Friday, March 1, 2013

MLS threatens to walk

From the Daily News:

Don Garber, commissioner of MLS, warned the city on Wednesday that his soccer league will look elsewhere to expand if it can't cut a deal with officials for a new Corona Park stadium in a relatively short period.

"If we're not successful we'll throw our hands up, and it'll be far sooner than three years we throw our hands up," Garber said, after his opening season address.

"Then we'd take a step back and see if there's another market. Three years is too long. I don't want to put a year limit on it. But if it's not making progress, the time will come. There's a lot of activity in other markets."

Orlando has been mentioned as a possible alternative site for a 20th MLS team, though Garber sounded committed for now to Flushing Meadows.

"It's the biggest challenge we've ever faced," Garber said. "But you ask Bruce Ratner, Jim Dolan, Charles Wang of the Islanders or Jeff Vanderbeek of the Devils, they'll tell you this is an incredibly valuable market. If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere, so it's worth the effort."

Garber said negotiations continued with several private investors, and that the project would be built exclusively with private financing, for a relatively modest $350 million, including the replacement of parkland and soccer fields. Garber said he thought the league deserved some public monetary support, but "we get that's not going to happen."

31 comments:

Anonymous said...

See Ya!

Anonymous said...

GOOD!
Throw your hands up! Throw your feet up too!
Get the f--k out of our hair!

Begone for good, you huckster!

Anonymous said...

Now you see the power of the people at work.

Protest and demonstrate. Stall a project and it means doom for the developer!

A project stalled is a project defeated!

Anonymous said...

This really smacks of desperation on the part of MLS. It sounds like a game, a bluff - all the more proof that this is a spectacularly bad deal for the city.

In fact, this sounds so much like hard-sell BS that I don't think the city should let MLS build ANYWHERE in the city. MLS telling the city to say yes RIGHT AWAY OR ELSE makes this sound exponentially fishy. This is a classic sales tactic.

The truth couldn't be clearer. MLS needs the city. The city does NOT need MLS.

Now it's even more painfully obvious that the city should run away from this screaming.

Anonymous said...

I want my way, and I want it NOW. Feh. Go sit in the corner, and don't come out until you learn to play nicely with others.

Anonymous said...

Garber Quote Correction: "If you can STEAL it here, you can STEAL it anywhere, so it's worth the effort.”

Anonymous said...

Garber said he thought the league deserved some public monetary support, but "we get that's not going to happen."

Just throw enough cash into the city council electuions and you'll get the public financing.

The council can be bought cheaper than a syphilitic whore!

Anonymous said...

This is the NYC market - of course it's incredibly lucrative - PONY UP or get out. No Park land should go to this endeavor - they should buy private property - say the junk yards @ market rate assemble enough to build - team with the Mets perhaps but expect ZERO tax benefit or grants to build this at all.

Anonymous said...

See Ya

Anonymous said...

- they should buy private property -

I'm telling you, they should make an offer to The NY Times and the US Post Office for their connecting properties. Then invest with the Korean group that wanted to buy the old Flushing airport and... VOILA! They'll have a stadium, a real estate bonanza and a retail draw to the stadium.

But they must let the Mattones wet their beak. You don't want to step on those big College Point toes.

Anonymous said...

I'm telling you, they should make an offer to The NY Times and the US Post Office for their connecting properties. Then invest with the Korean group that wanted to buy the old Flushing airport and... VOILA! They'll have a stadium, a real estate bonanza and a retail draw to the stadium.
.......................................................

No thank you. That's NOT a solution!!!

Anonymous said...

On the surface it smeels like a victory for Queens residents just on the horizon. But this is always the time where our ploiticians and community boards kneel and beg the bluffers not to leave, and offer them anything to grace the borough with whatever they are trying to scam us with. If every illegal alien threatened to leave Queens tomorrow, our politicians would be kissing their asses and throwing all kinds of money at them to stay. So will it be with these MLS snake oil salesmen.

Anonymous said...

No thank you. That's NOT a solution!!!

Why NOT? The NY Times is losing money and will exit the print business in several years. The Post Office is losing money and is downsizing as fast as they can. The old airport is a swamp and since high rise apartments are not a choice due to LaGuardia, several story retail might be the only way to go. Plus it'll complement what's across 20th Avenue.

Or perhaps you like swamps and empty buildings that are ripe for deterioration?

Anonymous said...

No thank you. That's NOT a solution!!!

