, whose family owns 50 percent of the Giants. The Tisch family owns the other half.

Mr. Mara said at a news conference that the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority "blatantly disregarded our rights under the lease" by giving developers permission to start building Xanadu, a family entertainment and sports complex that is to include an indoor ski slope, indoor surfing, a Formula One racetrack and office towers.

The area near the Continental Arena has become a construction zone. Sixty pilings have been driven into the parking lot for a garage, and eight acres of wetlands east of the arena have been dredged.

The Giants' lawsuit, filed in Bergen County Superior Court, elevates the tension among the team, Acting Gov. Richard J. Codey and the sports authority. Last month, a deal for the Giants to privately finance a new $700 million stadium collapsed when Mr. Codey added two late conditions - that the team waive its 30-day negotiating window and sign off on the Xanadu deal immediately, and his refusal to rule out that the state could impose a tax on revenue-generating activities at the new stadium.

The next day, the sports authority sued the Giants, also in the Bergen County court, to clarify the clause that refers to a state-of-the-art facility, which it argued was not its financial obligation alone, as the team insists, but one that it shares with the team.

The two lawsuits are expected to be consolidated.

"I welcome the Giants' lawsuit," George Zoffinger, the sports authority's president, said by telephone. "Now an independent third party will settle once and for all the state-of-the-art issue."

Mr. Zoffinger disputed the team's claims that the stadium was in decline or that the 24,000 surface parking spaces that the Giants are entitled to would be cut by construction.

Kelley Heck, a spokeswoman for Governor Codey, said: "I don't think the action today was unexpected. The governor remains optimistic that we can reach a deal with the Giants that will be good for the people of New Jersey. Hopefully, there will be a time when the Giants and Xanadu will reach agreement as well."

Mr. Mara said an agreement on traffic and parking issues with Xanadu's developers, the Mills Corporation and Mack-Cali, was contingent on a deal. In the Giants' lawsuit, the team said the sports authority sent it a letter on March 22 "purportedly seeking" its consent, one day after construction began.

The chairman of the sports authority, Carl J. Goldberg, disputed that the Giants could block the Xanadu construction. "We don't believe the lease gives them sign-off on Xanadu, per se," he said in an interview. "We don't share their opinion."

The Giants cited two sections of the lease to buttress their right to block Xanadu if construction caused traffic problems or reduced the number of parking spaces for football fans on game days. It cited recent statements from Mr. Codey in which he acknowledged the Giants' ability to halt the project.

A spokesman for Xanadu, Bob Sommer, said that the project was "delivering on its promise of 20,000 jobs," and that the Giants' lawsuit was a "shot across the bows" of the families who are benefiting now that construction has begun.

Mr. Mara said the team's goal was to stay in New Jersey and build a stadium with its own money, but he admitted that the delay caused by the collapsed deal would cause the stadium's cost to rise to $750 million. If the Giants cannot build their own stadium, they want a court to enforce the obligation of the sports authority to finance hundreds of millions of dollars in renovations.

"I don't see any scenario where the court will say it's a shared obligation," Mr. Mara said.

Mr. Zoffinger said the sports authority would comply with the court's ruling.

Mr. Mara said the actions of Mr. Codey and the sports authority "are pushing us in the direction" of Manhattan, where last week the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board unanimously granted the Jets approval to build a $2 billion stadium above the railroad yards on the West Side of Manhattan.

"That's not something we want to do," Mr. Mara said, reaffirming that unlike the Jets, the Devils and the Nets, his family and the Tisch family want their team to stay in the Meadowlands. The Devils plan to move to Newark, and the Nets are expected to move to Brooklyn.

All those teams will be playing in new buildings, which is what the Giants want after nearly 30 years in Giants Stadium. Mr. Zoffinger insisted that the stadium was up to modern standards, and that the sports authority would continue to make improvements in a "reasonable and periodic way," as the lease requires.

But Mr. Mara said in a subsequent phone interview that "no one would argue it's state of the art; maybe he's comparing it to Shea Stadium or Randalls Island."

His lawsuit cites areas that make Giants Stadium substandard - from the low number of luxury boxes (some without bathrooms) and club seats to the size of video screens and the narrowness of its concourses.

Mr. Goldberg, of the exposition authority, argued, though, that the team was "cloaking their pleadings as something that they're doing for their fans, but fans are not interested in the Giants' ability to install more luxury suites and club seats."

Benhamin

04-06-2005, 06:44 PM

Sounds like it will be a big legal mess, especially considering the cost of the project.

NYguy

04-06-2005, 09:31 PM

Sounds like it will be a big legal mess, especially considering the cost of the project.

I think the GIANTS would like to stay in the meadowlands with a stadium of their own, but the state will have to give in return, possibly a scaled back Xanadu included.

Mr. Mara said the team's goal was to stay in New Jersey and build a stadium with its own money, but he admitted that the delay caused by the collapsed deal would cause the stadium's cost to rise to $750 million. If the Giants cannot build their own stadium, they want a court to enforce the obligation of the sports authority to finance hundreds of millions of dollars in renovations.

Mr. Mara said the actions of Mr. Codey and the sports authority "are pushing us in the direction" of Manhattan, where last week the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board unanimously granted the Jets approval to build a $2 billion stadium above the railroad yards on the West Side of Manhattan.

"That's not something we want to do," Mr. Mara said, reaffirming that unlike the Jets, the Devils and the Nets, his family and the Tisch family want their team to stay in the Meadowlands.

billyblancoNYCII

04-07-2005, 08:55 PM

Fuck Mara. Let him rot in the swamps. And if I were NY, I'd make him change the name of the team to the Jersey Jerk-offs. This guy's a joke.

NYguy

04-07-2005, 09:26 PM

Fuck Mara. Let him rot in the swamps. And if I were NY, I'd make him change the name of the team to the Jersey Jerk-offs. This guy's a joke.

He just wants his own stadium. They don't want to be in a position the JETS were in at GIANTS stadium. But it could still end up that way.

NYguy

04-08-2005, 02:04 PM

Another look at the Newark finalists:

The three finalists designs for the new Newark arena (DEVILS)

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/35396635.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/35396643.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/35396645.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/35396646.jpg

Final arena design chosen: (the last brick rendering is updated)

STAR LEDGER

Think of TV on Mulberry Street

Friday, April 08, 2005

Betting on a giant TV to draw people to walk at night in downtown Newark is central to the design for the new Devils hockey arena.

The New York City-based design firm of Morris Adjmi Architects unveiled a simple, functional plan for the arena yesterday, a square brick facade punctuated on two sides by vast 90- by 75-foot windows.

One would be a curving bay window overlooking Edison Place, and the other, floating over the main entrance facing Mulberry Street, would sport the largest LED television screen in Newark. It could flash highlights from the game inside or feed images to overflow crowds from concerts or other events.

The 70,000-square-foot brick box of the arena would float one story above the sidewalk on those two sides, with a glass-walled entrance level meeting the street; there are also two glass cylinders on both corners along Mulberry, just tall enough to top the arena walls. The cylindrical entranceways, which would glow with light at night, are large enough for trees or other greenery.

The other two walls, facing Edison and Broad streets, would be curtain walls of brick. One wall would peek over the roof of the three-story-high community center facing Lafayette Street, with its full-size public skating rink, and a new five-story Devils office building; the other, facing Broad Street, would be connected by an enclosed pedestrian bridge to the old NJ Transit building on Broad, which would function as the western entrance to the arena.

The bridge stretches from the old transit building across a new service street and limited on-site parking area at the back of the arena.

