NYCFC rolled out what the future of Willets Point could look like with their new soccer-specific stadium as the centerpiece of a planned re-development of the area. The MLS club unveiled new renderings of their future home during a Community Board 7 meeting on Wednesday night.
The 25,000-seat, privately financed $780 million venue still needs to go through the approval process, with the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) coming up. If approved, then construction on the venue would begin and the team expects the building to be ready by the 2027 MLS season.
The stadium would be the first soccer-specific stadium built in the five boroughs and ends years of a nomadic existence for NYFCFC, which has Called Yankees Stadium, Citi Field and Red Bull Arena, among other venues, home. The club and New York City reached a deal last November for the stadium and development of the surrounding area.
The project would include 2,500 units of “100% affordable housing,” 40,000 square feet of public open space, a 650-seat school, a 250-key hotel and ground-floor retail shops.
“From the beginning, New York City Football Club has understood the importance of strong communication and collaboration with Mayor Adams, Councilmember Francisco Moya, Borough President Richards, and the local Queens community as we move forward with plans for a privately financed soccer-specific stadium,” Marty Edelman, vice chairman of New York City Football Club said in a statement. “This continued investment in New York City will create a long-overdue home for our First Team, and create a new neighborhood for Queens.”
The new renderings released by the team show the new stadium right next door to Citi Field, home of the New York Mets, as well as the cube-shaped main entrance illuminated with NYCFC imagery. It also shows that the stadium will be the headquarters for NYCFC’s foundation, City in the Community.
“The Willets Point redevelopment plan provides an unprecedented opportunity to make North Queens a true live, work and play community, but there is more work to be done to ensure surrounding neighborhoods like Corona and Flushing benefit the most from this project. I look forward to working with all our partners to ensure the needs of families in those communities and across Queens are met as this project proceeds,” Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. said in a statement.
NYCFC has been playing its home games at Yankee Stadium and Citi Field this season.
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