Just goes to show that it's possible that, even if it looks like it all quiet and the club is dragging it's feet, they are actually making big waves, and they can get a lot done in the dark.
They built the Randall's Island Connector a few years ago. It's a small bridge under the Hell Gate Bridge connecting the island to the Bronx. https://randallsisland.org/venue/randalls-island-connector/
FredMertz for taking an unpopular position on the forum. My first reaction to public funding for sports stadiums is always negative too, but I really like the concept at this site because of the way it adds value to the railyard footprint. Building on top of the railyard is not going to happen if the lease acquisition costs are too high because the extra cost of putting a project on a platform above the railyard wont justify both.
Why did it take you three days to write such an important post???I have some experience helping design an RFP for a municipality looking to have municipal land developed to provide an economic boost to downtown. 8 figure project, not 9 or 10 like this one so its a whole different level. My take is that folks see the railyard occupying prime waterfront property. The railyard serves a vital public function and can't be moved. A few non-contiguous acres could be shaved off the parcel that aren't needed for the railyard, but nothing transformative for the area can be built on those pieces. The RFEI is prepared to see if there are viable proposals to construct a significant transformative project on and above the railyard footprint. The Muni opines which of the RFEI submissions is the best and designs the RFP to be both facially neutral and designed to pick the favored proposal. For instance, if I wanted the stadium and not a proposal that was exclusively housing I would set the minimum number of housing units at levels the stadium proposal can easily meet and also justify the desire to bring tourists to the area. I know the exclusively housing proposal won't score well or at all on the tourism point while the stadium proposal will get a high score on that point and design the RFP in a way that's both slanted to what the muni thinks is the best proposal(hopefully stadium) and is neutral and objective and can be defended through solid reasoning and evidence if there is a challenge.
My theory is that folks are working on the RFP and the RFP preparation process was the avenue through which it leaked to the real estate development blog. That's a guess based on where it was first reported.
Thanks to
There is a foot/bike bridge over the Bronx Kill -- it's just not where you would want it. The Bronx side lets out about a mile from the stadium to the East.
There is a foot/bike bridge over the Bronx Kill -- it's just not where you would want it. The Bronx side lets out about a mile from the stadium to the East.
If you've ever been on the southeast corner of Randall's by the bridge, you'd know why Hell Gate is a perfect name that should never be changed. The surf is insanely choppy there even when there's no wind, so back in the day sailors thought is was like sailing through the gate of hell. It's apt in modern times too, because when the wind is just right, the smell of garbage coming from who knows where is like the 7th circle of hell.
Just curiously, unless they built parking on Randall's Island, why would you want to be able to walk there from the stadium?
I hate to be a
Randall's Island Connector is the footbridge. The rail bridge over Bronx Kill was never called the connector.