The rehabilitated and expanded NJ Transit building, topped by a new glass roof, would be transformed into a hockey Hall of Fame.

The whole design, for both the exterior and interior of the arena (the interior design will be handled by HOK Sport+Venue+Event of Kansas City, an experienced sports interior designer), must fit within an overall budget of $310 million.

New parking structures, slated for property right across Lafayette Street in the Newark Downtown Core Redevelopment Project, are not included in this design. But a spokesperson for Morris Adjmi said the arena was conceived with direct entrances on three sides in order to accommodate the "ample street parking" downtown. Parking has always been a major concern of opponents of the arena project.

Inside, the bowl of the arena is set catty-corner to the square bulk of the building, opening up deep space on the concourses for restaurants and bars. They do wonders with steel-truss roofs these days, and no pillars will block sightlines in the 18,000-seat arena bowl itself. VIPs -- and members of the press -- will love their expanded quarters and easy access to two roof patios, which may be decorated with plantings or even grass.

The acres of glass downstairs and in the cylindrical entranceways try to give a welcoming feel to at least two sides of the design, especially facing Mulberry Street, and the new triangular park that would extend from Newark Penn Station to the arena.

Imagining that park filled with people enjoying the giant LED screen on a summer night is perhaps the most engaging aspect of the design. Whether it will draw people to walk city streets at night is the biggest question.

http://newjerseydevils.com/2005/html/theteam/images/teamnews/newarkarena-day1024.jpg

NYguy

04-08-2005, 02:08 PM

STAR LEDGER

Devils' next home invites you in
Architect unveils model for Devils' home, a four-sided feast of glass and brick

Friday, April 08, 2005

BY GEORGE E. JORDAN

Officials from the city of Newark and the Devils hockey team unveiled an exterior model of the downtown arena last night, a glass-and-brick structure that will feature a gigantic outdoor video screen.

The designer, Manhattan architect Morris Adjmi, said oversized windows, glass-enclosed stair towers and a video board will make the building -- scheduled to open in 2007 -- inviting and colorful.

The video screen will face east, toward a triangular park that will be part of a pedestrian plaza leading to Newark Penn Station. The facade of the old Central Rail Road terminal will form a main entrance to the arena along Broad Street. The Edison Place side of the building will be lined with restaurants and shops.

"It invites you in," said Mayor Sharpe James, the arena's most vocal supporter, who presented the arena model at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.

Newark Business Administrator Richard Monteilh described the arena as "a fishbowl. You can drive or walk by and see the activity."

Devils owner Jeffrey Vanderbeek noted the Broad Street entrances would provide access to a small museum that contains information about the hockey team, Newark and the arena itself.

Adjmi beat out two other designers in a competition late last year for the exterior of the $310 million arena. He said the structure's brown brick, tan highlights, and sightlines will give it an "an industrial quality" and pay tribute to the city's historic architecture.

"Each facade is trying to address different parts of the city," said Adjmi.

Adjmi's model and drawings will be on display through April 23 at the Newark Museum.

Demolition is under way of the never-completed Renaissance Mall and other buildings on the arena tract, an area bounded by Board, Market, Lafayette and Mulberry streets.

Major construction is scheduled to begin after a formal groundbreaking in July.

City officials foresee the arena anchoring a commercial complex that includes a hotel, parking decks, office towers, restaurants and shops. Separately, an upscale condominium development nearby is in the early planning stages.

Monteilh suggested even more changes are in store. "We still have time to tweak it," he said.

The model represents a significant departure from Adjmi's original design, which called for large brick columns and an aluminum curtain wall that gave the structure the height and shape of a Roman Colosseum.

Cost figured in the changes. Newark said it would spend no more than $210 million in public money on the 18,000-seat arena, with the Devils contributing $100 million. The hockey team also is paying for a hotel, parking deck, community center and entertainment complex.

KUD International of Santa Monica, Calif., has been hired to oversee construction. The interior of the building is being designed by HOK Sport+Venue+Event of Kansas City.

Adjmi is a former student and New York City partner of the late Italian architect Aldo Rossi. They collaborated on a historic piazza in Genoa, Italy, the Walt Disney Company's Celebration Office Complex in Orlando, Fla., and Scholastic Inc. headquarters in New York.

NYguy

04-14-2005, 12:47 PM

Looks like the GIANTS will get their new stadium afterall...

DAILY NEWS

Giants, N.J. agree on stadium
New home eyed at Meadowlands

BY RALPH VACCHIANO

The Jets can take Manhattan and their controversial West Side Stadium. The Giants are staying in the New Jersey swamp.

After months of on-again, off-again negotiations and several threatened lawsuits, the Giants and the state of New Jersey reached an agreement last night that will allow the team to build a new home right next to their old one. They are expected to hold a press conference at 11 a.m. today to announce the details of a $750 million, privately financed stadium that could be ready for play by 2008.

Assuming there are no other obstacles - never a sure thing in the New York stadium wars - the new Giants' stadium would be the first new stadium or arena built for one of the New York area's nine professional sports teams since Brendan Byrne Arena (now Continental Airlines Arena) was built next door to Giants Stadium in 1981.

When the official announcement is made this morning, it will end months of public bickering between the Giants and the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority. Talks with the NJSEA had stalled over several issues - most notably the Giants' concerns about traffic problems created by the $1.3 million Xanadu entertainment and retail center now under construction at the Meadowlands. In fact, the Giants filed a lawsuit on April 5 to block the Xanadu project and to force the NJSEA to make approximately $500 million in renovations to Giants Stadium the team believed it was entitled to under its current lease.

A hearing was scheduled for April 29, but that was apparently averted when acting New Jersey Gov. Richard Codey convinced NJSEA chief George Zoffinger to support the stadium deal. Zoffinger had opposed the project because he didn't believe the $6.3 million in annual rent the Giants would continue to pay would be enough to cover Giants Stadium's annual debt.

The new stadium is expected to seat about 80,000 people - slightly more than Giants Stadium, which opened its doors in 1976. The team is expected to keep most of the revenue generated by the stadium, including the very lucrative naming rights. And according to the Associated Press, the agreement will be for a 40-year lease with options that could extend it for nearly a century.

FerrariEnzo

04-14-2005, 10:58 PM

Gross, Kohn Peterson and Fox should have won.

tonyo

04-15-2005, 03:41 PM

NYTimes
April 15, 2005

New Jersey Reveals the Details of a New Stadium for the Giants

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2005/04/15/nyregion/giants.span.jpg
Acting Gov. Richard J. Codey, seated, on Thursday with, from left, the Giants' co-owners, Robert Tisch and Wellington Mara; Carl Goldberg, chairman of New Jersey's Sports and Exposition Authority; Steve Tisch; and John Mara, announcing plans for a new Giants Stadium.

By LAURA MANSNERUS

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., April 14 - The New York Giants will replace their aging stadium with an expanded $750 million complex in the New Jersey Meadowlands under an agreement that Acting Gov. Richard J. Codey said Thursday was "the best deal for the taxpayers of any stadium deal in the N.F.L."

The new stadium will have 200 luxury suites - the current stadium now has 118 - a major expansion in club seating, new stores, restaurants and practice facilities, which altogether will nearly triple the size of the Giants' site at the Meadowlands Sports Complex, to 75 acres.

The Giants will own and manage the stadium, while paying the state $5 million a year in rent for the land and giving it $1.3 million annually in payments in lieu of taxes. The state will pay the $125 million in existing debt on the current stadium, and the infrastructure costs for the new stadium, estimated at $30 million.

