Care to back this up with some facts? What you are essentially saying here is that there were no big development projects in NYC that didn't occur during the 1994-2013 timeframe? How about the Javits Center, the original World Trade Center, Rockefeller Center and Lincoln Center? All at least started during the term of a Democrat mayor. Even if we were just limited to sports stadiums, Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium, Madison Square Garden and The Arthur Ashe tennis center were all at least began under a Democrat mayor.
DeBlasio is an absolute boob, but please tell me why you think he should sacrifice tax revenue to help subsidize the richest family in the world building an NYCFC stadium. Can you argue that this new stadium will add more to the NY economy than is already being generated by their residence at Yankee Stadium?
Also, equivalent exchange of space is essentially state law and I don't think any mayor, Republican, Democrat or Independent, would argue against it.
I was being dramatic for effect.
Why should he sacrifice tax revenue, hmm that's a tricky one.
1. Stadium economics are dodgy no matter where you build them. To be perfectly frank the vast majorities of stadiums are economic white elephants. There are simply a huge number of alternative options that are vastly better investments than building a stadium. What I just said does not account for the fact that you want to build a stadium in
the five boroughs.
2. Building anything in the five boroughs is hilariously and stupidly expensive. Jesus man, Yankee stadium was $1.5b and Citi Field was $610mm. More importantly
they did not have to buy the land! Does it tell you nothing that one of the best proposals would have us buy pier 40 then dump $1-200mm into it before we can start building anything?
Short and simple, if you want to build a stadium in NYC, not NJ, you have to have some kind of subsidy or tax breaks. Otherwise it will not get built. That is the start and end of the story.
Would a stadium add more to the economy than staying in Yankee stadium? I have no idea, nor do I have the information that would let me accurately analyze that. Gut shot says, probably not.
Though that disregards the fact that we are playing in someone else's home. If a Yankees player is hurt because of a soccer divot, guess what no more NYCFC in Yankee Stadium. Where do we go then? The true purpose of a stadium is to provide a team stability, in terms of planning and finance.
We also have not touched on the common good argument in the slightest. Aka even if NYC spends a bunch of money in tax breaks, is the utility (happiness) an average NYer gains from the team greater or less than the utility (happiness) an average NYer would gain from the money being spent elsewhere.
Really now, I'm going to need the statute. That is some serious news to me. If I recollect correctly equivalent exchange is something the politicians bang their fists on a podium about then quietly let slip into oblivion when crunch time hits.