The New York City Council on Thursday overwhelmingly approved construction of a privately funded 25,000-seat soccer stadium in Willets Point, Queens, as the home of the New York City Football Club.
The vote brings the project one step closer to fruition than any proposal in the past decade, adding real hope among supporters that it might actually happen this time.
The proposed stadium would be built across Seaver Way from Citi Field, where the New York Mets play. In the first phase of redevelopment, the site would include about 1,400 units of “permanently affordable housing,” a hotel and 80,000 square feet of retail space, according to the bill approved Thursday. It will also include 2.8 acres of publicly accessible open space.
The proposal, similar to other stadium deals in New York, would see the city own the land, known for decades as the “Iron Triangle” for its random collection of auto repair facilities, and lease it to the club. I will do it.
The lease is for 49 years, with the club having the option to extend it for a further 25 years. Original plans estimated the stadium would cost $780 million to open in 2027.
The city will help fund the infrastructure in the neighborhood, but the construction of the project itself will be funded by City Football Group, majority owner of New York City FC. City Football Group is an investment company headed by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family. Dominate English soccer powerhouse Manchester City.
“This is a big day of celebration for us,” City Football Group board member Marty Edelman said at a celebration held at City Hall after the vote.
The New York Yankees own 20 percent of NYCFC, and the club has played most home games at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx since its debut in 2015, with some games held at other venues such as Citi Field. It is held at a location.
However, baseball stadiums proved unsuitable for soccer, as they tend to have poor visibility and narrow fields, and as the club sought space and approval for a soccer-only stadium like Red in New York, loyalists NYCFC fans were frustrated. Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, home of the New York Red Bulls.
It will be New York City's first professional soccer stadium and the city's first new major sports venue since the opening of Barclays Center in Brooklyn in 2012. It is not yet ready for the 2026 World Cup, but it will be too small to host it. Any of those games, anyway.
Previous proposals had envisioned building NYCFC Stadium in the Bronx, Upper Manhattan, Belmont Park, Manhattan's West Side, or Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, but all were ultimately abandoned. It was done. None made it to the City Council vote.
Mayor Eric Adams, who supported the project, planned a celebration after Thursday's vote, with jubilant fans of the club arriving at City Hall before the vote.
“Housing is the goal, and with today's City Council vote, I'm proud to say we've achieved our 10-year goal,” Mayor Adams said in a statement.
The final hurdle is a final environmental review, which can take several months.
City Councilman Francisco Moya, a recreational soccer player who represents the Queens district that includes Willets Point, endorsed the project in an emotional speech on the council chamber before the vote, promising to transform underutilized areas. I admired it. This project was the inspiration for “Valley of Ashes.” F. Scott Fitzgerald's “The Great Gatsby'' – to a bustling 23-acre entertainment and residential hub. Moya has been advocating for the project for 10 years, and several City Council members congratulated him during the vote.
“Senator Moya has a big smile on his face,” Adams said. “He really wanted this soccer stadium.”
The only negative vote came from Shekar Krishnan, who represents a district adjacent to the project site. He called the plan a “bad deal” and said it would give away public land with little in return for residents.
“We're not facing a stadium crisis in this city,” he said in an interview Thursday. “We face a housing crisis, an inequality crisis and a climate crisis. We are currently considering a proposal to give away hundreds of millions of dollars worth of public land for commercial soccer stadiums. What is the benefit to the people of New York City?”
A study conducted last year by the city's Independent Budget Office concluded that the real public cost would be at least $516 million over the 49-year term of the lease. That analysis was based on the potential revenue loss that would result if the city sold the land and instead collected property taxes during that period.
The Mets have approved the use of parking at Citi Field during events at the proposed new stadium. Mets owner Steve Cohen is also seeking one of three licenses for a casino there.