The agreement, struck Wednesday night between team executives and state officials, ends a dispute that had landed both parties in court and cast doubt on the future of the sports complex, which even now is being transformed by the construction of a huge entertainment and retail development.

Mr. Codey described the deal, a critical victory in his campaign to rescue professional sports in the state, in glowing terms at a news conference with executives of the team.

The agreement still must be evaluated by the board of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which has called a meeting on Tuesday to vote on it.

And the deal has detractors, including the sports authority's executive director, George Zoffinger. Mr. Zoffinger agreed just in the last week, under pressure from Mr. Codey, not to block the proposal. But he and some others at the sports authority have maintained that it effectively gave the team a taxpayer subsidy.

Mr. Codey and Carl Goldberg, the chairman of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, stressed that the Giants would pay all construction costs, while relieving the state of its obligation under the old lease to make improvements necessary to maintain a "state of the art" stadium - an uncertain but potentially huge obligation that the Giants put at $300 million and had threatened to enforce in court.

"When other states are building stadiums on the backs of taxpayers, Jersey has said no," Mr. Codey said.

But Andrew Zimbalist, an economist at Smith College who has written extensively on public spending on sports franchises, said Mr. Codey was "blatantly incorrect" in calling the stadium deal the best in the league for taxpayers.

Mr. Zimbalist noted that the New England Patriots and Washington Redskins play in stadiums built entirely with their owners' money, and he said that the Patriots are reimbursing the state for its $71 million in infrastructure costs.

Still, Mr. Zimbalist said the New Jersey deal was, among N.F.L. stadiums, "very close to the top end of taxpayer advantage, or lack of disadvantage," since the average public subsidy for an N.F.L. stadium is 60 percent.

A better deal for the state, Mr. Zimbalist said, would be losing the team altogether. But Mr. Codey made it clear from the day he took office in November that that was not an option. And after negotiations collapsed last month, Mr. Codey worked to revive them.

In the meantime, the Giants used the "state of the art" provision in their lease as a potential trump, suing the sports authority to force it to pay for renovations.

John Mara, the Giants' executive vice president, whose family owns 50 percent of the team, said that "there was a period of time when I was not sure we were going to make it" but that "that really changed over the past few days when the governor took charge of negotiations."

While the Giants are no longer pursuing the renovation issue in court, Mr. Mara said, the team is not dropping its request for an injunction to stop the construction of the Meadowlands Xanadu project at the sports complex.

The project, part of former Gov. James E. McGreevey's plan to ease the state out of the professional sports business, has angered the team, which claims that Xanadu patrons will interfere with game traffic and parking.

The Giants and the Xanadu developers, the Mills Corporation and the Mack-Cali Realty Corporation, must still reach a separate accord on those traffic and parking issues. While it is not clear what recourse the team would have if its concerns are not satisfied, Mr. Mara said the team was "cautiously optimistic," and Robert G. Sommer, a spokesman for the Xanadu partnership, said, "we believe, and I'm sure it's their belief, that we'll work it out."

The team's new agreement with New Jersey leaves open the possibility that the New York Jets, who now share the stadium with the Giants but are planning a move to the proposed West Side stadium in Manhattan, will stay.

The other teams at the sports complex are planning to leave, the New Jersey Devils hockey team for a new arena in Newark, the New Jersey Nets for a new arena in Brooklyn and the MetroStars soccer team to a planned stadium in Harrison, N.J.

The Giants do not yet have a site plan or design for their expanded new quarters, scheduled for completion in 2008. The stadium will seat 80,000, an increase of 4,000 seats, and in addition to the luxury suites will include club seating for 8,000 to 10,000 people. The current stadium has 142 club seats. The plan also calls for wider concourses and improved concession stands and bathrooms.

The team's lease is for 40 years with options that could extend it to 98 years. Mr. Zimbalist said that while the stadium would not be the most expensive ever built, "it will be in the top five."

Mr. Mara said, "We are currently well down in the third quartile of the N.F.L. in terms of our revenues, and we believe a new stadium will bring us into the first quartile." He said he had no projections on ticket costs but expected that luxury suites would cost about $200,000 a year each.

In addition, the state has agreed to sell naming rights to the stadium, and to give the first $12 million to the team. The state would keep up to $3 million of any excess.

While Mr. Codey and Mr. Goldberg congratulated the team owners - including the Maras and the Tisch family, the Giants' co-owners - at the news conference, Mr. Zoffinger was conspicuously absent. When asked whether Mr. Zoffinger's job was safe, Mr. Codey shrugged. But Mr. Goldberg said, "I'm sure he will be the head of the sports authority for as long as he wishes." Mr. Zoffinger was out of state Thursday and not available for comment.

Richard Sandomir contributed reporting for this article.

NYguy

04-16-2005, 01:02 PM

http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/991-FRONT_BIG.jpg

http://www.nydailynews.com/images/heads/rope0416.jpg

It's back to the future for Yanks
Bombers' new digs will look like scene from Ruth's heyday

By T.J. QUINN

From the outside, it'll be 1923 again.

Limestone walls rising like a fortress, standing sentinel in refurbished parkland. It's the view Babe Ruth had when he went to work in the house they built for him.

On the inside, a mix of modernity and antiquity has officials from City Hall, Albany and the Bronx gushing: the old frieze hanging from the roof like copper lace, bullpens back in the outfield where they used to be, but with open concourses (with six times the space for concession sales) and sight lines to the field from almost anywhere in the park.

This is the new Yankee Stadium, almost ready for prime time, all but signed, sealed and to be delivered by Opening Day 2009.

Lawyers for the city, state and the team are completing a "memorandum of understanding," sources told the Daily News, and an announcement is expected around May 1.

As of now, the new stadium is designed to seat 50,800, less than the current capacity of 57,478, but with 50 to 60 luxury suites.

It will be located just north of the existing stadium, between 161st and 164th Sts. and between Jerome and River Aves.

The stadium itself, funded entirely by the team, will run about $800 million, while the total project will cost about $1.1 billion with the city and the state providing the extra $300 million for a new Metro-North station, parkland along the now decrepit waterfront and better parking facilities around the stadium.

Yankee President Randy Levine and city and state officials would not comment directly about the plans or the pending agreement, but confirmed they are in the final stages.

"We're working very closely with the city and the state and trying to finalize our current plan," Levine said. "We expect to announce it in the near future, and we hope to break ground in 2006 and be ready to play in 2009."

Officials familiar with the plans gave The News an exclusive preview of the designs for the new park, which includes all the amenities of a state of the art shopping mall:

The stadium will be comprised of two separate structures: one, the exterior wall, constructed to replicate the original Yankee Stadium, built in 1923, and the other the interior stadium itself, rising over the top of the exterior. From the outside the structures will look like one building, almost identical in materials and design to the original stadium. There will be a "great hall" between the exterior wall and the interior structure, featuring five to six times more retail square footage than the current stadium.

The signature frieze, the lattice work that once rimmed the original stadium roof and was recreated in the outfield of the current stadium, will be added to the new stadium's roof. The frieze (commonly but incorrectly known as "the facade") was painted white during the 1960s, as it now appears above the outfield. But the new stadium will return to the original copper.

The city will provide $50 million worth of infrastructure for the new stadium. But the city and state, depending on the agreement, will build and control all 11,000 parking spaces in the area, a cash cow for taxpayers that one consultant told the Yankees was "too generous," a source said.
Perhaps best of all for the parties involved, there is no significant opposition to the project.

