Subsidies for Yankee Stadium Parking Garages:
The New York Yankees are currently building
a new stadium one block north of its existing location at East 161
Street and River Avenue in the Bronx. The project also includes
the construction of three nearby parking garages containing almost 4,000
spaces. The stadium and parking facilities are being developed
on over 20 acres of frequently used public parkland, and city, state,
and federal subsidies for the project reach almost $800 million in direct
spending and tax breaks.
On October 9, 2007, the New York City Industrial Development Agency (IDA) approved a proposal to offer subsidies for the construction of the three new garages and the renovation of existing garages and surface lots in the area. The IDA agreed to issue $225 million in triple tax-exempt bonds (up from an earlier proposed amount of $190 million) to the Bronx Parking Development Corporation to finance the development of the parking facilities. The city estimates this will mean over $2.5 million in forgone city taxes (in addition, there will be approximately $5 million and $51 million in forgone taxes at the state and federal level, respectively).
View September 6 IDA public hearing project materials.
Read GJNY's testimony from the
September 6th IDA hearing (Attachments:
April 5th Testimony,
CIDC Materials).
Read the testimony of Joyce Hogi, a resident of the South Bronx.
Read New Yorker's for Park's testimony.
Read the testimony of parks advocate and Bronx resident Elizabeth Cooke Levy.
View April 5 IDA hearing project materials.
Read GJNY's testimony from the
April 5th IDA hearing.
Read the testimony of Joyce Hogi, a resident of the South Bronx.
Read Tri-State Transportation Campaign's testimony.
Read Sustainable South Bronx's testimony.
Read Straphanger Campaign's testimony.
On
March 24, 2006, the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) also approved the allocation of
$70 million for the parking garages, which are expected to cost
approximately $239 million to construct (not including the $32 million
cost to the city of building public parks on top of the garages).
View Modifications to ESDC's General Project Plan regarding the parking garages.
Click here
to view a legislative timeline that charts the eight days it took for
the city and state to seize the parks being used for the stadium and
garages.
Read GJNY's exposes on the proposed project:
Loot, Loot, Loot for the Home Team: How the Proposal to Subsidize a New Yankee Stadium Would Leave Residents and Taxpayers Behind.
Read Updated Subsidy Inventory (October, 2007)