By Joe Anuta
The West Side Tennis Club announced last week that it will once again seek to develop the deteriorating, historic tennis stadium that sits on its grounds.
The club put out a request for proposals Aug. 1, which again piqued the interest of neighborhood developer Cord Meyer, according to spokesman Anthony Colletti.
But the company has been through this before.
The tennis club also held a request for proposals last year. Cord Meyer’s design to build condos within the stadium while preserving the facade was selected and approved by the board, but the club’s members ultimately voted the plan down. Since then, the stadium has sat unused.
“Hopefully, it will be different this time,” Colletti said. “We don’t really think anybody could do a better job.”
Cord Meyer had offered about $10 million to build condos on the site. A key element of the plan was to preserve the shell of the historic stadium, which was built in 1923. The stadium was the site of the US Open from the early 1900s until 1978, when the tournament was moved to Flushing Meadows Corona Park. In addition to tennis, the stadium also famously hosted concerts by The Beatles, Bob Dylan and The Who.
But in recent years, the only activity at the venue seemed to be the crumbling of its exterior.
Queens preservationists had sought to have the stadium landmarked, but the city Landmarks Preservation Commission disagreed and rejected the application.
Representatives from the West Side Tennis Club could not be reached for comment.
Cord Meyer’s proposal would likely be similar to the one it submitted last year, according to Colletti.
He attributed the club’s vote to nix the previous development to unfounded fears by members.
One misunderstanding stemmed from the additional development rights that Cord Meyer wanted to buy from the club.
The footprint of the stadium is about 2 acres, and there are 2 acres worth of development rights associated with it. But Cord Meyer could build more units into the building if it also bought — not the actual land — but the development rights associated with some of the surrounding area.
Since that land is currently occupied by tennis courts, which will probably not be developed since they are essential for a tennis club — the rights could be used by Cord Meyer, Colletti said.
But there could be a new sticking point this time around.
The tennis club has told Cord Meyer that another plan exists which predates the developer’s idea to build housing stock within the stadium while still keeping the exterior intact, according to Colletti.
But the club signed a legal document that gave Cord Meyer the sole right to use the design, meaning they could not shop it around with other companies, Colletti said.
The request for proposals runs through October, when Cord Meyer will know whether its plan has been accepted.
Reach reporter Joe Anuta by e-mail at januta@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
