The West Side Stadium, Dead
Mayor Bloomberg's
efforts to build a football stadium on the west side of Manhattan appear to be dead, slain by the New York state assembly. Good.
Bloomberg's case for the stadium was never convincing. He wanted to redevelop a part of Manhattan that sorely needs improvement. And he thought that the stadium would help New York obtain the 2012 Olympics, which he believed would help "heal the wounds" of 9/11.
But the case against the stadium was far stronger. Football stadiums don't generally rejuvenate neighborhoods; they create a massive dead zone around which urban life withers. This stadium would have been used eight Sundays a year, with perhaps a few concerts thrown in. The rest of the time...?
Moreover, Jets fans didn't want the stadium. There were, bizarrely, no plans to build parking ; nor were there plans to develop new public transportation from outside Manhattan to help fans get to the stadium. Invariably, this would have meant massive traffic jams in the area on game days, but nowhere to tailgate—and only a mayor who probably never went to a football game in his life before running for office would propose a stadium where you couldn't tailgate.
As for the Olympics—people I respect tell me
the plan to host them was smart and even inspiring, making reference to New York's multi-national quality. But the emotional connection to 9/11 was always tenuous. New Yorkers feel that 9/11 tributes belong downtown. Problem is, the mayor has overlooked the redevelopment of lower Manhattan, and the plan for a 9/11 memorial and development is in complete chaos.
Michael Bloomberg has, in many ways, been a fine mayor for New York. But his desire to leave behind a massive tribute to himself overwhelmed his better judgment here. He should forget about the stadium idea; devise better ways to develop the west side than dropping a massive stadium down in it; refocus his energy on lower Manhattan; and remind New Yorkers that he's a much, much better mayor than
Freddy Ferrer could ever be.
