: Just Another Hurdle: Tracking New York's 2016 Olympic Dream

A crowd at Rockefeller Center was partying through the night Tuesday, ready to kick the celebration into high gear Wednesday morning with the announcement of New York as the winner of the 2012 Olympic bid, beating out Madrid, Moscow, London and Paris.

But just after 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, New York’s Olympic dreams for 2012 were dashed, being the second city eliminated from contention, with London eventually being announced as host city to the 2012 Summer Games.

“The City of New York will not participate in the next round,” International Olympic Committee Chairman Jacques Rogge announced.

Big Plans
The plan for the New York bid was centered around the “Olympic X,” a design that included an Olympic Village in Long Island City as a hub and legs that stretch north to the Bronx, west to East Rutherford, N.J., south to Staten Island and east to Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

With the Olympics would come great development in and around the city. Queens was to benefit from the creation of new facilities at Flushing Meadows, including a cleaning and restructuring of Meadow Lake.

Though the Olympics will not come in 2012, certain projects will move forward regardless. Queens West, which is currently under construction in Long Island City, and which was to be the site of the Olympic Village, will provide 4,400 new dwellings in Queens.

Deputy Parks Commissioner Estelle Cooper said in May that when New York is awarded the 2012 Olympics the name of Flushing Meadows Corona Park would change to Olympic Park.
Not only will the name now not change, but also most of the planned upgrades will not go forward. The Olympic Regatta Center, the Archery Field and the Whitewater Center will disappear. Only the Olympic Water Polo Center, a new pool within the park, will be built.

Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe said that the city’s parks are in better shape than they have been for the last 40 years thanks to the spirit of the Olympics.

“New York’s Olympic bid made our city better,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Wednesday. “It heightened the city’s Olympic spirit and catalyzed important city projects. From new parks to new pools, New Yorkers have already benefited from our bid for the 2012 games. And while we won’t host the 2012 games, we are proud of what we have achieved and will redouble our efforts to keep New York City moving forward.”

The Mets stepped up last month to back the mayor’s attempt to win the Olympics, providing a new stadium adjacent to the existing Shea. Though now the stadium will not be expanded for the 2012 Olympics as had been planned, it will still be built for the Mets, and is expected to open in 2009.

Willets Point
Next door in Willets Point - which for years has been neglected of simple city services, such as road maintenance and sidewalk construction, and has been home to a sea of junkyards and auto body shops - will still be developed. The site had been tagged to be the location of the International Broadcast Center adjacent to the Olympic Stadium.

“Naturally the Queens Chamber of Commerce is disappointed that New York was not chosen to host this prestigious event, but we look forward to working with the city to fine tune New York’s proposal to ensure we are chosen to host the 2016 games,” said Queens Chamber President Raymond Irrera.

“Major efforts in this direction would include moving forward with plans to build a new Shea Stadium, develop Willets Point, and fulfill the Chamber’s vision of bringing an Exposition Center / Hotel to Queens County, all of which will create new jobs and improve the economy of both the borough and the City.”

In May the Chamber submitted its suggestion for development of the Willets Point area, known as the Iron Triangle, to the city’s Economic Development Corp.
The businesses in Willets Point responded Wednesday to the loss of the Olympics, seizing the opportunity to respond to the hastened development of their property.

“We have coexisted with the Mets for 40 years,” said Willets Point Business Association spokesman Richard Musick. “We have been fighting for decades to maintain the inviolability of our area, our businesses, our employees and our customers. We are sick and tired of having the Sword of Damocles constantly hanging over our heads. We deserve better treatment and better services by the City.”
He added, “We do not intend to give up our businesses and livelihood without a fight. If necessary, we’ll take our fight to the streets and all the way to City Hall.”

Looking Forward
Queens officials and others from throughout the city rallied their support Wednesday for the continuance of New York’s Olympic dreams. Even those running for mayor against Michael Bloomberg had positive words though most of their talk about the mayor and the Olympics had previously been caustic.

“I applaud the Mayor for the energy he brought to the pursuit of the 2012 games,” said U.S. Rep Anthony Weiner. “That we didn’t win is a disappointment to all New Yorkers. New York City would have been a great host to the games and the world.”

He added, “The push for the 2016 Olympics begins today. And the right plan for 2016 puts Queens at the center from day one. Queens is the right place for an Olympic stadium.”
“New Yorkers should hold their heads high,” said Assemblyman Brian McLaughlin (D-Flushing). “Our loss is really the world’s lost opportunity to hold a great event in the greatest city on earth.”

“Not winning the 2012 bid is a huge heartache,” said Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing). “But we are New York; let’s keep our chins up and go for the gold in 2016. Mayor Bloomberg and Dan Doctoroff deserve credit for saving the 2012 bid after the rejection of the West side stadium. In the same way, they should persist in an effort to bring the games to New York in 2016.”

He cautioned that more effort is needed to build a consensus of support among New Yorkers. “An Olympic bid should be a force for unity, not an issue of divisiveness,” he said.

“Queens is a winner - with or without the Olympics - because the Mets will get a new stadium and Willets Point will be revitalized,” Borough President Helen Marshall said. “Construction will also move forward on the Queens West development along the East River and much needed housing will be built. I am committed to achieving these goals and the momentum needed to reach them is still here.”
See you in four years.