According to the New York Times, a deal is in the works for the purchase of GAL Manufacturing on 153rd and River Avenue the site where New York City FC originally announced they wanted to build a soccer stadium back in 2013.
The site would be purchased by Madd Equities and Joy Construction who in turn would lease the land to the soccer team for the development of the new stadium.
There is a binding agreement to purchase the site by the developers as per the article who would use the rent for the lease of the land to the soccer team to subsidize the construction of affordable housing.
If the sale goes through The Bronx can potentially lose hundreds of blue collar jobs but the developers are exploring to have the company relocated nearby as to prevent the worst case scenario from happening.
A spokeswoman for the team said that New York City Football Club “is actively pursuing a permanent home in N.Y.C. and exploring several options, including working with Maddd Equities in the Bronx. We continue to engage in meaningful dialogue to understand what may be feasible on their site.”
Alicia Glen, deputy mayor for housing and economic development and a soccer fan, said discussions with the team are ongoing. But cautioned that nothing is final. The city has also been talking to the team about another site — next to Citi Field at Willets Point, Queens — that has been a perennial candidate for redevelopment.
“I do believe strongly that it would be a good thing to have a stadium specifically designed for soccer in a global city as incredibly diverse as New York,” Ms. Glen said. “We’re going to have the World Cup in 2026.”
“But,” she added, “it is way too early to say it’s happening in the Bronx as opposed to Queens. All these locations require discretionary approvals.”
Just a few months ago it was reported that there was a proposed soccer stadium for the Harlem River Yards in Port Morris in a partnership with controversial developer Keith Rubenstein of “Piano District” infamy.
5 years ago when the soccer stadium deal was announced the community was in an uproar due to the vulgar subsidies the team was seeking which the New York Independent Budget Office called “fiscally irresponsible”. The Times states they are not pursuing such a sweetheart deal at this juncture.
Another issue back then was that the plan had called for closing the ramp to the Deegan at 153rd permanently which would have already exacerbate horrendous traffic.
We will continue to keep an eye on this development and report back our findings.