"We expect this project to be one that is supported by all," Levine said.

NYguy

04-17-2005, 03:24 PM

http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/991-FRONT_BIG.jpg

http://www.nydailynews.com/images/heads/rope0416.jpg

It's back to the future for Yanks
Bombers' new digs will look like scene from Ruth's heyday

DAILY NEWS

Retro-Stadium gets standing O

BY RICK HARRISON and DON SINGLETON

The Yankees' proposal for a brand-new old-fashioned stadium in the Bronx, revealed exclusively in yesterday's Daily News, appeared to hit a grand slam with New York fans.

While a few Yankee rooters interviewed by News reporters voiced minor concerns about the plan - the likelihood of higher ticket prices, for one - most said they look forward to watching the Bombers from new seats.

"They need a new stadium to keep up with everyone else," said Chris Quayle, 33, of Dover, N.J., who was wearing a Yankees cap as he stood with his girlfriend, Tonya Giessler, 34, outside Yankee Clubhouse on Fifth Ave. near 37th St.

"Even Boston redid their stadium to have a playground over the Green Monster," Quayle said. And it's not just a matter of keeping up with the Joneses, he added. The current Stadium "is starting to fall apart a little bit."

Quayle, who works for Viacom, peppered his conversation with references to Giessler's baseball leanings - while attending Northeastern University in Boston, she caught the Red Sox virus.

The proposed new Stadium "looks good, has that old-time look," said Ralph Taveras, 36, of Brooklyn, a Metro-North police officer passing through Grand Central Terminal.

"Other stadiums look so cold because they're so modern. The Yankees are bringing back the old-time stadium. I think it's time for something new, if they lower the capacity they will probably have to raise the ticket prices."

"I think it's great," said construction contractor Michael Sheridan, 52, of Manhattan, who was standing nearby. "I like all the old-style ballparks that are being built, like Camden Yards [in Baltimore] and Jacobs Field [in Cleveland]."

Sheridan says he attends about 35 Yankees home games every baseball season, and he looks forward to the prospect of a new Stadium in the Bronx.

"I'd like to go just to see it," he said. "The old Stadium is sort of falling apart."

Centra Breen, 25, a Queens housekeeper, said she didn't like the idea that the new stadium will seat fewer people than the current one - the capacity will be 50,800, down from the current 57,478, but with the addition of 50 to 60 luxury suites.

"I don't like the fact that they're going to change it to less people," Breen said. "It's nice it's so modern, [but] it looks like the hard-core fans will miss the old one."

And then there is that other group of New York baseball fans, the ones whose attention is focused on Flushing Meadows in Queens.

"Unfortunately, the Mets are second fiddle once again," said Shane Powers, 28, of the upper East Side, who was sitting with four other Mets fans in Annie Moore's Bar at Vanderbilt Ave. and E. 44th St.

"It's time for the Mets ownership to step it up."

http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/50-yankeestadiumreax.JPG

[b]Chris Quayle is happy with Yanks plans.

NYguy

04-17-2005, 03:41 PM

NY POST

YANKS SHOW GREEN THUMB

http://www.nypost.com/photos/news04172005002.jpg

By BILL SANDERSON and STEFAN C. FRIEDMAN

April 17, 2005 -- The Yankees are proposing to replace Bronx parkland that would be taken up by a new stadium with public playing fields and tennis courts, according to architectural drawings described to The Post.

The $800 million, 50,000-seat stadium would go up across East 162nd Street from the House that Ruth Built, taking over a decrepit soccer field and some tennis courts in Macombs Dam and Mullaly parks. Its playing field would bear the same dimensions and its foul lines face in the same direction as the current field.

The Yankees are suggesting that a public track and soccer field be built west of the current stadium, on what's now a parking lot, and that tennis courts be constructed just to the north. There would also be new public baseball fields.

A walkway would lead north from a new ferry terminal and Metro-North station on the Harlem River, past the old stadium and across East 162nd Street, to the new stadium's grand entrance, near home plate.

The old stadium's facade would stay up, but most of its stands would be torn down, as would be those parts of the facade furthest from home.

The Yankees expect the improvements to cost $60 million to $80 million and to be funded by the city.

As for the inside of the new stadium, sight lines would be set so the playing field would be visible from concession stands.

The proposal, however, differs widely from one pitched by Borough President Adolfo Carrion last October in that it doesn't include a host of projects pushed by the beep.

Carrion wants to transform the old stadium into an open-air Yankee hall-of-fame museum and to build a high school for sports medicine south of the ballpark.

"We're the host community to the Bronx Bombers, but we've not benefited from the presence here in a way that we ought to," he said. "We're going to be very careful to try to create a master plan that benefits the community."

But he stated confidently that his office and the Yankees would reach a compromise agreement within months.

Meanwhile, Rep. Charles Rangel came out in favor of a new stadium, saying, "I'm a lifelong Yankees fan, so I really look forward to it."

TalB

04-17-2005, 03:53 PM

http://www.nydailynews.com/boroughs/story/300547p-257311c.html
Stadium of dreams

$42M Randalls Is. track arena opens Sat.

BY SONDRA WOLFER
DAILY NEWS WRITER

http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/477-icahn.JPG
Richard Davis, chairman of the Randalls Island Sports Foundation, proudly shows off the new $42 million Icahn Stadium.

There's no controversy over this stadium.

It's a spanking new stadium for Randalls Island that will open next Saturday to a new generation of world-class athletes, amateur runners and New York City school kids with Olympic dreams.

During the opening festivities for the new Icahn Stadium, 2004 Olympic gold medalist Justin Gatlin will reenact the 100-meter dash Jesse Owens ran at the now demolished Downing Stadium, which qualified the famed athlete for the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.

The $42 million stadium was built with public and private funding, including a $10 million donation from billionaire investor Carl Icahn and his wife, Gail.

Opening day, which begins at noon and is free to the public, will feature the New York Relays, a college and high school invitational meet for kids from public and private schools in the metropolitan area.

"This is THE premier track and field facility in the country. It's the kind of facility that can attract world-class runners," said Richard Davis, chairman of the Randalls Island Sports Foundation, the public-private partnership that manages the 300-acre Randalls Island Park and the track.

The stadium is the centerpiece of the foundation's plans to develop the park into a major sports and recreation destination, complete with a water park, refurbished and expanded baseball and soccer fields, a nature center and a greenway around the island.

"It's really exciting," said Davis. "This marks the real new beginning of the island."

In addition to major college, national and international meets, the stadium will host public and private school meets, and training programs for children and adults.

"It's a place for our young people to go and train and learn," Davis said. "It's very important to us that this is accessible and available for use by the city's kids."

The stadium, which faces upper Manhattan across the Harlem River, features a $1 million state-of-the-art track by the Mondo company of Italy, which built the track for the Athens Olympics.

The facility, which is being trumpeted in the city's bid to host the 2012 Olympics, has permanent seating for 5,000 spectators beneath the covered grandstand, and room for additional temporary seating for larger meets. Two lighting towers flanking the stands will allow for night meets.

"This is an unbelievable facility. It's like walking into Yankee Stadium - you are blown away," said Lou Vasquez of The Armory Foundation. The nonprofit organization runs the Armory indoor track on Fort Washington Ave. and will manage track and field events at the new stadium.

Vasquez said the stadium is already being filled with major meets, including the NCAA Region 1 Outdoor Track and Field Championships over Memorial Day weekend.

Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe agreed that the new track will likely inspire a new generation of athletes in the city.

