Juan Gonzalez of the Daily News writes today about the major financial difficulties at the Yankee Stadium parking lot. The $340 million parking system is in financial collapse, partly because customers are using only 31 percent of the 9000 parking spots. Gonzalez writes, "In a desperate effort to stave off default, the firm hiked its rates this season to $35 for self-parking and $48 for valet, from $23 and $36, respectively. The new prices have driven more fans away. Barely 100 patrons a game are forking out the $48 valet price, less than half what the company expected." Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. has suggested that the garage be torn down and a new hotel or other project be built in its place. What do you think?
I think that the useless and wasteful Office of the Bronx Borough President should be torn down and a new hotel put in its place.
ReplyDeleteToo bad that didn't happen before the previous BP and EDC pushed so hard for the construction of this boondoggle, anon 5/19 5:49!
ReplyDeleteAnd I hope the irony isn't lost on everyone: the group that wants to turn the Kingsbridge Armory into a shopping mall with no parking is the same group that insisted upon the necessity of a 9000-spot, premium-priced parking facility at Yankee Stadium in the face of competition from two high-capacity subway lines, comprehensive game-day service from Metro North, and another nearby taxpayer-subsidized lot with vastly cheaper rates. Brilliant! But it's "mission accomplished" for the EDC, whose goal is to funnel taxpayer dollars into the pockets of politically connected developers.
A hotel is as good a proposal as any for reclaiming this disaster site. National hotel chain locations in LIC/Astoria built near subway stops offering quick access to Manhattan are wildly popular, a nice alternative for tourists who can't afford $300+/night hotel rooms but don't want to stay at fleabags like the Hotel Carter. A quality name-brand hotel/restaurant complex located 12 minutes from GCT via Metro North would likely be a success.
The killing of the mall project for Kingsbridge Armory is a mark of shame that Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. will never live down.
ReplyDeleteSo politically, Ruben Diaz, Jr. ain't going nowhere!
The hotel can be the beginning of a true Yankee Village like other cities have done for their sports teams. With the new Metro North Stadium at 161th Street, maybe fans are taking the train and leaving their cars at home.
ReplyDeleteBy the way the new park under construction (the old Yankee Stadium)then looks like a perfect place for an ice skating rink. The rink could open from the day after the World Series to Opening Day of the baseball season. People from Riverdale could take the Metro North train to the rink, and leave their cars at home.
Let the anonymous comments begin.
How about just providing affordable parking for the games?
ReplyDeleteAnon 5/19 5:37 PM, that ship has already sailed. Yankees fans are voting with their feet and taking Metro North or the subway, and those who choose to drive already have thousands of much more affordable spots down at the Gateway Center.
ReplyDeleteNow, I might be a curmudgeon or crazy or a little bit of both, but I'm also not sure that using $340 million to provide 'affordable' parking for people who can afford to go to Yankees games is exactly a great use of taxpayer revenues.
Let's play Yankees parking garage trivia!
ReplyDelete1. Between direct cash payments and lost tax revenue on the triple-exempt construction bonds, how much did it cost to build each single parking space at the new garage?
A. $90
B. $900
C. $9,000
D. $90,000
2. How many full-time jobs did this pet project of Adolfo Carrion's and the NYCEDC/IDA create?
A. 11
B. 110
C. 1100
D. 11000
3. How many acres of parkland did the former borough president and EDC take from the public to build this failed parking facility?
A. .21
B. 2.1
C. 21
D. 210
4. How many completely free 24/7/365 VIP parking spaces in the new garage are the Yankees entitled to in perpetuity?
A. 6
B. 60
C. 600
D. 6000
5. Was the decision to increase parking stock at the new stadium by 75% when the new stadium had 5000 fewer seats than the old AND $100 million was invested in a new Metro North station . . .
A. Stupid
B. Really stupid
C. Colossally, monumentally, painfully stupid
D. blah blah blah Ruben Diaz armory arrgghhghhggh
Answers coming soon. Good luck, everyone.
Whatever happened to the Ferry dock as part of the village? I have to read my draft copy of the Community Benefits Agreement, I remember it was written in to deflect Jersey car traffic and fumes plus it kept the retail monies in the Bronx. Anyone remember?
ReplyDeleteSo don't lower the parking to attract more cars so that you can at least covers your costs and get some return n the investment, just eat the whole thing and call it a day? There are tons of private lots, farther away, including the new mall, that charge lower prices than this place. That's why people don't park there, the volume of cars remains high at every game.
ReplyDeleteTime's up! It's too bad no one tried to take the quiz, although that would have meant a momentary break in gratuitously bashing the BP or shamelessly trying to tar him with his father's beliefs.
ReplyDeleteAnswer to #1: C. The cost-to-taxpayer for each individual space in the garage facility is $9,000. What was it Phil Rizzuto used to say? "Holy cow!"
Answer to #2: A. 11 full-time jobs. No, that is not a typo. This brazen grab of taxpayer money, spurred on almost entirely by the NYCEDC and BP Carrion, created a grand total of ELEVEN full-time jobs.
Answer to #3: B. The garage project permanently removed a net total of 21 acres of parkland. That's enough undemocratically seized space in which to place 46 Olympic sized ice-skating rinks!
Answer to #4: C, 600 spaces. Again, that's not a typo--free taxpayer subsidized parking for SIX HUNDRED Yankees front office people. Oops I crapped away another $5.5 million!
Answer to #5: C. Aren't our elected officials and sort-of-democratic institutions like the EDC supposed to look out for our best interests? The Yankee Stadium garage project was nothing more than a nine-digit payoff to the construction and finance industries. It provided essentially zero long-term jobs and adds zero value to the community. Heckuva job, EDC and Carrion!
How's that Kingsbridge Armory project going, Mr. Diaz?
ReplyDeleteI believe in steaming hot dogs because it holds in the juices and flavor. When you grill them or barbecue them, what you’re doing is burning them and getting rid of all the juices.
ReplyDeleteWith frankfurters, it all depends on what YOU like. They can be boiled, broiled, grilled, braised, baked or fried, but MY favorite cooking method is to STEAM THEM IN BEER.
ReplyDelete