Major League Soccer will be holding a meeting this week about a potential stadium on the Pier 40 site. Reports state that the league will be presenting to the Hudson River Trust on Thursday.
We will keep you informed on anything that is happening with this.
The one important line to highlight in this report is:
“It is unlikely, however, that a professional sports facility would be allowed under the current law.”
If Don Garber can somehow pull this off, he will be cement his legacy to the league.
I have written extensively about this in the past. There is ample opportunity under current law for this to happen. MLS would simply have to operate a stadium within Pier 40 which conforms with a 50% public / 50% private threshhold. Fingers crossed. It’s do-able !!
http://www.thisisamericansoccer.com/soccer-culture/one-last-chance-for-mls/
Holy crackers this would be amazing.
Credit does need to be given to Garber for his ambition.
18 Miles to Red Bull Arena!!!
That should be - “18 Mins” to Red Bull Arena…
Patrick - the community? You don’t think it will be a massive challenge? Might be quicker in other parts of the city.
If Garber and MLS really work on the 50/50 issue, and involve the Village, this can happen, the neighborhood WANTS Pier 40 settled. What Garber needs to understand is that the Village is smarting right now from losing Saint Vincent’s Hospital to a developer after a series of secretive meetings. Right now people want blood, and if MLS does this privately, they will be asking for failure. If they do it transparently, it can be done.
I certainly give credit to the league for turning every stone, but this is so not going to happen. I would give anyone 1,000 to 1 odds on it. Seriously. This is a neighborhood that just lost its only hospital so that some dipshit can build luxury condos. Now they’re going to give up recreation space for a 30,000 seat stadium? This is not going to happen. And the person most likely to become the next Mayor, Chris Quinn, represents the neighborhood now as a council member and made a name for herself by opposing the west side stadium.
Please. Patrick, I’ve read your stuff after you’ve posted it elsewhere and though I appreciate your interest in the topic, it is completely unrealistic.
So you’re saying there’s a chance?!!
Also, I think the Cosmos said the area could only support a 18K stadium (which is fine with me but not with investors).
si senor.
Read the plan again. It does not recommend giving up recreation space, in fact it proposes making it covered and therefore year round. The neighborhood that just lost its hospital is not going to support Quinn wholesale for Mayor, though she appropriately opposed a supersized stadium. My plan keeps the public asset in public hands and leases it to MLS. If it were so unrealistic, there would be no meeting tomorrow. Harder things have been done in NYC. Read it again and this time look at the details and try and honestly picture what I proposed.
I think every one here is forgeting that right now pier 40 is activly used by soccer baseball and hand ball aka american football players of all ages , women children men all play at pier 40 EVERY DAY, its a wonderful facility right now for co ed soccer league soccer games for both men and women and not even mentioned kids soccer league from U 8 all the way up…. add to that league football men kids high school flag football and the organized baseball softball for all ages… Those people that play there are not going to go down with out a MAJOR FIGHT, the community that surrounds pier 40 will no doubt rally in favor of all those teams men and women that use pier 40 for their sports be that soccer or any thing else… I have played there as a ringer for a corporate team that used pier 40 and i would hate to see all these people and kids with no place to play for a MLS STadium.. i want a team but not at the cost of displacing park users that have maintained that field use it all year round in rain snow and all weather… This is not the yankees stadium situation where the park and stadium switched places……. this is more complicated and where are you going tell those people to play???? residents of that area will come out swinging about how a stadium will cause traffic and add to noise and what have you…..
its a tough place to build…..it wont be easy to get it done…. I still say the best area is inside the parking lot at citi garber should concentrate there he can broker a deal with the wilpons in some way that place is ready for construction right now………maybe the wilpons could be given a minority ownership with out putting up a single dollar all they have to do is give up some parking space land…..
Any displacement of park users and players would be temporary, and their use would only be enhanced afterward. Remember that BY LAW, the Trust Act requires public/private use of Pier 40 to be 50/50. Something is going to happen at Pier 40, and no matter what it is, temporary displacement of the leagues is going to have to happen for the longer term permanent solution, which must include public use. MLS knows this. Public fields below, and covered, so that they are usable year round, and stadium above, is the best solution. Plus the stadium can be used for state and NCAA championships, friendlies, etc. The Pier is falling apart, the neighborhood WILL respond to a plan which fulfills its needs, and the law as stated in the Trust Act.
Awesome scoop by the way Nick.
Hello, Pier 40 will be a great location as long as the current groups that currently play there are not displaced. I have a Pick up group with over 2000 active members : http://www.meetup.com/NYCSOCCER/ & http://nycsoccer.com/ We play at pier 40. Buttom line is if a good solution is provided for the groups that play there people will be supportive.
A huge challenge is getting support from the community. I agree that everything must be done in the open and not privately or else there will be a backlash from the community and no one will support the cause. My advice is for the cosmos to start reaching out to all the grassroots organizations which play there and explain that a solution will be provided with a short term sacrifice.
Agreed. The leagues and public use must be perpetual, and ironclad.
Many fans wish the Cosmos name for a great MLS NYC team. But a great team can’t have a stadium with ONLY 18.000 seats….My opinion, of course.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/07/sp…r=1&ref=soccer
In this article is said that the capacity will be between 20k and 25k.
The Knicks and The Rangers do pretty well with that amount. I think they can do more seats than that.
Sounds like the pier is in need of major renovation anyway so the sooner the better in terms of fixing it, so displacing all those people who use the pier is irrelevant, they will be displaced anyway if it need major renovation(new pillars)or supports. So why not do it right and fix it and expand it by a few acres so that everyone gets what they want, a place for the kids to play and for a pro team and tons of parking.
Again, agreed. For the leagues to argue that ANY construction and renovation would not cause temporary displacement is simply dishonest. On the other hand, of course they will err on that side. They fought hard for what they (and we) have, and it’s our job to make sure they get to keep it. I argue the long term MLS plan can be pro public use. I think the public fields should be below, where they are currently, enclosed, with the big side openings remaining, and the stadium directly above it on an equal footprint. Tell me one parent down here that would complain about guaranteed, weatherproof, year round use. A win win. It’s architecturally possible, and not impossible economically, given the probability of MLS success in NYC.
I hope that if this stadium will be built, it will have a capacity of at least 26.000 ( 1.000 more that Red Bull Arena )……..