"Now that we have such a great facility in New York City, I think we'll start again to produce world-class track and field athletes," he said.

Originally published on April 17, 2005

NYguy

04-17-2005, 04:21 PM

http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/991-FRONT_BIG.jpg

http://www.nydailynews.com/images/heads/rope0416.jpg

I'd say its pretty close (the design). Madison Square Garden may be the "world's most famous arena", but Yankee Stadium has to be the most famous baseball stadium. Yankee Stadium has been "reborn" twice already. This would be number three, to MSG's four...

http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/991-FRONT_BIG.jpg_http://www.ballparktour.com/Yank-111.jpg

http://www.stadiumsofnfl.com/past/yankee715.jpg

http://www.digitalballparks.com/Yanks_-_Outside_New_640T.jpg

JMancuso

04-17-2005, 04:34 PM

i didn't read most of the articles but what fate lies ahead for the REAL yankee stadium?

NYguy

04-17-2005, 05:46 PM

i didn't read most of the articles but what fate lies ahead for the REAL yankee stadium?

Those plans aren't finalized...

The old stadium's facade would stay up, but most of its stands would be torn down, as would be those parts of the facade furthest from home.

The proposal, however, differs widely from one pitched by Borough President Adolfo Carrion last October in that it doesn't include a host of projects pushed by the beep.

Carrion wants to transform the old stadium into an open-air Yankee hall-of-fame museum and to build a high school for sports medicine south of the ballpark.

So, as it is now, the YANKEES, JETS, and NETS are all targeting 2009 for opening dates.

FerrariEnzo

04-17-2005, 06:32 PM

Retro, not the way to go.

tonyo

04-17-2005, 08:16 PM

Retro, not the way to go.

I think it looks great. If they did something of more contemporary design it just wouldn't fit with the history of the team. Ballparks are better old-school in my opinion.

H-man

04-17-2005, 08:58 PM

they want to make it resemble yankee stadium pre-renovation i think its a good idea but 55,000 capacity is better

NYguy

04-18-2005, 01:43 PM

they want to make it resemble yankee stadium pre-renovation i think its a good idea but 55,000 capacity is better

Yeah, I know all the new ballparks have been going with less capacity, but you just hate to see less in NY. It really doesn't take a lot for the 55,000 at the current stadium to sell out, just good weather and a decent team. So, I cringe a little at the thought of less, but from the sound of it, everything else will be so much better.

As a Yankee fan, I'm a little torn over the "end" of the current stadium and all its history. But I also look at it as more of an expansion, since part of the stadium will still stand.

H-man

04-18-2005, 11:37 PM

nyguy i totally agree with you but im not sure weather to be for or aginst it until is see renderings of the inside

H-man

04-19-2005, 01:18 AM

i wonder if the 5 monuments will be in play...

NYguy

04-19-2005, 01:57 PM

nyguy i totally agree with you but im not sure weather to be for or aginst it until is see renderings of the inside

I guess when they make it official in a couple of weeks, we'll know more.

The stadium will be comprised of two separate structures: one, the exterior wall, constructed to replicate the original Yankee Stadium, built in 1923, and the other the interior stadium itself, rising over the top of the exterior.

From the outside the structures will look like one building, almost identical in materials and design to the original stadium. There will be a "great hall" between the exterior wall and the interior structure, featuring five to six times more retail square footage than the current stadium.

The signature frieze, the lattice work that once rimmed the original stadium roof and was recreated in the outfield of the current stadium, will be added to the new stadium's roof. The frieze (commonly but incorrectly known as "the facade") was painted white during the 1960s, as it now appears above the outfield. But the new stadium will return to the original copper.

http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/991-FRONT_BIG.jpg_http://www.ballparktour.com/Yank-111.jpg

NYguy

04-19-2005, 02:06 PM

An view of the current stadium, and the park where the new stadium will be built...

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/42280402/large.jpg

TalB

04-19-2005, 06:52 PM

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ideas_opinions/story/301127p-257801c.html
The old ballgame
Bronx: The most famous sports arena in the world is to be replaced by a stadium 8,000 seats smaller but having more luxury boxes. So the rich will have more opportunities to see games in comfort while everyone else competes for fewer seats, further driving up already astronomical prices. How can this possibly serve the needs of fans and taxpayers?

Michael Heller

LocutusOfBoard

04-19-2005, 07:09 PM

I like the idea of more sports coming to Long Island. They should bring back the Brooklyn Dodgers, and have LA become the Wankers or something. :laugh:

NYguy

04-19-2005, 11:22 PM

Here's another look at the site with the site plan:

http://www.pbase.com/nyguy/image/42280402.jpg
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2005/01/15/nyregion/0116_STADIUM_GRAPHIC.gif

H-man

04-20-2005, 12:24 AM

oh no because the angle that the field is in the white building a couple blocks from the bleachers wont be in the sight of the grandstand

NYguy

04-20-2005, 01:21 PM

More Yankee Stadium:

http://rds.yahoo.com/S=96062883/K=yankee+stadium/v=2/SID=e/l=IVI/SIG=122hh5kpa/EXP=1114084760/*-http%3A//www.brushwyler.com/newyork/Images/8.jpg

http://manx.wbrower.net/phpwiki-1.3.7/OBB/yankee_files/Yankee_Stadium_Overhead_Shot.jpg

http://rds.yahoo.com/S=96062883/K=yankee+stadium/v=2/SID=e/l=IVI/SIG=11j01q5j0/EXP=1114085285/*-http%3A//skyviewsurvey.com/ys.jpg

Yankee Stadium and the Polo Grounds

http://rds.yahoo.com/S=96062883/K=yankee+stadium/v=2/SID=e/l=IVI/SIG=127gg2gm5/EXP=1114085641/*-http%3A//www.ballparksofbaseball.com/al/yankee717.jpg

NYguy

04-22-2005, 12:38 AM

DAILY NEWS

Giants, N.J. agree on stadium
New home eyed at Meadowlands

BY RALPH VACCHIANO

After months of on-again, off-again negotiations and several threatened lawsuits, the Giants and the state of New Jersey reached an agreement last night that will allow the team to build a new home right next to their old one. They are expected to hold a press conference at 11 a.m. today to announce the details of a $750 million, privately financed stadium that could be ready for play by 2008.

Assuming there are no other obstacles - never a sure thing in the New York stadium wars - the new Giants' stadium would be the first new stadium or arena built for one of the New York area's nine professional sports teams since Brendan Byrne Arena (now Continental Airlines Arena) was built next door to Giants Stadium in 1981.

Here we go again. It seems that anybody running for anything these days wants to see who can oppose things the most.

NorthJersey.com
Legislator seeks delay in vote on new stadium

April 21, 2005
By JOHN BRENNAN

EAST RUTHERFORD - Assemblyman Paul DiGaetano, whose district includes the Meadowlands Sports Complex, called Wednesday for a delay in the approval of a new $750 million football stadium for the New York Giants.

DiGaetano - one of seven candidates who have declared for the Republican gubernatorial primary in June - asked the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority's board to postpone a vote on the stadium deal scheduled for a meeting Friday.

"There are too many serious questions that have to be answered for the public before any action should be taken by the board," DiGaetano said at a news conference held in Giants Stadium parking lot 16. "I'm a Giants fan and a longtime season ticket holder, but it's clear that this is just a power play by the New York Giants organization."

The better approach, DiGaetano insisted, would be to wait until midsummer - the point at which he expects the New York Jets' bid for a stadium on Manhattan's West Side to fall apart.

