www.nbcnewyork.com Open in urlscan Pro
23.4.176.46  Public Scan

Form analysis
1 forms found in the DOM

GET https://www.nbcnewyork.com/

<form class="search-form i-amphtml-form" role="search" method="get" action="https://www.nbcnewyork.com/" target="_top" novalidate="">
  <label>
    <span class="screen-reader-text">Search for:</span>
    <input class="search-form-input" type="search" value="" name="s" placeholder="Search">
  </label>
  <input type="submit" class="search-submit" value="Search">
</form>

Text Content

Skip to content

Queens


$780 MILLION NYC SOCCER STADIUM GETS APPROVED TO BE BUILT NEXT TO METS' HOME


THE STADIUM, WHICH WILL BE PRIVATELY FINANCED, WILL HAVE 25,000 SEATS AND IS
EXPECTED TO BE READY BY 2027. IT'S PART OF A MAJOR REDEVELOPMENT PLAN THAT ALSO
INCLUDES AFFORDABLE HOUSING, RETAIL AND OPEN SPACE

BY NBC NEW YORK STAFF • PUBLISHED APRIL 11, 2024 • UPDATED 5 HOURS AGO


NBC Universal, Inc.

NYC’s first professional soccer stadium is officially coming to Queens: The
stadium that will be home to NYCFC got the go-ahead Thursday from the city
council. It’s expected be a game-changer for Willets Points, where it will be
built in the shadow of Citi Field. NBC New York’s Ida Siegal reports.


WHAT TO KNOW

 * New York City is getting closer to having its first professional soccer
   stadium near Citi Field in Queens.
 * The City Council will vote Thursday on the Willets Point redevelopment plan,
   which includes the privately funded, $780 million, 25,000-seat stadium near
   CitiField; the City Planning Commission already approved Phase II
 * Phase II of the Willets Point redevelopment plan includes 1,400 units of
   affordable housing, a stadium to be used by Major League Soccer’s New York
   City Football Club, a 250-room hotel, 80,000 square feet of commercial retail
   space, nearly 3 acres of public open space and more.

The New York City Council on Thursday approved a Willets Point redevelopment
plan that will bring the city its first professional soccer stadium, along with
nearly three new acres of public space, a hotel, retail and more.

The City Planning Commission has already approved the redevelopment plan,
meaning the favorable vote from the council paved the way for that $780 million,
privately financed 25,000 all-electric stadium to host Major League Soccer's New
York City Football Club near Citi Field in Queens to be completed by 2027. The
soccer venue's neighbors will include the Billie Jean King National Tennis
Center, where the U.S. Open is played.

In addition to the stadium, the redevelopment plan — which has been in the works
for years — will bring 2,500 affordable housing units, an elementary school,
80,000 square feet of retail space, a hotel, a park and more as part of a
23-acre redevelopment project to transform Willets Point, long a gritty cluster
of auto body shops. Council members also said the plan will create 15,000 jobs.

> Get Tri-state area news and weather forecasts to your inbox. Sign up for NBC
> New York newsletters.

"We scored a major goal for NYC," Mayor Eric Adams said surrounded by union
members at a celebratory event at City Hall after Thursday's vote. "Willets
Point has been an eyesore for so many years."

In a post on X, Adams said, "GOOOOOOOOOOOAL! The largest affordable public
housing development in generations is coming to Willets Point! This means homes,
jobs, and so much more for our community."

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr., earlier this year announced
his recommendation to approve, with conditions, Phase II of the Willets Point
redevelopment plan, which includes the stadium.


LOCAL



animals 20 hours ago


CONN. VULTURES WERE ‘TOO DRUNK TO FLY' AFTER EATING FERMENTED GARBAGE

New Jersey 17 mins ago


NEWARK NIGHTLY CURFEW FOR KIDS STARTS TODAY. HERE'S WHAT TO KNOW

It won't be ready for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will take place in parts of
the U.S., with the title game set for MetLife Stadium.

New York City Football Club of Major League Soccer, which won the championship
in 2021, currently plays its home games at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx. The
club's owners — who include the Yankees and United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mansour
bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the owner the Manchester City Football Club — will foot the
bill for the new stadium.

See more

> For The City.
> 
> New York City Council overwhelmingly vote to approve the Willets Point Phase
> II Redevelopment Plan.
> 
> The 23-acre development will bring affordable housing, thousands of jobs,
> community spaces, and New York City's first-ever soccer-specific stadium to
> Queens.
> 
> — New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) April 11, 2024

But the city’s Independent Budget Office concluded that the actual cost to
taxpayers for the stadium could be $516 million spread over the 49-year term of
NYCFC’s lease. The analysis is based on what the city would have received in
property taxes had it sold the land to the stadium’s developers instead of
leasing it.

