NYC Council approves plans for NYCFC Stadium in Willets Point
WILLETS POINT, Queens (WABC) -- The New York City Council approved a plan Thursday to move forward building the city's first professional soccer stadium.
Mayor Eric Adams joined Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and local Councilman Francisco Moya on the steps of City Hall on Thursday afternoon to celebrate the expected approval of the project that will bring a soccer stadium to Queens - a key piece of the massive Willets Point redevelopment project.
"We scored a goal for good paying jobs and economic opportunity," said Adams. "And we just scored a goal for the first ever soccer specific stadium in New York City Football Club.
The Council's Committee on Land Use approved Willets Point Phase II on Wednesday, which creates 1,400 units of permanently affordable housing, a soccer stadium, local retail, a hotel and public open space in Queens.
The full City Council then approved the project during its meeting on Thursday afternoon.
The 25,000-person venue - the city's first-ever soccer-specific venue - will be home to the New York City Football Club, which has played home games at Citi Field and Yankee Stadium. It is expected to open by 2027.
But equally important to the Willets Point redevelopment is 2,500 units of new housing, of which 1,400 units will be subsidized or below market rate - the largest addition of housing in 40 years. About 15% of the affordable units will be set aside for homeless individuals.
"We've watched failed plan after failed plan at Willets Point," added Councilmember Francisco Moya. "Three administrations tried and failed it. And we're building a brand new neighborhood in the valley of ashes."
The project is expected to generate over $6 billion in economic impact over the next 30 years - creating over 14,000 construction jobs and over 1,500 permanent jobs. There will also be 40,000 square feet of public open space.
"We should think of it as breaking ground on a brighter future for 881 families. Families who are living paycheck to paycheck. Families who struggle to afford a roof over their heads," Richards said.
The soccer stadium, which will be called the "Cube," will be privately financed.
On the other end, mechanics who depend on that land which is home to cluster of auto body shops are being forced out.
"I have nowhere to go," said Edwin Sosa. "And I'm not gonna get hired based on my past was criminal because of immigration. Many of these people are hardworking people. They have no understanding of the language."
The lone no vote on the approval from Councilmember Shekar Krishnan warned the city is going to regret the plan.
"This is a bad deal for New York City," he said. "And this is a terrible precedent for land use. A stadium on public land, subsidized by hundreds of millions in public funds, is not a good deal. This stadium will not be paying property taxes."
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