"Once that idea crashes, we can sit both the Giants and the Jets down and try to work out a deal for a new stadium for both teams," DiGaetano said.

According to DiGaetano the Giants want a deal done now because they want to have leverage over the Jets.

"If the Giants' deal is done first, the Jets will be stuck with whatever crumbs the Giants let fall from the table," DiGaetano said. "But the Giants' lease runs until 2026, so why do a deal now?"

DiGaetano said he had 10 questions about the deal, including how the $124 million in existing debt on the site would be paid off and whether all of the naming rights revenue would go to the Giants and not the state.

He also expressed concern that fans might have to buy a "personal seat license" of up to $5,000 per seat for the right to continue purchasing season tickets. Giants officials said last week that a personal seat license was not a part of the current financing plan.

Under the tentative deal reached by the Giants and the state last week, the National Football League franchise would be responsible for the full cost of construction. The Giants also would pay $6.3 million annually in rent and in payments in lieu of taxes to East Rutherford, while the state would contribute about $30 million in infrastructure costs.

The stadium deal has met with resistance from sports authority President George Zoffinger, who has reluctantly agreed to bring the agreement before the board at Friday's special session. The board is expected to approve the measure, which is supported by board Chairman Carl Goldberg and by acting Governor Codey.

"I think it's a good deal for both sides," said Ray Bateman, a longtime Republican board member. "I've got a few questions over who pays for what, but those are just detail questions. Essentially, Dick Codey has done well, and I support it. And most of the board members are Democrats, so I don't see how they're going to go against their governor."

Kelley Heck, a spokeswoman for Codey, said DiGaetano's criticism was off-base.

"Instead of attacking what independent financial analysts have called the best deal for any new football stadium in the NFL, the assemblyman should be attacking deals like the one the New Jersey Devils negotiated under the Whitman administration, where the state is paying more than $200,000 a month to a team that isn't even playing," Heck said, referring to the labor dispute that has wiped out the 2004-05 National Hockey League season. "That deal was a downright disaster for taxpayers, and I don't recall the assemblyman making a peep when that deal happened."

Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan, another Republican gubernatorial candidate, also held a news conference in the Giants Stadium parking lot Wednesday. He said he opposed the Giants' new stadium deal, the $1.3 billion Xanadu project at the Continental Arena site, and the $1.2 billion EnCap golf and residential complex being built in several Meadowlands towns.

Lonegan said Bergen County will not get any revenue from the stadium or from Xanadu, and he expressed concern that the EnCap project also will not pay sufficient taxes.

NYguy

04-22-2005, 01:17 PM

Yet another project under siege:

NY TIMES

Nassau Official Calls for Bids on Land Promised for Tower

By BRUCE LAMBERT
April 22, 2005

GARDEN CITY, N.Y., - Nassau County's district attorney is calling for competitive bids on some of the most valuable open land on Long Island, 77 acres surrounding the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale that the county has promised to a developer for a 60-story tower.

In a surprise move, District Attorney Denis Dillon held a news conference here on Thursday to urge adoption of laws requiring appraisals and bidding for any county property put up for sale or rent.

Mr. Dillon said he was prompted by the debate over a plan by the computer magnate Charles B. Wang for a $1 billion complex on the property, including a hotel and condominium tower topped by an observation deck and spotlight.

Last October, without a formal appraisal or soliciting other proposals, the county executive, Thomas R. Suozzi, signed a preliminary agreement with Mr. Wang. Critics have been attacking the deal ever since.

"I don't know whether this is a good deal or not a good deal," Mr. Dillon said. Bidding is the only way to see if another developer would offer more money or a better design, he said, adding, "Once you have competition, they might have a better idea." The recent injection of competition into bidding for the rights to build above the Metropolitan Transportation Authority railyards in Manhattan, Mr. Dillon noted, resulted in the initial offer being raised by hundreds of millions of dollars.

The proposed laws revive recommendations that Mr. Dillon made in 1988 after an investigation by his office found that former county officials had given away $2.8 billion in underpriced 99-year leases for other property near the Coliseum, part of the site of the old Mitchel Field Air Force Base. He called the current debate an "echo" of the old scandal.

Mr. Suozzi defended the Wang deal, saying, "This is not a straight real estate deal but a sports arena and team retention deal." Mr. Wang owns the Islanders hockey team and had promised to renovate the Coliseum and pay the county $1.5 million annually for 99 years in return for the development rights.

"This does not cost county taxpayers one cent and will be recognized as one of the country's best sports deals," Mr. Suozzi said, but added: "If somebody has a better idea, please feel free to contact us. We'll consider any ideas anybody has."

The earlier Mitchel Field deals were granted by Republican county officials and criticized for years by Democrats. But now Republicans are accusing Mr. Suozzi, a Democrat elected as a reformer, of repeating the mistake. Mr. Dillon is a Republican and, like Mr. Suozzi, is running for re-election this fall.

The Dillon proposal for bidding was embraced "100 percent" by the County Legislature's Republican leader, Peter J. Schmitt.

The Republican candidate challenging Mr. Suozzi, Gregory P. Peterson, said, "You don't know what's out there unless you ask."

The Legislature's presiding officer, Judith A. Jacobs, a Democrat, said that her staff would review the proposed laws, and that consultants would scrutinize the Wang proposal.

Mr. Wang declined to comment.

____________________________________________________

The project as first revealed: (NEWSDAY)
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-licoli0928,0,141602.story?coll=ny-homepage-big-pix

http://www.newsday.com/media/photo/2004-09/14422447.jpg

http://www.newsday.com/media/photo/2004-09/14422436.jpg

http://www.newsday.com/media/photo/2004-09/14422449.jpg

Charles Wang's proposed plans to renovate the Coliseum, rendering of the Lighthouse.

http://www.newsday.com/media/photo/2004-09/14422438.jpg

http://www.newsday.com/media/photo/2004-09/14422435.jpg

Charles Wang's proposed plans to renovate the Coliseum

http://www.newsday.com/media/photo/2004-09/14422439.jpg

http://www.newsday.com/media/photo/2004-09/14422445.jpg

Charles Wang's proposed plans to renovate the Coliseum, rendering of the Plaza

John F

04-22-2005, 05:01 PM

Nets, Jets, Yankees, Devils, Giants, Islanders....

I'm wondering hwo bad Fred Wilpon feels right nwo? Or if there are negotiations ongoing between the Mets and the City / State to get Wilpon's Ebbets-Field-Retro park built at Flushing Meadows?

Meanwhiel we know the Dolan's are pissed off (Knicks, Rangers owners) over the Jets stadium... Yet they could have moved a little faster with Wilpon a few years ago and possibly gotten a new Madison Square Garden built over the east side rail yards (and yes, there was a plan for it at one point).

2-TOWERS

04-22-2005, 05:59 PM

will the new yankee stadium have the UMBRELLA roof in case of rain. remember STEINBRENNER hates the rainouts, and the umbrella will only close during rain:sly

H-man

04-22-2005, 09:37 PM

knocking down yankee stadium is a bad idea i think renovation or keep all of the outer wall and build the new one inside the walls

John F

04-22-2005, 09:42 PM

H-Man, Steinbrenner has been talking new stadium since... hell, since I can remember. There were threats of moving the Yankees all together to Jersey durign the late 1980's and early 1990's...

I was discussing renovating as to remodelling on another site - but dealing with Fenway Park (http://baseballboards.net/viewtopic.php?t=152) and the merrits of remodeling aren't as great as people make it out to be. If the game was just that - keepign old parks around would work.

