Stuck in Park 2: Parking Issues Crash Queens
As NYCFC's stadium project in Willets Point moves forward, parking lots once again dominate the conversation, this time with New York City's other baseball team.
Forgive me if you’ve heard this story before. New York City Football Club’s stadium development plans appear to be conflicting with a baseball team over parking spots. According to recent reporting by THE CITY, it was revealed that New York Mets owner Steve Cohen has not yet approved an agreement that would permit the utilization of Citi Field's parking lots for events at NYCFC's proposed stadium. This decision by Cohen is seen as an attempt to gain concessions for his own casino development project.
So, why are baseball parking lots once again back in the soccer stadium conversation? Documents obtained by The Outfield sheds light on the focal point of the dispute, what the Mets have demanded, and the very real threat to the NYCFC’s stadium development plans.
According to the term sheet for the Willets Point Phase 1B project obtained by The Outfield, one of the milestones that need to be reached is “the execution of a binding agreement with the New York Mets regarding parking and events”. As per the project’s Draft Scope of Work, the new development at Willets Point would primarily create parking for non-stadium uses, with only a limited number of spaces allocated for staff, handicapped individuals, and VIPs.
THE CITY reported that sources indicated that the project could potentially “move forward without providing additional parking, as there is no parking minimum required for this project.” However, a May 2022 email obtained by The Outfield shows Raju Mann, the former Director of Land Use for the New York City Council, told Councilman Francisco Moya’s Chief of Staff Meghan Tadio Benham that there would need to be one parking space for every 25 seats in the stadium. Additionally, the Draft Scope of Work for Willets Point Phase 2 notes “Applicable zoning regulations require one parking space per 25 stadium seats.” Based on this requirement, the proposed stadium would need a minimum of 1,000 parking spaces.
A close look at NYC’s Zoning Resolutions confirms the parking requirement. According to the zoning text, the development at Willets Point requires one parking spot for every 25 persons in zoning district C4-4. The Willets Point District’s zoning was updated from an M3-1 district to a C4-4 district back in 2008.
Just several days after Mann’s email, a meeting took place between officials from NYCFC, Queens Development Group (QDG), and representatives from the Mets. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the parking requirements for the project and explore potential alterations to the development as requested by the Mets. The Outfield has obtained the presentation from this meeting.
NYCFC and QDG requested to be able to utilize 2,500 of the available 8,500 parking spaces controlled by the Mets on days when they are not in use.
However, the Mets outlined several conditions for granting NYCFC access to use these vacant parking spots. These conditions include:
Removal of the the hotel from the proposed Willets Point Development
Inclusion of the Mets in the ULURP (Uniform Land Use Review Procedure) application to include a mixed-use development on Citi Field
Construction of a joint retail space along 126th Street
The Met’s requests seem to align with Steve Cohen’s desire to build a casino on the parking lots surrounding Citi Field. By removing the hotel in the proposed Willets Point Development, potential competition with a hotel within the casino development would be eliminated. Including the Mets in the ULURP application would expedite the public review process for a casino development and align it with the affordable housing and soccer stadium developments as a comprehensive package. Furthermore, constructing additional retail across the street from Citi Field would further enhance the ambience of the surrounding neighborhood in relation to the potential casino development.
NYCFC and QDG ultimately did not acquiesce to any of the Mets’ requests. The proposed development plans still include the 250-room hotel, the Mets were not included in the Draft Scope of Work for the project, and neither of the options for incorporating retail along 126th Street were included in the proposed development plans.
Nonetheless, prior to the execution of the Term Sheet, NYCFC and the Mets entered into a non-binding memorandum of understanding to allow “use by NYCFC and/or CFG of sufficient parking” with a maximum limit of 4,000 parking spaces. As per the Draft Scope of Work, any events scheduled at the planned soccer stadium on the same day as an event at Citi Field would occur at least seven hours before or seven hours after the scheduled event time at Citi Field. However, it is important to note that a binding agreement outlining these terms has not been finalized.
As reported by THE CITY last week, Cohen has started “playing hardball for use of the lots”, looking to leverage the need for parking spaces for NYCFC’s project to advance his casino ambitions adjacent to Citi Field. However, Cohen’s casino plans, focused on redeveloping the overflow parking lots around Citi Field, face their own set of unique political challenges. The property surrounding the Mets’ home stadium is considered parkland and any redevelopment of that land into a casino would require legislative action from the New York state legislature.
On Monday, the New York Post reported that State Senator Jessica Ramos has temporarily blocked the casino project after gathering feedback from her constituents. Senator Ramos represents the communities around Citi Field and holds influence over any designation to redevelop the property around the ballpark. The report mentions that approximately 65% of the attendees at a recent town hall event voiced opposition to the casino project. In response, Senator Ramos stated that she would not introduce the necessary bill in the final weeks of the legislative session. The next legislative session would not begin again until January 2024.
How real is Steven Cohen’s threat? Will he deny NYCFC the use of empty parking spaces if his Willets Point casino plans continue to stall? While there is a verbal agreement and the framework of a potential deal in place, the outcome of the situation is still unclear.
What we do know is if NYCFC is unable to secure the necessary parking spaces, it may face another setback in their stadium development plans due to a conflict over baseball stadium parking.
The Mets, Francisco Moya, Raju Mann, and representatives from Steve Cohen’s lobbying firm, New Green Willets LLC, have not responded to multiple requests for comment regarding this story. NYCFC declined to provide comment for this story.❧
Image: Dirck Hals, Gentlemen Smoking and Playing Backgammon in an Interior
