The Stadium proposed for NY's West Side of Manhattan
SBS has been following the dramatic developments behind New York's attempt to construct a giant $2 billion stadium for the New York 2012 Olympics and the NFL's New York Jets Football Organization. The process took a surprising turn when the New York State Public Authorities Control Board (PACB) faced the absention of two members,
NY Assemblyman Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno , with
NY Governor George Pataki casting the only affirmative vote. Silver is a Democrat, while Bruno and Pataki are Republican.
Silver, as you will learn below, represents the Lower Manhattan district damaged after the attack on the World Trade Center on September 9, 2001. He belives that the proposed "Hudson Yards" development complex to be constructed around the proposed enormous stadium would compete for office tenants with those buildings planned for the
redevelopment of Lower Manhattan.
If you want to learn about the stadium proposal itself, see SBS's converage with a click here, but what follows is a representation of the great coverage by the website NewYorkGames.org While the site's author backs a stadium in Queens, the pages contain the most comprehensive coverage of the stadium issue and New York's Olympics bid. The contents below is from NewYorkGames.org, and with links back to that site.
From New York Games.org - opinions not those of Sports Business Simulations
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver Doesn't Support Stadium
Speaker Silver just had a press conference where he said he won't support the West Side stadium. He said the accompanying 24 million square feet of office space would hurt Lower Manhattan's recovery. It's the right decision for the right reason. (The use of the Games to spur the wrong kind of development, at the WTC site's expense, is the reason this NewYorkGame.org website was started two years ago.)
Although Deputy Mayor Doctoroff has said there would be no competition between the World Trade Site and his new "Hudson Yards" central business district, the schedules for the two projects exactly overlap.
Here's the reason the stadium is not being approved today:
IOC Praises City's Olympic Bid, But Silver Expected To Vote No On Stadium
NY1 (before Silver press conference)
Sources close to Silver tell NY1 that without a major change in negotiations, the Assembly speaker will likely vote "no." Sources say Bruno is expected to abstain.
Lawmaker Vows Veto, Appearing to End Chances for Stadium
The New York Times (after press conference)
Timothy Williams
The financial plan for a proposed West Side stadium will be rejected by a key state panel today, appearing to end plans for the $2.2 billion project that had been the centerpiece of the city's bid for the 2012 Olympic Games and the proposed home of the New York Jets.
...
"Am I supposed to sell out the community I have fought for and I have represented?" Mr. Silver, a Manhattan Democrat, said at an afternoon news conference before the board's vote. "Am I supposed to turn my back on Lower Manhattan?"
Mr. Silver said that even if New York is awarded the 2012 Olympic Games, he would not support a West Side stadium project.
Mr. Silver said rebuilding Lower Manhattan was a "moral" issue and dismissed the stadium plan as simple "ambition."
"The mayor and the governor have had almost four years to establish a construction schedule for Lower Manhattan," he said.
State assembly leader rejects stadium plan
AP
Marc Humbert
Bruno said negotiations might continue beyond Monday. "Who knows what tomorrow or next week brings," the Senate leader said.
N.Y. Speaker Rejects Manhattan Stadium for Olympics (Update2)
Bloomberg
Josh P. Hamilton
"It's not about the Olympics,'' Silver said. The issue is about whether "to shift the financial and business capital of the world out of Lower Manhattan and over to the west side.''
...
"If we don't have the stadium, we cannot get the Olympics,'' Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a Republican, said at a news conference in Brooklyn after Silver made his remarks in Albany. "Today's reports from the IOC showed we would very unlikely be selected without an Olympic stadium guarantee,'' Bloomberg said.
State Board Rejects West Side Stadium Funding
NY1
The three-person PACB is controlled by representatives of Governor George Pataki, Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. The board needed to vote unanimously to approve the $300 million funding plan, but while Pataki voted yes on the stadium, both Silver and Bruno’Äôs appointees abstained, effectively killing the funding proposal.
NYS panel rejects NYC stadium, Olympic bid clouded
Reuters
Linda Prospero
On a second resolution, proposed by Bruno, to build the West Side stadium, contingent on New York City winning the Olympic bid, Bruno's representative was the lone member voting for the plan.
Bad News For The West Side Stadium
WABC
Dave Evans
According to sources, this leaves Governor Pataki the right to call a new vote, which sources say he intends to do.
...
Silver today seemed almost angry at the mayor in his push for the Olympics.
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver: "The 2012 Summer Olympic Games are being used as a shield to hide another goal - to shift the financial and business capitol of the world out of Lower Manhattan and over to the West Side."
Paris, London Lead Race for 2012 Games, IOC Indicates (Update2)
Bloomberg
"The odds now suggest that Madrid, New York and Moscow are all but out of the race,'' Ladbrokes spokesman Warren Lush said.
...
