About the West Side Stadium

By now, most of you have heard about the West Side Stadium plans, which are being touted as a way to resuscitate and develop an underdeveloped and underutilized area of Manhattan.

The plans were put forward by the New York Jets, Cablevision (owners of Madison Square Garden and opposed to the competition of a new stadium venue in Manhattan), and Transgas, whose plan would involve so many options and conditions, that it isn't even serious to consider them.

That there were only three plans submitted for bid to the MTA shows that the property in question wasn't nearly in as much demand as some people were led to believe - including the MTA. Not that many developers want to get into the middle of a project that requires building over working rail yards just to be able to build whatever the developers have in mind. That means that the prices submitted likely reflect the market as it currently stands.

So, which is the best bid? The Jets are the frontrunners because they have a plan, have been examining the site for the longest time and know what is involved in building the platform on which any structure would be built, and have the support of the Mayor. That said, they have to overcome stiff resistance from the local community that doesn't want new development, if only because it would raise the rents in the area making it prohibitive to live in yet another area of Manhattan.

Cablevision is running a media campaign to derail the stadium, assisting local opponents to development. Theirs is a campaign of dishonesty since they have no intention of building anything - and Cablevision's experience in business is less than sterling considering that they've bankrupted former businesses, and turned their sports franchises into shells of their former glory.

Now, there a stadium could be built in some area of New York other than the West Side - Sunnyside, Queens is a possibility over the rail yards there - but the West Side project will move forward, if only because the Javits Center adjacent to the rail yards needs to be expanded to meet modern demands for convention space.