January 29, 2009
Rethinking Nets arena, watching Mets and Yanks demolition
Busy news day, so all the New York stadium/arena news today needs to share an item:
- George Sweeting of the New York City Independent Budget Office told a Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce meeting this week that the city should "take another look" at its subsidies of the Nets' proposed Atlantic Yards project, noting: "If amenities are scaled back and the overall scale of the project is reduced, it's reasonable to stop and look at whether the city's contributions and the MTA land deal still show a positive in the cost-benefit calculation. ... A lot has changed since 2005, when we found that the arena was basically a break-even proposition." Yeah, no kidding.
- While everyone's been focused on how much it's costing to tear down Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium is almost gone already. Though for anyone who grew up a Met fan, this is a lot more heart-wrenching.
- Speaking of the escalating Yanks costs, the New York Times ran an article yesterday on the previously reported cost overruns and delays for replacement parks, which was accurate as far as it went. Only one problem: The photo that ran with it was captioned, "The new Macombs Dam Park, atop a parking garage, will have more than seven acres for sports, strolling and other recreation." Unfortunately, the photo isn't of the new Macombs Dam Park, but rather of the smaller, temporary one that's been in place since 2007. The new one actually looks like this right now - which is precisely what Bronx residents are complaining about.
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