It's a business though - and it'll cost George and the Yankees more to stay in a renovated Yankee stadium as to moving into a new state-of-the-art Ballpark.

John F

04-22-2005, 09:44 PM

will the new yankee stadium have the UMBRELLA roof in case of rain. remember STEINBRENNER hates the rainouts, and the umbrella will only close during rain:sly

"Umbrella"?

Original plans -- those that Guilliani unveiled -- had the new Yankee Staidum with a "Garage" retractable roof like that at Safeco Field. The problem with that system is that it woudl make the ballpark cost twice as much.

I think it's said earlier in this thread -- or in another one all together - that any type of roof idea has been thrown out.

H-man

04-23-2005, 12:02 AM

H-man

04-23-2005, 12:08 AM

maybe thay can do waht the indians did in the 30's, play in new yankee stadium all the time but old one on sundays and when they can draw massive crowds

NYguy

04-23-2005, 01:09 AM

maybe thay can do waht the indians did in the 30's, play in new yankee stadium all the time but old one on sundays and when they can draw massive crowds

Not gonna happen. I like Yankee Stadium as well, but it has been through two makeovers already. It just can't be done anymore. To try and create the boxes Steinbrenner wants (like the rest of baseball and pro sports) would cut the current stadium capacity nearly in half. AS much as we like to hold on to old things, sometimes it isn't practical. Times change and things change, and we move on.

AS far as the Yankee roof goes, that was dropped because of the cost. But the stadium is pretty much the same design from the outside:

http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/american/nyybpk02.jpg

http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/american/nyybpk01.jpg

NYguy

04-23-2005, 01:20 AM

Commercial Property News

Yankees, Giants to Privately Finance Stadium Deals

April 18, 2005
By Russ Colchamiro

Not only are two separate deals for New York sports arenas on the brink of closing-one for the New York Yankees, the other for the New York Giants-but in each case, the stadiums are to be privately financed by the respective teams, with total investments close to $1.6 billion. While neither is officially sealed, the Yankees deal is expected to finalize in early May, while the Giants have legal issues to resolve.

This past weekend, reports came out that the Yankees had come to an agreement with the city and state governments to build a new Yankee Stadium just north of the existing stadium in the Bronx. Under the proposal, the Yankees will put up $800 million of their own money to fund the facility, while the city and state will spend $300 million to build a new Metro North commuter rail station, improve parking and create parkland along the nearby waterfront.

Yankees president Randy Levine, a one-time aid to former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, said that more details should be available in a few weeks but would not comment on the pending negotiations. “We do not have a deal yet,” he said.

The new stadium is designed to hold 50,800 seats, fewer than the 57,478 in the existing stadium, but will include more luxury suites, an amenity owners crave as they appeal to corporate clients. The new stadium is expected to break ground in 2006 and be ready for the opening of the 2009 baseball season.

Meanwhile, the Giants have signed an agreement with the state of New Jersey in which the NFL team will fully fund a new, $750 million stadium. The 80,00-seat facility will be built in an as-yet-unspecified location close to the current Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in Bergen County. The new stadium, expected to be ready for the start of the 2009 football season, will include 200 of those coveted state-of-the-art luxury suites, 8,000 to 10,000 club suites, more dining options, superior concession stands, more comfortable restrooms and wider and more comfortable concourses.

“We signed a memorandum of understanding last week with the state,” said Pat Hanlon, the Giants vice president of communications. “That agreement needs to be approved by the (New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority) board in a special meeting later this week.”

The Giants, however, first need to sort out problems with the 4.8 million-square-foot Xanadu retail, hotel and entertainment center being built on the Meadowlands grounds. The Giants last week sued developers The Mills Corp. and Mack-Cali Realty Corp. in an effort to halt construction, which the Giants claim began without their consent. The team contends that the Xanadu project will further disrupt an already difficult traffic situation at the Meadowlands and say it wants the complex closed on days the Giants play home games. The first in a series of hearings is scheduled for early May, but the team hopes to reach an agreement before then.

“Our deal with the state was done so that the Xanadu development will be open seven days a week,” said Meadowlands Xanadu spokesperson Michael Turner. “Since the Xanadu project was such a priority for the state, and keeping the Giants was such a priority, I think that we'll be able to work together in harmony.”

“It is an important hurdle,” said Hanlon. “Our agreement with the state is contingent upon an agreement with Xanadu. We need to begin discussions with Mills/Mack-Cali to work out the operational issues between a new Giants Stadium and Xanadu.”

__________________________________________________________

N.J. officials approve new Giants stadium
New $750 million Meadowlands structure to be ready by ’09

The Associated Press
April 22, 2005

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - State officials approved a new $750 million stadium for the New York Giants that should be ready for the 2009 season, a year later than first expected.

Eleven commissioners of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority voted in favor of the stadium plan Friday, while four abstained. The arena is to be built near the existing stadium, which will be razed.

Officials have said taxpayers will not shoulder any additional burden from the deal, which calls for the team to pay the entire cost of construction and to manage the facility, and to keep all profits. In recent days, the agreement, reached after months of contentious negotiations, has come under fire from politicians, including several gubernatorial hopefuls.

“We must resolve not to allow the stadium to ever again become a political football,” John Mara, the Giants’ chief operating officer, and Steven Tisch, a representative of the family that co-owns the team with the Mara family, said in a statement.

The agreement allows the team to build an 80,000-seat stadium in the Meadowlands. The 40-year deal contains options that could extend it to 98 years.

Giants spokesman Pat Hanlon said the team’s original goal was to have the stadium open by 2008. But because the approval process moved more slowly than expected, he said, “It would be more realistic to think it will be 2009.”

Giants Stadium opened in 1976; the Jets joined the Giants there in 1984. The name of the new stadium will be determined through the sale of naming rights.

“The Giants have been a part of the New Jersey experience for the last three decades,” acting Gov. Richard J. Codey said Friday. “With a new stadium now approved, they will continue to be part of the fabric of our state for future generations to come.”

George Zoffinger, the authority’s executive director, had opposed what he considered overly generous terms of the deal while it was in negotiations — but promised Friday to make it work.

“While reasonable men can disagree on some points, we look forward to working together in a reasonable manner on completing this plan,” he said.

The Giants will pay $6.3 million a year to New Jersey in rent and taxes. The state is responsible for as much as $30 million in road work and still will be responsible for $124 million in debt that remains on the existing stadium.

Authority chairman Carl Goldberg said the last obstacle to overcome before the stadium can be built is a lease agreement with the team, something he said could be done within 90 days.

H-man

04-23-2005, 01:34 AM

i dont think the enterance should jut out of the wall like that at least have it flow with the rest of the wall

John F

04-23-2005, 01:54 AM

johnf im looking at it through the eyes of yankee fan that has seen many memorable moments at the most famous sporting stage in all the country and im not gonna say hell yea blow it up so we can make one with less seats to upp the costs of tickets

And I'm talking to you as a realist who has seen baseball stadiums with historic feats attained within them demolished to make way for new venues. I'm speaking as a sports fan who's seen Tiger Stadium closed, seen Boston Garden demolished, seen Maple Leaf Gardens and other venues close down and be replaced.

I'm also talking as someone who knows Steinbrenner has been after a new stadium for decades and as someone who has seen this battle before - between traditionalists and the capitalist dollar. Unless capitalism changes, a spit-and-polish renovation of Yankee Stadium wouldn't happen even if it pains Yankee fans to see the historic park closed down.

