West Side Story
The battle for the air rights over the Long Island Rail Road’s west side rail yard in Manhattan is heating up. Where New York City and the New York Jets are pushing hard to build a multi-use stadium in the area, neighborhood activists and Cablevision, which owns Madison Square Garden, are striving equally as forcefully to derail the stadium.
Last week, Cablevision made things a lot more interesting when it offered the MTA $600 million to the development rights for the yard. Instead of the stadium, which Cablevision fears would lure business from the Garden, the company is proposing to put up residential and commercial buildings. The offer gained legs today when Cablevision met an MTA deadline to answer 46 questions about its proposal.
Naturally, New York City hasn’t reacted kindly to the bid, dismissing it as essentially fantasy and last-ditch desperation by Cablevision to protect its flank. Yet, what is most interesting about the city’s response is the positively hysterical allegations being hurled by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. You see, the stadium is the lynchpin to Bloomberg’s efforts to land the 2012 Summer Olympics, which he presumably sees as his legacy, never mind that he’s built a billion-dollar, world-renowned business empire.
In a truly choice quote, Bloomberg said, "It is just an outrage. It is more than a public relations gimmick; they want to take away the Olympics. They want to take away the future of this city. I've just never seen a company behave this way, and hopefully they won't get away with it."
He sounds like a kid who’s been sent to his room without his ice cream. Cablevision doesn’t want to take away the Olympics. Nor is it trying to take away the future of the city. Essentially, Bloomberg is saying that the city he is mayor of has no future, no hope, unless it hosts the Olympics. Nice thought.
He went on to say that Cablevision isn’t acting in the best interests of the city. Granted, Cablevision is motivated by its own needs, yet who is to say that the city needs a stadium more than it needs residential and commercial space. Or that a stadium is a better use of the land.
My own take is that dropping this mammoth facility smack in the middle of a mixed-use neighborhood will cut the community in two and destroy the community like the Gowanus Expressway marginalized Red Hook. In places where they have put new stadiums – Philadelphia and Seattle, for example – the stadiums were placed in areas off the beaten path. Close enough to be easily accessible, but not so central as to get in the way of everyday life.
Let’s hear Cablevision out. Let’s hear others such as the RPA (link to large PDF file) out. Let’s have a legitimate dialogue on the best use of the land before rushing to a decision. And Mayor Mike, grow up.
Comments
Chiding Mayor Mike to "grow up" is just dumb. I'm no Rah-Rah fan of the guy, but he knows a whale's worth more of business reality than the whole damn Dolan family combined. If it came down to it, yopu could say, "Scew you" and cut a check and there would be no worry about that thing turning rubber on its way to the bank.
"Let's hear Cablevision out."
Why? I'm serious, why take this eleventh hour gambit as something serious? They spent somewhere in the ballpark of $30 mill on media spots trying to drum up support for their effort to squash the stadium/Javits extension project. They couldn't funnel a couple of dollars into--at least--mocking up a visual for what they would do if they got the contract? Or an explanation of how they would fund it?
MSG has been living tax-free for years, and what does Team Dolan have to show for it? A cable business that lives on a contract that gives them a monopoly in certain environs; two black holes masquerading as professional sports franchises, and absolutely nothing credible on their resume to proof the idea they could pull off the kind of development of the site they are touting now, at this late hour.
They've burned the Garden downed because of their absolute idiocy. Their ineptitude created the Yankees' TV network, and the Mets are following Steinbrenner's lead and creating one of their own.
Why do you think they are even worthy of being considered an option? Everything the Dolan's have touched has turned to stone. Name me one thing they have accomplished, other than protecting their turf. Really, just one thing they have accomplished as an organization beyond collecting fees from cable subscribers and season ticket holders.
Posted by: TC@LeatherPenguin | February 12, 2005 03:43 AM
I'm no fan of the Dolans either, or at least James Dolan, but if they can produce a legitimate plan, then I think it should be considered. And please don't refer to my comments as "dumb" just because you disagree with them.
Posted by: Jon | February 12, 2005 06:49 AM
Sorry about the "dumb." I should have saved the smack talk for the Dolans and their smoke and mirrors "plan."
Posted by: TC@LeatherPenguin | February 13, 2005 03:06 AM
Thanks.
BTW - are you a frustrated Knicks fan, Rangers fan, Cablevision subscriber, all of the above? I'm a frustrated Knicks fan. James Dolan is like the kid who was handed Daddy's car keys and has no clue at all how to drive. The Cablevision board should revoke his driving privileges.
Posted by: Jon | February 13, 2005 07:14 AM
I freakin' hate Cablevision. The company where they charge you more than Time Warner for less options! But, of course, they have a monopoly over cable in a lot of the areas they service.
Although I'll give them one thing - their broadband service is very reliable.
Posted by: Lesley | February 13, 2005 07:55 AM
That's right, you're a Cablevision hostage, excuse me, subscriber, now that you're out in Hoboken. Most every Cablevision subscriber I know has little kind to say about them. We here in Queens have a choice between Time Warner and RCN.
Posted by: Jon | February 13, 2005 10:49 AM