The evaluation report shows that New York is in a "great position'' to win in Singapore "so long as the stadium is approved,'' New York mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement today.
Paris front-runner, New York Olympic organizers delighted by IOC report
"This report makes very clear that this race is neck in neck and that New York is in the top tier. We feel great about our chances to win ... as long as the stadium is approved," said NYC2012 spokesman Jay Carson.
"This really couldn't be any better," NYC2012 bid leader Dan Doctoroff said of the report.
NYC hopeful on 2012 bid despite stadium issue
Reuters
Larry Fine
"We are absolutely delighted by the IOC's evaluation commission report today," Dan Doctoroff, New York City deputy mayor and founder of the NYC2012 organization, said.
Monday's report rated the bids of Paris and London as being of "very high quality" while New York and Madrid were said to have presented bids of "high quality."
...
"The report makes clear that this race is neck and neck and that New York is firmly in the top tier.
"The IOC report has made crystal clear that we're in a great position to win in Singapore on July 6, so long as the stadium is approved," Doctoroff said in a statement issued earlier.
"You can't have a glaring weakness in your most important venue and expect to triumph."
Paris Leading Bid to Host 2012 Olympics
AP
Stephen Wilson
The report didn't include a single negative word about Paris, praising the French capital's sports concept, "excellent accommodation,""high capacity and quality" transportation systems and "well-documented" budget.
The report also noted that Paris had "fully taken into account" the IOC's framework for controlling the cost and size of the Olympics.
Olympic Panel Praises Paris and London; Notes Doubt on N.Y.
The New York Times
Timothy Williams
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg also made clear the importance of the stadium as part of the city's Olympic bid. "It's clear that if we get the Sports & Convention Center approved, we are in a terrific position to win the games," he said in a statement. "New Yorkers and Americans are counting on us, and it is imperative that the Sports & Convention Center is approved today."
Paris front-runner, New York Olympic organizers delighted by IOC report Newsday
John Jeansonne
With stadium approval, Doctoroff said, "We are positioned to win. Without it, we're dead. There are no major negatives identified in this report other than the stadium."
Paris and London given 2012 boost BBC
Paris and London receive glowing reports Reuters
2012 Olympics Bids React to IOC Report ATR
Cautious praise for London Olympic bid The Guardian
Despite the furious spinning, the report is a real blow to NYC2012. They have two enormous problems:
1) They are not in the top tier. London and Paris are; Madrid and NYC2012 follow.
2) The IOC gave equal weight to concerns about the International Broadcast Center as the stadium. The most important venue, the village, also has major concerns.
IOC Doesn't Say "No Stadium, No Games"
Three Tiers
The bottom line evaluation is how the five bids' presentations are characterized in the final summary at the end of the report. Although NYC2012 is saying their bid is "firmly in the top tier," they clearly are not.
Tier 1: Paris and London are "very high quality."
Tier 2: Madrid and NYC2012 are "high quality."
Tier 3: Moscow was given no adjective, for lack of information.
Madrid has fewer negative comments, meaning NYC2012's plan came in fourth place, as with last year's IOC report.
Stadium/IBC
The IOC doesn't say "no stadium, no Games." NYC2012 is interpreting the report as saying as much, but by that logic the report is also saying "no IBC, no Games."
The comments in the report are: "Tendering and approval processes for the Olympic stadium and IBC, sites essential to the hosting of the Games, were still in progress at the time of the Commission’Äôs visit and no guarantees were provided that these sites would be available for the construction of Olympic infrastructure," and "New York could not provide a guarantee for the use of the Olympic Square site (Olympic stadium and IBC)."
To the extent NYC2012 says the stadium must be immediately approved, they then must also state that the IBC must be immediately approved.
The International Broadcast Center is to be on the Eastern Rail Yard, and there is no deal between the MTA and the City for this site.
The City's Hudson Yards finance plan indicates $1.7 billion will be generated from selling development rights (for buildings on-site, plus air rights to be transferred to other building sites), but that all of it will go to the City, not MTA.
After everything the MTA just went through on the Western Rail Yard, where the City initially wanted it for free (in spite of a $923 million appraisal), then the Jets were willing to pay $100 million, then finally MTA got $250 million, this is will be a difficult issue to resolve.
The high-rise IBC was also a concern: "Whilst the bid committee stated that high-rise broadcasting facilities are common in New York, experience at previous Olympic Games would suggest that a high-rise IBC could pose some operational challenges."
Village
The lack of approval for the village is a concern: "Compulsory purchase procedures may be required to obtain the proposed site for the Olympic Village. These procedures could delay land acquisition, which may impact on construction schedules." This is because "The surface area of the village would be 25 hectares, of which 10 hectares still need to be acquired."
