Stadium Bid Receives ‘Super’ Support

With the deadline for a decision from the MTA concerning the sale of the West Side railyards looming on Thursday, the proposed Olympic stadium has already received one huge endorsement that may help its cause.
NFL owners voted last week to award the 2010 Super Bowl to New York City with one stipulation — the Jets must build a new stadium in Manhattan. With the team upping their $100 million bid to an estimated $720 million on March 21, that dream, as well as the 2012 Summer Olympics, may well be on their way to reality.
“The Super Bowl is more than a football game,” said Jets owner Woody Johnson. “The Super Bowl will have a tremendous impact on the local economy, and generate revenue for the community.”
The only thing standing in the way now appears to be a last-minute offer by Cablevision that is reported to be some $40 million higher than the Jets’ bid. Cablevision, however, has not yet revealed many of the financial details included in their package.
Both bids allegedly would require a change in the zoning laws of the area surrounding the railyards, which, according to the Jets, is currently labeled as “manufacturing.”
A third company, TransGas Energy, also submitted a $1 billion bid, but many have dismissed it as a longshot, because of the many stipulations it includes.
Despite the competition, the Jets are confident that on Thursday, the MTA will go their way.
“We’re in the red zone,” said Jets president Jay Cross. “We’re very confident. Every day we go closer and closer to the finish, and I think this is one of the many steps.”
Mayor Bloomberg, who has helped spearhead the city’s Olympic bid, was equally optimistic about what a Super Bowl would do for the area.
“This is an enormous vote of confidence in our plans to build the New York Sports and Convention Center,” Bloomberg said. “When it is complete, New York will finally have a world-class facility for the country’s top sports events along with the economic activity and jobs that come with them.”
The MTA has made no comment on the substance of the bids, reserving judgment until their final decision.
editrich@queenscourier.com