It costs more to maintain an aging stadium and to just retrofit it / renovate it than it costs to build a new ballpark. That fact doesn't change if you've seen great events inside the park.

I also know that you'll keep those great memories when Yankee stadium passes. As the minstrel once sang:

And I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life, I love you more

H-man

04-23-2005, 03:32 AM

well boston garden tiger stadium and mapel leafs gardens havent hosted the best teams in sports history, tiger stadium hasent even been destroyed they are trying to preserve it so get your stuff right and i know that here is need for a new stadium im just saying that im aginst it as a true fan you never want to see the mecca of a sport be destroyed so let me just have my own opinion i am i die hard yankee fan and if i had the chance id live in yankee stadium, often times new ball parks are mistakes, ex: comiskeyII, the multi purpose stadiums of the 60's and 70's that destroyed shibe park, forbes field and crosley field so destroying yankee stadium is a mistake i think that parts of this stadium should be chosen by the fans i know that the dollar rules all but there should landmark status put on the stadium

John F

04-23-2005, 04:40 AM

well boston garden tiger stadium and mapel leafs gardens havent hosted the best teams in sports history,

You lose all credibility with that statement right there. Are you aware what the Boston Celtics accomplished in Boston Garden? Or the Boston Bruins? Do you know how revered Maple LEaf Gardens is in Canada and what the Maple Leafs have accomplished with that venue?

Learn some sports history before speaking out of yoru ass like this. The Celtics are the Yankees fo basketball, and the Leafs are the Red Sox of Hockey. Both teams have just as much history and heritage as your Yankees -- even if you aren't aware of it.

tiger stadium hasent even been destroyed they are trying to preserve it so get your stuff right

By turning it intoa mall or housing. Give me a break. For all inherit purposes, Tiger Stadium is closed and will no longer be used as a venue. Your argument was trying to keep Yankee stadium as it is because you have too much love of history there. You never once said "Can we keep Yankee Stadium and build the new park next to it without destroyign the old park?"

and i know that here is need for a new stadium im just saying that im aginst it as a true fan you never want to see the mecca of a sport be destroyed so let me just have my own opinion i am i die hard yankee fan and if i had the chance id live in yankee stadium, often times new ball parks are mistakes, ex: comiskeyII, the multi purpose stadiums of the 60's and 70's that destroyed shibe park, forbes field and crosley field so destroying yankee stadium is a mistake i think that parts of this stadium should be chosen by the fans i know that the dollar rules all but there should landmark status put on the stadium

"Mecca of a sport" -- I take it you have never bene to Wrigley Field or Fenway park. Yankee Stadium has it's history and heritage but I do know the renovation in the 1960's wiped out the "Mecca" status. It's still a powerful experience to be at Yankee Stadium, but it's nothing like it was 40 years ago.

Meanwhile - the multipurpose stadiums were a mistake huh? They served there collective purpose for all the ill reviews they have recieved from people over the years. The Steelers won multiple super bowls while playing at 3 Rivers, the Pirates won how many pennants and hwo many World Series? Riverfront Stadium served the Reds and the Bengals admirably -- even though those bastards wiped away the spot where Pete Rose hit his record hit.

Next you're goign to tell me that computers are bad for humans because they wipe out the culture and heritage of writing :p

Go ahead and have your opinion H... I respect that - but please don't speak out your ass about sport venues that have gone, just as Yankee Stadium will go. It's one thing to boast love of a team and love of a venue - it's another to ignorantly and brashley speak down upon the venues and the history that took place in them. You called Yankee Stadium a mecca -- Maple Leaf Gardens and Boston Garden were Mecca's of their sports, and yet you shit on both of those arenas like there was nothign to it.

H-man

04-23-2005, 04:56 AM

i am aware of the history and what these teams are to their sports. wrigly is a great place but there is no presence of winning and greatness, fenway is nice but way to small i have been there did you see the interviews of the player after alcs 03game 7 jeter:"we got some ghosts in here" when roger clemens and david wells were in monument park partying they were puring beer on babe ruths monument goin"hes smilin hes smilin" and the renovations were in the 70's not 60's so your talkin outta your ass there buddy 37 world series were played here it is hallowed ground to baseball enthuisitis the multi purpose stadiums filled there use but they wernt good stadiums for baseball the seats werent directed towards home when the priates were at 3 rivers did they have 37 pennats and 26 championships during the 82 years of yankee stadium its almost a 50% chance that the yankees are gonna be in the world series so dont try to compare 3 rivers to yankee stadium, yankee stadium may not be the same as it was when it opened but it is still the most famous sporting venue

NYguy

04-24-2005, 07:43 AM

The new Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island has recently been completed...

http://www.risf.org/images/Icahn.gif

http://graphics7.nytimes.com/images/2004/08/20/nyregion/stadium.large1.jpg

http://www.risf.org/images/lights/8-9.jpg

http://www.risf.org/images/lights/9-2-04img2.jpg

http://www.risf.org/images/lights/7-22img3.jpg

NY TIMES

Children Celebrate Opening of Stadium

By MICHAEL BRICK
April 24, 2005

If there is one thing any self-respecting fifth grader will not tolerate, it is being called a fourth grader. So when Jaime Bing, the co-captain of the track team at Public School 63 in the South Bronx, found himself falsely introduced - maligned, really - he stood up for himself.

"I'm Jaime Bing," he said into a microphone yesterday afternoon, addressing a crowd of athletes and track fans at the new Icahn Stadium on Randalls Island, "and I'm in fifth grade."

Perhaps in the schoolyard he would have let the slight go, but this was an audience to impress. Behind Jaime, who helped present awards to officials, were Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, other city officials and the daughter of Jesse Owens. There was Carl C. Icahn, the financier who took over TWA, forced Texaco into bankruptcy and once took control of Marvel Comics. Marvel Comics, lest anyone forget, equals Spider-Man.

This cast was assembled to praise the stadium on the occasion of its grand opening, to thank Mr. Icahn for donating $10 million of the $45 million cost of building it and to make clear that ambitions for the place extend beyond children's relay races.

Hints of grander aspirations appeared all around. Just getting to the meet cost $4.50 in tolls, and parking was $10. The track was done up with an international flair, with flags of 18 nations festooning its perimeter. And a concession stand offered low-fat tuna salad wraps for $5.

Children in the bleachers waved flags with the slogan "NYC 2012, Candidate City," given to them by Kass Negash, a volunteer for the city's Olympic committee. The work of the rock band Queen - in particular songs describing its status (champions) and intentions (to rock you) - got a lot of rotation on the speakers.

Mr. Bloomberg, who has a habit of displaying his New England roots to anyone who cares to overanalyze his attire, approached the microphone in running shoes made by New Balance, based in Boston.

"If we really are honored with the Olympics in 2012," he told the crowd, "you'll be able to see the world's greatest athletes coming and training here."

After the speeches, the children were treated to something of an Olympic sample, watching Justin Gatlin, the 100-meter gold medalist at the 2004 Games in Athens, break in the track with a ceremonial run. At the finish line, the children surrounded him, reaching to touch his hands, his head and his track suit.

Then the races resumed, and Mr. Bloomberg gave out medals for a while. Mr. Icahn roamed the bleachers in solitude. Mr. Gatlin indulged a line of children seeking photographs. Some television reporters began setting up in the middle of the field until an official from the javelin throw suggested they rethink that plan.

In the bleachers, Ruth Lora, a freshman from Teaneck High School in New Jersey, assessed her own Olympic prospects as dim but said a classmate might have a chance.

"We work hard," Ruth said, "and then we see what we can do."