NYCFC Loses Out to Islanders for Belmont Park Stadium Site
By Liam Pettit
NYCFC will not play at Belmont Park in Elmont, NY. Many NYCFC fans are relieved to hear the news. The search for a stadium continues, what options are left?
On Wednesday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will formally announce that The New York Islanders have won the rights to the Belmont Park stadium site. NYCFC’s search for a stadium site continues, as The Islanders search for a permanent home seemingly comes to an end.
New York City F.C vowed to find land to build a stadium since the club’s inception in 2013. NYCFC originally planned to play just three seasons in Yankee Stadium, but it’s now clear Yankee Stadium will remain home for the foreseeable future.
Belmont Park
Although this may seem like a blow for NYCFC’s hopes to find a stadium site, it may in fact be a blessing in disguise. Not easily accessible by public transportation, Belmont Park is located just outside of Queens in Nassau County.
Belmont Park sits right below the famous Belmont Racetrack, where the club’s bid included a 26,000 seat stadium and retail village. Location was a major concern for fans who were weary about their club’s bid on the site. Yankee Stadium is certainly not an ideal set-up, but its proximity to public transportation has been a catalyst for NYCFC’s early fan success. The Islanders winning bid drew a sigh of relief from all in The Third Rail.
With two major sites in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park and Belmont ruled out, there is still a glimmer of hope for NYCFC finding a home. But, anyone who knows New York City is aware of just how difficult finding land in the 5 boroughs is. What other potential stadium sites are there for NYCFC?
Harlem River Yards
NYCFC has explored the possibility of constructing a stadium in the Harlem River Yards in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx. The Harlem River Yards is an industrial sliver of land located along the water of the Harlem River. Artist renderings of the stadium have floated around, but the reality of the club landing the site is slim. The deadline for Request of Expressions is long overdue, leaving NYCFC without many options.
Willets Point
Another possible site for a stadium is Willets Point, Queens, but NYCFC fans better hope that idea never comes to fruition. Mass transit will certainly be a problem due to Willets Point’s secluded location from the rest of the city. Known for its auto shops and out of repair roads, Willets Point will become a nightmare situation if another stadium is built there. Willets Point is home to Citi Field, where The New York Mets play.
High Bridge
NYCFC has shown interest in land between the Major Deegan Expressway and East 153rd Street where there is a highway ramp and an elevator parts factory. Dialogue between the club and the GAL manufacturing company has taken place, but stalled out. According to a source close to the New York Times, back in 2013 the club offered to build the company a new factory in another location in the Bronx. In May 2017, a San Fransisco based investment company made a majority equity investment in the GAL company which may lead way to a potential deal for NYCFC. This is definitely the best and most probable site for a stadium, and is just blocks away from Yankee Stadium.
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NYCFC needs to find a site to build a stadium as soon as possible to avoid years of playing future home games in Hartford, CT or CitiField as they did in 2017. Also, with the New York Yankees’ recent success, a playoff run deep into November could force NYCFC to play a home play-off game away from Yankee Stadium.