The development team includes Related Companies and Sterling Equities, which is
partly controlled by the Wilpon family, who used to own the Mets.

Richards previously highlighted the importance of having this part of Queens,
once called the "Valley of Ashes" because it was an industrial area, become a
valuable space for the community.

“Through the decades, many plans have been imagined at Willets Point and only
one has been approved,” Richards wrote. "I am proud to see the former ‘Valley of
Ashes’ transform into better housing, schooling and open space, but I must see
material and serious commitments to the surrounding communities of Corona,
Flushing and East Elmhurst."

See more

> Our city's first professional soccer stadium is coming to Queens! ⚽️
> 
> The project is one step closer to becoming a reality, and it will also create
> 1,400 100% affordable housing units, a hotel and a public school in Willet
> Points.https://t.co/BV0beidNRZ
> 
> — City of New York (@nycgov) January 11, 2024

Not mentioned at Thursday's rally was a possible casino, which part of a
separate proposal submitted by Mets owner Steve Cohen. He is vying for one of
three casino licenses set to be awarded downstate.


WHAT IS INCLUDED IN PHASE II?

Phase II of the Willets Point redevelopment plan includes 1,400 units of
affordable housing, a 25,000-seat soccer stadium, a 250-room hotel, 80,000
square feet of commercial retail space, nearly 3 acres of public open space and
more.

Specific conditions laid out in Richards’ recommendation include a written
agreement from the development team that housing affordability levels in Phase
II of the project be comparable to Phase I — which will stipulate a commitment
to having more than half of the 1,400 units be available at or below 80 percent
of the Area Median Income (AMI) — and a full list of community benefits the
applicant team has pledged throughout the ULURP process.

It wasn't immediately clear which of his conditions, if any, were met as of
Thursday.

See more

> One step closer 🗽 #ForTheCity
> 
> The next phase of the Willets Point development, including NYC’s first-ever
> soccer specific stadium, was today certified into the Uniform Land Use Review
> Procedure (ULURP) approval process.
> 
> Visit https://t.co/wyrubevf9y for further information.
> pic.twitter.com/sd7t0RPfdm
> 
> — New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) October 16, 2023


WHAT ARE THE RECOMMENDATIONS?

 1. Local hiring: Minority- and women-owned businesses and area residents should
    make up at least 30 percent of contracts and hires, with the applicant team
    providing quarterly reports to the borough president, local councilmembers
    and area community boards. The applicant team should also work with the
    borough president and local councilmembers to determine a mutually agreeable
    set-aside for local street vendors and concessionaires within and
    surrounding the soccer stadium.
 2. Community partnerships: Discounted NYCFC match tickets for local residents.
 3. Area infrastructure improvements: The applicant team should work with the
    NYC Department of Parks and Recreation to identify areas in and around
    Flushing Meadows Corona Park that are in need of capital improvements, such
    as the Flushing Promenade, area sports fields and playgrounds.

Richardson also recommends that no NYCFC games be scheduled on days when either
the New York Mets are playing a home game at Citi Field or when the Billie Jean
King National Tennis Center is in use, to avoid excess congestion.

Read more recommendations here.

Read More

THIS ARTICLE TAGGED UNDER:

Queenssportssoccer



 * Facebook
 * Instagram
 * TikTok

 * Submit Tri-State News Tips
 * Contact WNBC
 * Connect With NBC Network
 * Archives / Licensing
 * Newsletters
 * Community
 * Our News Standards

 * WNBC Public Inspection File
 * WNBC Accessibility
 * WNBC Employment Information
 * Terms of Service
 * FCC Applications
 * Privacy Policy
 * Your Privacy Choices
 * Send Feedback to WNBC
 * CA Notice
 * Ad Choices
 * Advertise with us

Copyright © 2024 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All rights reserved




Search for:
Send a Video or Photo to NBC NY TV Listings & Watch NBC Live Local News Weather
School Closings Weather Alerts U.S. & World News Solar Eclipse Video
Investigations Better Get Baquero Submit a tip CNBC Money Report Entertainment
New York Live 1st Look George to the Rescue Open House Community Sports
Submit Tips to Better Get Baquero Submit Photos and Video Contests Newsletters
Our Apps Cozi TV Our News Standards
Contact Us Close the sidebar
Exit mobile version