NYCFC Stadium Pitched As Part Of $700M Bronx Waterfront Development Plan
Related reportedly wants to join with Somerset Partners and the New York City Football Club to build a Bronx complex featuring a 26,000-seat stadium and 550 affordable apartments.
The project at Harlem River Yards — a state-owned site along the waterfront — is projected to cost $700M, New York YIMBY reports.
The stadium would be the first soccer-specific venue in New York City history, and it would end the long search NYCFC has embarked on for a permanent home. The club has played its home games in Yankee Stadium since its inception four years ago, but it has tried to move forward on plans for a stadium in Flushing Meadows, Queens, and near Columbia University in Manhattan.
Under the South Bronx proposal, the partnership would take a 99-year ground lease of the site and would pay $500K each year. It would also invest $25M into a waterfront esplanade and pay $100M to make the site buildable, according to YIMBY.
In late 2016, Empire State Development Corp. opened up a request for expressions of interest from developers to lease or purchase a 12.8-acre part of the Yards. NYCFC declined to comment on the RFP response.
"NYCFC is in active pursuit of a new home and we are looking at a number of possible locations," the club said through a spokesperson.
Along with the 550 affordable housing units and the stadium, to be designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects, the complex would feature a 25K SF medical facility. The proposal also reportedly outlines plans for a new waterfront community park, a soccer training academy for more than 1,000 students year-round and a new ferry terminal that connects to the NYC ferry system. It would also feature 150K SF of retail.
Earlier this month, Somerset Partners and the Chetrit Group reportedly reached an agreement to sell their mixed-use development nearby at 101 Lincoln Ave. and 2401 Third Ave. to Brookfield for $165M.
If the state chooses Related and Somerset’s plan, the completion date is set for 2022.
A representative for Viñoly declined to comment. Somerset founder Keith Rubenstein and a representative for Related and NYCFC did not respond to requests for comment.