There is also a concern about density: "two 40-storey buildings are planned. The Commission felt that the use of these high-rise buildings, a consequence of
inner-city Games, would require detailed planning to avoid potential operational and logistical challenges." Also, security: "The use of the land on the perimeter of the Olympic Village would require careful consideration in regard to access and security at Games-time."
Guarantee
The report states: "The bid committee considers that the total contingency of USD 492 million should be sufficient to cover any shortfalls." It does not discuss the private guarantee that has been provided, indicating whether it is acceptable.
In the paralympic section, they do note that "no written guarantee had been provided from the government to underwrite the budget." (There is no guarantee to underwrite the regular Games either, just a $250 million guarantee.)
NYC2012 has provided an inferior guarantee:
Paris: "The national government has guaranteed to cover any shortfall."
London: "The UK government has guaranteed it would act as the ultimate financial guarantor to cover any shortfall from the Games."
Madrid: "The government of Spain, the region and the city of Madrid, have each guaranteed to cover one third of any financial shortfall."
Moscow: "The city government guarantees to cover any budget shortfall."
NYC2012: "To cover any shortfall the City and State of New York have guaranteed funds of up to USD 250 million."
Support
As a result of the divisive stadium debate, New York's public support is the lowest of the five:
Madrid: "91% support in the city of Madrid and 85% throughout Spain."
Paris: "85% support in Paris and 79% support throughout France."
Moscow: "77% support in Moscow and 76% support throughout Russia."
London: "68% support in London and 70% support throughout the country."
NYC2012: "59% support in New York City and 54% support in the USA."
Transportation
There is a concern with the transportation plan: "[A] number of venues are not fully served by the core network of dedicated Olympic lanes, which may make it difficult to achieve the stated travel times."
"Cost and Complexity"
The IOC has a plan to reduce the "cost and complexity" of the Olympics. There is an indirect reference to the expansive plans of the bid: "this construction programme, bearing in mind its size, complexity and cost, is considered feasible." (Though all the new facilities "would serve as an excellent post-Games legacy for sports and community recreation.")
Other venues
"The shared use of the track cycling venue with badminton and temporary venues for modern pentathlon and aquatics warrant further review."
Mayor and Speaker, Face to Face but Not Agreeing
The New York Times
Mike McIntire
Rarely have Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver spent so much time together: sitting elbow to elbow at a charity breakfast yesterday, then retreating behind closed doors in a Midtown hotel, marching side-by-side in a parade and huddling in an empty City Hall.
Still, judging from their public comments yesterday, the two men remained far apart on the very issue that has brought them so close: the fate of Mr. Bloomberg's plans for a West Side stadium.
A key vote is scheduled for today, but Mr. Silver gave no signal that he was any closer to siding with the mayor, repeating his assertion that not enough was being done to redevelop Lower Manhattan and his belief that Queens would make a better site for the stadium. Leaving a hastily arranged meeting with the mayor at City Hall late yesterday afternoon, Mr. Silver said, "Nothing's changed."
"We have no deal," he said later in a telephone interview. "I don't think there has been any progress. We're still talking, but that's about it."
When asked, Mr. Silver would not say how he intended to vote today on the state's $300 million investment in the $2.2 billion West Side project, but added, "It's a long way till Monday."
...
Mr. Bloomberg seemed annoyed by the suggestion, implicit in Mr. Silver's criticism, that the Assembly speaker is more concerned than he is about bringing Lower Manhattan back.... "The speaker is not the only one that has Lower Manhattan as a priority."
"I will do everything I can to help build, rebuild, Lower Manhattan," he said. "Having said that, I also have a responsibility to the other parts of the city."
Mr. Bloomberg repeated his position that Queens was not a viable location for the stadium, which would be used by the Jets football team. The Jets said yesterday that the team would invest in the stadium only if it is built in Manhattan.
'No progress' in Jets deal
Newsday
Bryan Virasami and Joshua Robin
The lack of a deal left it increasingly likely that the Public Authorities Control Board's 3 p.m. vote could be postponed for the fourth time.
Silver ... plans to talk with the mayor again this morning.
...
"Obviously, downtown is a priority for me," Silver said after two chat sessions with Bloomberg at a breakfast sponsored by Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty. "It is not a matter of -- as some people have characterized it -- what do I want. I want his midtown vision not to hurt downtown. That's what I want."
...
Silver has made no such promise. He would support an arena in Queens -- an idea Bloomberg called "great" but impractical.
Negotiations over Manhattan stadium continue, day before key vote on project
AP
Karen Matthews
"If a deal can be worked, it should be worked by tomorrow," [Silver] said about Monday's scheduled vote. "If it can't be worked, you know, we should also express that tomorrow."
West Side Stadium Negotiations Reach Fever Pitch
WABC
Kemberly Richardson
Silver: "I'm suggesting that they should not be rushing the Midtown plans so that it's the only available space for any possible commercial growth."
...
