Graphic provided by New York Yankees
A new Yankee Stadium is planned for Macombs Dam Park.

Yankees and city agree on new stadium plan

By Rachel Breitman
Contributing writer

Twice a day, college freshman Ramon Acosta, 18, exercises at the Joseph Yancey Track and Field in John Mullaly Park.

When construction begins in Macombs Dam Park and John Mullaly Park to build the new Yankee Stadium, expected to start next year and finish in time for the 2009 season, Acosta will lose his workout space. Though he mourns this loss, he said, "Give me ten more championships, and I guess it is okay."

Acosta echoed the mixed feelings of many in the neighborhood about the plans for a new stadium. In the wake of controversial campaigns to construct stadiums for the Nets in Brooklyn and the Jets in Manhattan, rebuilding "The House that Ruth Built" has caused some anxiety for taxpayers, housing advocates and environmental activists.

On June 15, the Yankees, along with Mayor Michael Bloomberg, released formal plans for a new $800 million stadium. While the team has agreed to pay much of the price tag of the new 50,800 seat open-air stadium, the city will be supplying funding for increased infrastructure and local development.

"We have reached an agreement to build a stunning new stadium for the New York Yankees, as well as new public parks and recreational facilities that will continue to drive the incredible renaissance taking place in the South Bronx," said Mayor Michael Bloomberg, in a press release.

This came only days after the mayor had introduced plans for a new Mets Stadium in Queens that could be used for the 2012 Olympics. What will be done with the current space, considered hallowed ground by many baseball fans?

"That's up to the city not us," said Randy Levine, Yankees president. The Parks Department plans to preserve the playing field with its current outfield dimensions, dugouts and about 3,500 field-level seats around home plate.

"We will work with the community to determine what elements should be incorporated into a new structure that would serve as a gateway to what will be called 'Heritage Field'," said Warner Johnston, spokesperson for the Parks Department.

Bronx Borough President Adolpho Carrion shared his own vision for redevelopment of the park in his February "State of the Borough Address," including the creation of little league fields, a baseball museum, a new public high school for sports careers and possibly a hotel. To improve transportation, the city has discussed an expanded ferry landing on the Harlem River waterfront and a new Metro North train station.

The city would pay $135 million of these infrastructure costs, with another $75 million coming from the state. This may still leave a gap of more funds needed for building and renovating the area around the park.

While increased local commerce could be a boon to storeowners, the cost of housing would likely soar as well.

Local activists, like Gilberto Rivera of Nos Quedamos, a non-profit affordable housing company, have joined together in an organization called Bronx Voices to demand that the community's needs be included in the plans.

"We are working for the community," said Rivera, who plans to be part of an upcoming community rally scheduled for June 25 to raise awareness about the plans of the stadium.

"What is going to happen to merchants, and will housing be displaced?" Rivera asked. "We don't want to shut it down, but we want to know what is happening in our own backyard. We are concerned about garbage, traffic, trucks. So we want to know."

Local elected representatives, however, have expressed support for the plan because the Yankees have responded to concerns in the community, they said. "I think it has the potential to be a win-win situation for both the community and the Yankees," said City Council Member Helen Foster, chair of the Council's Parks Committee. "We want a revitalization not a gentrification."

Parks advocates also want to make sure the lost parkland is replaced.

"The Bronx has the least amount of street trees of any borough," said Rowena Daly, communications director of New Yorkers For the Parks.

David Mojica, district manager for Community Board Four, was also anxious about the disruptions to community life from closing the park.

"Activities are going to be lost," said Mojica. "They have to replace [them] with new baseball fields, benches, state of the art plans."

Ann Fenton, press secretary for the borough president, agreed that Carrion "absolutely will not give up a large parcel of parkland without getting more." She said that Carrion expected Yankee Stadium to be an area of economic development, bringing people and money into the Bronx.

Not everyone is so confident about the earning power of a new stadium. "Stadiums are not good development tools," said Doug Turetsky, chief of staff for the city's Independent Budget Office. "They're not big revenue generators. It sits unused for most of the year. However, it really depends on how it is integrated. In Denver, the new stadium there has been more successful because of how it was integrated in the neighborhood and the way it was used."

Denver's investment in a new field for the Denver Rockies, surrounded by an aquarium and shopping complexes, led to a marked increase in new apartments, new companies, and new customers.

Despite the possibility for rising housing prices and exorbitant tax bills, some Bronx politicians are willing to forfeit the money to keep the Yankees in town.

"The Bronx officials should work hard to make the Yankees stay," said Ben Allen, spokesman for Congressman Jose Serrano. "They're an important institution for community pride and involvement, and they put the Bronx on the map… If a new stadium is what it is going to take, (Congressman Serrano) is happy to help out."