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New Mets Stadium Planned By ‘09

The new Mets ballpark is already under construction.

By Jeff Feinman

At the start of what has been a phenomenal baseball season for the New York Mets, team owner Fred Wilpon and elected officials announced that a $600 million, 44,100-seat stadium with would be ready for play in 2009. The exterior of the stadium will emulate the legendary Ebbets Field, former home of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and will have a great deal of amenities that Mets fans will surely enjoy.

“This great project will solidify the Amazins’ future in New York by providing a world-class entertainment and sports facility that will create thousands of jobs, hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue, and spur further investment here in Queens,” said Gov. George Pataki.

Construction will be managed by Bovis Lend Lease, one of the industry’s top project managers and construction companies. Once the new stadium is completed in its location right next to Shea Stadium, the current Mets home will be knocked down.

The Mets have agreed to pay $423 million for direct construction expenses, according to the Empire State Development Corporation, along with another $22 million towards infrastructure improvements. New York City’s total contribution will be $89.7 million, with $85 million taken from this year’s budget, dispersed on a pro-rated basis. The remaining $4.7 million will be used as a capital reserve fund for when the Mets begin to occupy the stadium in 2009.

City Council Finance Committee Chairman David Weprin (D-Hollis) said that stadium construction would produce more than 3,500 direct jobs and a total of more than 6,000 jobs through direct and indirect employment. Weprin also pointed out that over 40 years, the city’s total fiscal benefit from the stadium will generate more than $87 million, which will cover the city’s initial budget expenditure. “This project makes a lot of sense when you consider the economic impact to the residents,” he said.

After the announcement of the stadium, some members of the City Council called on the Mets to provide more funding for community programs. After negotiations that lasted nearly a month, the Mets agreed to donate $500,000 to various Queens charities.

Even though some in the City Council felt that the Mets were not providing enough money for the community, team officials say that the Mets have done plenty for Queens and will continue to do so. At a recent conference in Long Island City, Executive Vice President of Business Operations Dave Howard spoke about the grappling that took place between the Mets and the City Council.

Howard said, “One thing we’ve learned from this little speed bump is that we haven’t done a very good job of promoting ourselves in the respect of what we’ve done for the community.”