Comments on: The Bronx Is Burning Over Subsidized Stadium Parking

By: just sayin

just sayin — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 01:56:46 +0000

The new stadium has to have a lot parking because otherwise it’s not fair to all the rich people who want to attend but don’t like cities.

By: Sean

Sean — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 18:22:04 +0000

Aaron,

It’s a great point. If the current, larger Yankee Stadium sells out with less parking (substantially less during construction), where’s the need for more parking?

Unfortunately, baseball attendance is somewhat dependent on team performance. The Yankees may have some leaner years where the availability of parking is necessary to draw fans to late season series against lamer teams.

And, clearly, the Yankees are thinking not only about attendance totals, but also attendance makeup. They want fans from New Jersey.

Contrast the situation with football, where the Giants have something like a 2,000 year waiting list for season tickets. There’s absolutely no reason to supply so many parking spaces for Giants stadium. If you lost a few people not willing to come by mass transit, you’d make them up with eager fans on the waiting list.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 15:40:55 +0000

What will be the schedule for the new Yankees Stadium Metro-North station trains? Will fans be forced to wait until 30-45 minutes after last pitch before MN trains depart?

I suspect this alone will discourage many from taking MN when there is already superior and more frequent subway service.

By: Allison Lack

Allison Lack — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 15:12:50 +0000

For the record, overall, the new stadium will have over 4,500 fewer seats than the current one. The current stadium has a seating capacity of 57,545 while the new one will have only 53,000 seats.

By: Aaron Donovan

Aaron Donovan — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 15:03:35 +0000

By the way, I was listening to the game the other day on the radio and the announcers were going on and on about how the Yanks sell out every game they play at home and isn’t that amazing. Attendance couldn’t be higher, and hasn’t been higher. But parking is reduced this year because of the construction of the new stadium, and it doesn’t seem to be having any impact at all.

By: Aaron Donovan

Aaron Donovan — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 00:25:19 +0000

Benjamin, does the 54,000 total include the people in the luxury boxes?

By: Benjamin Kabak

Benjamin Kabak — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 05:29:58 +0000

FYI on the stadium: It will have just 2000 fewer seats than the old stadium. Current plans call for a 53,000-seat facility with 1000 admitted for standing room. That’s 54,000 a game. Currently, Yankee Stadium holds around 56-57,000 depending upon the game. But your overall point still stands.

By: Bettina Damiani

Bettina Damiani — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 00:34:18 +0000

The IDA board meeting is open to the public. Anyone wanting to submit a comment on the Yankee parking garages I’d suggest sending it via e-mail ASAP to dshelley@nycedc.com, (and to GJNY if you’d like).

The IDA Board is scheduled to vote on the proposed financing for the project this Tuesday, September 11th at 9:00am at 110 William Street in Lower Manhattan.

By: ddartley

ddartley — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 17:31:54 +0000

Also, Hunka, try writing to your Borough President (and the other BPs too, why not?) Doctoroff’s boss Bloomberg, Amanda Burden, and all your friends who might also want to fire off a letter.

By: Christine Berthet

Christine Berthet — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 17:08:15 +0000

This is outrageous!!!
How many affordable appartements could be built for that kind of money?

But that goes along the accepted concept that to make more money , Stadium owners reduce the number of low cost seats and increase the number of boxes . Boxes are used by rich people and according to the city’s definition of “need” rich people need more cars….

By the way same logic on the far west side: Expensive appartements are bought by rich people and rich people “need” more parking…

The public loses twice

By: mfs

mfs — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 17:01:08 +0000

If the public gets to subsidize the Yanks, then we should also get to vote on the starting line-up. Seriously though, Carrion is just positioning himself for a mayoral run by trying to innoculate himself against the charge that he will build any project at any price, not the right project at the right price.

By: Larry Littlefield

Larry Littlefield — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 16:54:52 +0000

It appears that after two decades of threatening to move the Yankees to New Jersey, Steinbrenner has succeeded in forcing NYC to move New Jersey to the Bronx.

I was rooting for NJ to get the Yankees so we wouldn’t have to pay. I’m a Met fan anyway, and a large share of the Yankee fans are from NJ. But NJ was smart enough not to pay.

By: Aaron Naparstek

Aaron Naparstek — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 16:18:09 +0000

Well… Dan Doctoroff in charge of both the EDC and the Long-Term Sustainability Office. Subsidizing traffic congestion with one hand and trying to reduce it with the other.

By: John Hunka

John Hunka — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 16:04:27 +0000

I feel like firing off a letter opposing the subsidy and the construction of the garages. Who should I contact?

By: Eric

Eric — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 15:47:43 +0000

It’s time for government to get out of the sports-subsidization business. It’s nothing but a colossal taxpayer rip-off. Enough is enough.

If we need sports teams in order to feel pride in our city and boroughs, then we’re already in pretty big trouble, no?

[Please don't mistake me for an anti-sports snob. I have season tickets to two New York-area pro teams.]

By: vnm

vnm — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 15:33:49 +0000

Bravo Ms. Collins! The easiest, and by far the most fun, way to go to Yankee games that I have found is via the ferry, which goes to New Jersey and to various points in Manhattan before stopping at the stadium. All the induced parking would be expected to hurt the revenue of N.Y. Waterway and also Metro-North, right? Why were execs. from those organizations not standing side by side with Ms. Collins?