There’s been almost zero movement on the New York Cosmos‘ plans for a $400 million minor-league soccer stadium at the Belmont Park racetrack site (I almost wrote “crazy” plans, but I’ll leave that for readers to determine on their own) since it was first floated three years ago, but that isn’t stopping some locals from protesting it anyway:
[Nassau County Legis. Carrié] Solages, surrounded by about a dozen supporters, said the project was conceived without the input of the community, and that New York doesn’t have an appetite for soccer that would fill 25,000 seats. Protesters called on the state to issue a new request for proposals that considers the vision of local residents.
The state has so far held off from asking for new bids on the site, though it’s clearly not happy with the current bids: Not only has it sat on them for three years without taking action, but it released a statement saying it’s “re-engaging” bidders to get a better deal. The dream of the NASL Cosmos getting a better stadium than either of New York’s two MLS teams isn’t quite all dead, in other words, but it is mostly dead. This is going to take a really big set of bellows.
There were less than a dozen people at the protest. You should mention that.
“[Nassau County Legis. Carrié] Solages, surrounded by about a dozen supporters”
It helps when you read the article and not just the headline.
Was it a “dozen-dozen,” or like a “baker’s dozen?” Because 13 protesters is darn close to a movement.
13, or a little more than a minion.
Why would they fund a soccer stadium instead of bringing the Islanders back from that atrocious “hockey” arena in Brooklyn?
Don’t remember any bids involving public money. But I guess getting a dozen people to protest soccer is easier than hockey.
@Alex – Why do one when you can do both at 3 times the price?