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, (R) New York City: "If we have the stadium, there would be no need for other incentives for a long time on the West Side because that would be the catalyst for an enormous amount of development."
Downtown is focus of stadium talks
Crain's
Anne Michaud
"The pace of the West Side construction is the key sticking point for Shelly," says one source close to the negotiations. "That was not made completely clear before."
...
One possible option would be to delay the westward extension of the No. 7 subway line from Times Square until 2010, which would put off the resulting construction boom by five years.
...
Observers believe that Mr. Silver will be persuaded to vote for the stadium--and then be able to champion his efforts in securing parochial perks for his lower Manhattan constituents while claiming a starring role in the most important recovery effort in American history.
Clock ticks on Jets arena Times Union
In the huddle Daily News
SILVER HAMMER SET TO SMASH STADIUM New York Post
West Side Stadium Talks Continue Through Weekend NY1
As Stadium Vote Nears, Reports Say City's Olympic Bid May Be Waning NY1
BACKERS BLITZING FENCE-SITTER SILVER BEFORE THE KEY VOTE New York Post
Paris celebration / BBC
Coe predicts that London bid will earn praise from IOC
The Times
Ashling O’ÄôConnor
While the London and Paris bids are in good shape, New York, once a contender, is falling away because of a wrangle over its proposed Olympic stadium. Michael Bloomberg, the city’Äôs mayor, was forced to postpone a vote by public authorities for approval of the project until today. Madrid, meanwhile, is struggling to make an impact, despite the backing of Juan Antonio Samaranch, the former IOC president, and Moscow remains the rank outsider.
Revitalised London neck and neck with Paris
The Daily Telegraph
Mihir Bose
For London, the news will be encouraging. The report is likely to list London as good as Paris. Even though London still has to build new stadiums, and Paris has them in place, the fact that London is preparing to construct an Olympic Park - in the style of Sydney and Athens - will count in its favour.
...
Such is the secrecy surrounding this all important technical report that the cities - Paris, London, Madrid, New York and Moscow - will only be given their section of the report, they will not see it in its entirety until half an hour later, the same time it will be released on the IOC website. The IOC sees this secrecy as necessary to prevent any of the cities gaining an advantage.
IOC praises Coe bid with a month left
The Guardian
Duncan Mackay
London's bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games begins a frantic final month of campaigning today when the city is expected to earn a glowing appraisal in a crucial report by Olympic inspectors.
The publication in Lausanne of the findings of the International Olympic Committee's evaluation commission will offer an insight into the competing cities' suitability to host the games and is predicted to conclude that London is just as capable of staging a well-run event as Paris, the favourite.
Transfer market holds the key to glory in Singapore
The Guardian
Paul Kelso
In each city the commission's findings will be minutely dissected but, like so much else produced by the IOC, it is expected to be largely an exercise in platitudes and diplomacy. What devil there is will lie not in the detail but between the lines.
As Stadium Vote Nears, Reports Say City's Olympic Bid May Be Waning
NY1
According to an article in the London newspaper "The Independent," Paris and London will receive the top marks in a critical report set to be delivered Monday by the International Olympic Committee's site evaluation commission.
...
The article was disputed by Jay Kriegel of the NYC2012 bid committee, who issued a statement Sunday saying: "We are confident the evaluation commission report will confirm that New York has a superb technical plan and can host a great Games. New York's bid will then continue to be in a very strong competitive position, so long as the stadium is approved."
Mayor Michael Bloomberg also said he remains optimistic about New York City's chances to land the Games. "The IOC report will say great things about all five (candidates)," Bloomberg said Sunday afternoon.
West Side Stadium Negotiations Reach Fever Pitch
WABC
Kemberly Richardson
Mayor Michael Bloomberg spent much of this weekend trying to woo state lawmakers. At the same time, a report in the British newspaper "The Independent" claims New York is out the running for the 2012 Olympics.
Clock ticks on Jets arena
Times Union
James M. Odato
Jay Kriegel, executive director of NYC2012, said the British article isn't credible. "We fully expect that the IOC's Evaluation Report ... will conclude that New York's bid is just as strong technically as Paris or London. The major concern will be, as we've long known, the approval of the stadium."
New York 2012 Expects To Match London and Paris In IOC Evaluation
GamesBids
NYC2012 Executive Director Jay Kriegel said ’ÄúToday’Äôs press reports out of London are an absolute fabrication. We fully expect that the IOC’Äôs Evaluation Report, which will be released tomorrow, will conclude that New York’Äôs bid is just as strong technically as Paris or London. The major concern will be, as we’Äôve long known, the approval of the stadium.’Äù
New York City's Olympics bid facing key day Monday USA Today
IOC to shed light on NYC bid Newsday
Paris expects strong 2012 report BBC
London awaits crucial 2012 report BBC
Also: Paris Holds Street Party in Olympic Bid The New York Times
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