Why NOT?
___________________________________________________________________

BECAUSE COLLEGE POINT IS OVERDEVELOPED ALREADY!!! Obviously a troll like you tries to see benefit for businesses and not the people who live in that area. Go troll another blogsite. You won't get any support from the people who support this site and are fighting overdevelopment. Get it???

Anonymous said...

They don't even have a team for the stadium, so they're more than welcome to walk.

Anonymous said...

Why NOT? The NY Times is losing money and will exit the print business in several years.
_____________________________________________________
Thank you for informing this group that the NY Times is having a "going out of business" sale!!! For one thing, MLS is giving a time limit that would certainly exceed the demise of the Times, if that really happens.

**********************************************************
The old airport is a swamp and since high rise apartments are not a choice due to LaGuardia, several story retail might be the only way to go.
____________________________________________________________

The former Flushing Airport property is 2/3 Federally protected wetlands. I'd love to see it become parklands. College Point residents would welcome a property that doesn't require large scale development.

Before you make such foolish comments, don't you think you should do a little homework first?

Anonymous said...

http://queenscrap.blogspot.com/2012/06/soccer-stadium-floated-for-fmcp.html

"Anonymous said...
Hey, why take park land away from the public?
Let them buy part of the old Flushing airport and build the soccer stadium there.

Thursday, June 28, 2012"

This troll doesn't want to give up the ghost!!! Notice the date on the comment.

Anonymous said...

Print won't die for another decade at least.

Anonymous said...

NYC is not a soccer town
Go away

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
I'm telling you, they should make an offer to The NY Times and the US Post Office for their connecting properties. Then invest with the Korean group that wanted to buy the old Flushing airport and... VOILA! They'll have a stadium, a real estate bonanza and a retail draw to the stadium.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

What part of WE DON'T NEED A SOCCER STADIUM IN QUEENS do you not get??? TROLL!

Anonymous said...

College Point residents would welcome a property that doesn't require large scale development.

Yeah, dream on. The residents of College Point do not have the ear of any politician when it comes to sensible development. After the Industrial Park booms with the Police Academy do you actually think further development will be far behind? Also, there are about 30 acres of developable land available in Flushing airport which are not protected wetlands.

The NY Times is doomed as are most newspapers. But then again the cranial horsepower of many of the posters on this subject is severely lacking. Their idol Conrad Poppenhusen would be disappointed.

Wise up!! The Times and the Post Office are doomed. If the community doesn't get in front of ideas for development they will inevitably be behind. But being behind seems to be the perfect place for College Pointers.

Anonymous said...

Ogre! Golem! Sasquatch!

Anonymous said...


Time inc/ recently has been negotiating to sell 35 of 39 magazines to a Iowa based firm named Meridith Publishing.
NYT is downsizing at the present. as per NY Post,Media Ink.

many former publishing employees have lost their careers since 2008. their unemployment checks have expired.they collect food stamps and have moved in to their senior parents homes and have no income to share for room & board.jobs are non-existent for the 45 and above age group.

"and the B/S beat goes on"

Anonymous said...

There's the door, Garber. See ya. I'll stick with the English soccer on FSN.

Anonymous said...

Some "bright light" suggested building the soccer stadium on the former Flushing Airport site.

The old airport pumping drainage systems are gone, fella.

Another word for the wetlands is located on is SWAMP!

Swamp means that the terrain is a soft sponge.

You'd have to pile drive all the way down to China to make the land stable enough to build something.

If you look carefully, the New York Times printing plant is already cracking...which is the precursor to showing signs of sinking.

Where did you get your engineering degree old man...from the university of Bogota?

Steve Behar said...

See Ya! Go extort another city!

Anonymous said...

Wise up!! The Times and the Post Office are doomed. If the community doesn't get in front of ideas for development they will inevitably be behind. But being behind seems to be the perfect place for College Pointers.
_________________________________________________________
The pro-development trolls are out in force!!! You're not fooling anyone. North Queens is over-burdened with development and the Whitestone Expressway can no longer handle the traffic now. When the garbage transfer station and the police academy open, do you think things will improve? Serioulsy, you need to remove your head from your butt and see the reality that these overburdened communities face on a daily basis.

Anonymous said...

Baboush! Ba gy now!Pa'alam- get oot n don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out! Usurpers!

Anonymous said...

"But being behind seems to be the perfect place for College Pointers."

Did your parents have any children who weren't born brain dead?

Anonymous said...

TAKE A HIKE YOU SOB!

Anonymous said...

"Garbage Point" is always left holding the bag on everything. Dump it there is NYC's attitude.

This is the "A" hole of northeastern Queens.
The "A" hole of western Queens is Astoria.