jake · 2005-03-29MTA board member boosts Jets' plan
jake · 2005-03-30MTA board member boosts Jets' plan
jake · 2005-03-29
http://www.nynewsday.com/nyc-stad0330,0,854623.story?coll=nyc-topheadlines-span MTA board member boosts Jets' plan By Graham Rayman and Joshua Robin STAFF WRITERS March 29, 2005, 5:43 PM EST A key MTA board member today extolled the Jets proposal to build a stadium on the West Side rail yards -- just two days before the Authority is slated to choose the site's developer. Meanwhile, City Council Speaker Gifford Miller called the bidding process unfair and said the MTA should postpone its decision and reopen the auction. "I think it's better for our site," James Simpson, chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's real estate committee, said between meetings at the Authorty's headquarters this morning. "I just think the Jets deal is hands down the best deal." Simpson's comments came ahead of a meeting of the MTA's entire board Thursday when members are expected to choose either the Jets offer of a $1.9 billion stadium and adjacent buildings for the site, or rival Cablevision's offer of a residential community and park there. But Miller said today that if the land is rezoned as a mixed-use area, the cash-strapped MTA could get more money than the three bidders have offered for the 13-acre parcel where the New York Jets want to build a new football stadium. A group of elected officials who support the stadium proposal, including Congress members Gregory Meeks and Joseph Crowley, also sent a letter to MTA Chairman Peter Kalikow today urging him to go ahead with the vote. Kalikow has not yet publicly remarked on his choice for the 13-acre parcel. Miller, a Democratic candidate for mayor, criticized Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg for his role in the bidding process. "The reason we don't have better bidders on this is because the mayor has taken every conceivable step in order to prevent anybody from bidding," Miller said. "What he's tried to do is push the Jets proposal past public review, behind closed doors, and by any means necessary. And this is unfair to potential bidders and it's unfair to this city," he said. Miller also criticized each of the three bidders. He called Cablevision Systems Corp., which bid $760 million and plans to build 5,800 units of housing and a five-acre park, inexperienced and noted that its proposal demands rezoning. He dismissed TransGas Energy Systems, the high bidder with $1.05 billion, as illegitimate because of that proposal's complicated contingencies. And he called the Jets' $720 million offer, which has Bloomberg's strong support, problematic because it requires substantial rezoning, and speculative because $440 million of the bid comes from six developers who have signed a nonbinding agreement to buy excess development rights in the area if the land is rezoned. The mayor's office said it was premature to discuss zoning changes. "The city will evaluate a specific rezoning proposal when it is received, and in accordance with typical processes," said Bloomberg spokeswoman Jennifer Falk. The pro-stadium elected officials, who included several City Council members and state lawmakers, said in their letter, "There is a long and disturbing history in New York of people calling for a delay in the development process, or claiming that the process is tainted, simply to stop any development from moving forward. As you know, we are hearing those calls again in an effort to block the New York Sports and Convention Center." The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright © 2005, Newsday, Inc. Copyright © Newsday, Inc. Produced by Newsday Electronic Publishing. http://www.nynewsday.com/nyc-stad0330,0,854623.story?coll=nyc-topheadlines-spanMTA board member boosts Jets' plan
http://www.nynewsday.com/nyc-stad0330,0,854623.story?coll=nyc-topheadlines-span