Statement of Sustainable South Bronx

on Yankee Stadium Parking Garages

Good afternoon, my name Majora Carter, I am the founder and Executive Director of Sustainable South Bronx.  Sustainable South Bronx is a community-based organization located in the Hunts Point section that is dedicated to the implementation of sustainable development projects for the South Bronx that are informed by the needs of the community and the values of Environmental Justice.

The new stadium calls for an increase in the amount of parking by nearly 3,000 spaces with another 1,200 spaces being provided for game patrons in the nearby Gateway Center mall will represent around a 55% increase in stadium-related parking.  This increase in parking will only attract larger numbers of automobiles to the Bronx.  Considering that we are talking about a low-income community of color whose home is already known as “Asthma Alley,” it is important to weigh the environmental implications of this development. Across the borough and the city groups are working to undo the legacy of environmental injustice created by Robert Moses and approval of this plan by the commission would be a step backward, once again putting cars and the monied interests they represent, ahead of people.

Now the New York City Industrial Development Agency (IDA) is proposing to offer additional subsidies for the construction of the three new garages and the renovation of existing garages and surface lots in the area. The IDA is proposing to offer the garage developers $190 million in triple tax-exempt bonds to finance the development of the parking facilities, which the city estimates will mean over $2 million in forgone city income taxes.  In addition, the city will no longer collect a percentage of the revenues earned at the garages.

That the city is willing to do this even though there is no funding for a Metro-North Station at Yankee Stadium is unconscionable.  The alienation of parkland, the dramatic increase in parking, and lack of mass transit options highlights the problems with planning in the South Bronx today.  Reminiscent of the Robert Moses Era, this short-sighted planning will spell disaster for the borough. The South Bronx has been the brunt of too many poorly planned projects in the past and presently is facing several other large developments, including the Bronx Terminal Market, projects at the Hub, and the resurgence of a BJ big-box store. None of the projects are being looked at holistically, but their cumulative impact will be crippling to the South Bronx. 

Thank you again for the opportunity to comment here today.