By Albert Amateau
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver sponsored legislation this week authorizing financing for the expansion of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, but he insisted on a full city land-use review of the project and of any proposal to include a stadium as part of it.
The Assembly bill is an alternative to one proposed by Governor Pataki at the end of last month that also would have authorized funding for the 75,000-seat stadium, officially called the New York Sports and Convention Center.
The Assembly bill also eliminates a provision in the governor’s proposal to use $350 million in excess funds generated in the future by Battery Park City to back bonds for the convention center expansion.
“I’m delighted that Speaker Silver stated that there will be no state funding for a stadium without public input and review of that project by the city Uniform Land Use Review Process,” said Assemblymember Richard Gottfried. “Governor Pataki tried to tie the proposed Jets Stadium to Javits expansion and the Assembly has said no,” Gottfried added.
Gottfried and fellow Assemblymembers Deborah Glick, Scott Stringer and Richard Brodsky held a hearing at the end of last month at which Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff and Empire State Development Corp. counsel Anita Laremont supported Javits expansion legislation that the Assemblymembers said was riddled with loopholes big enough for a stadium.
Doctoroff insisted at the hearing that the state could build and finance the stadium without any review at all.
But Brodsky, chairperson of the Assembly Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions, said this week, “The governor must stop holding Javits hostage to a controversial football stadium. Moving Javits forward is a crucial and immediate need.”
Contrary to the governor’s proposal, the Assembly bill requires financial oversight of the Javits expansion by the state comptroller and approval by the state Public Authorities Control Board. The Assembly bill also provides opportunities for minority and women owned businesses to participate in the expansion. The participation of a Community Advisory Committee is another feature of the new assembly bill.
“Community review and input on development and planning issues have always been vitally important to the Assembly,” said Silver in a prepared statement. “We would expect no less of this type of open and public process for projects of this magnitude,” he added.
Gottfried, whose district covers Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen and includes the site of the proposed stadium, said “Making Javits and the stadium subject to ULURP is a major victory for Hell’s Kitchen and Chelsea. State public authorities like the Empire State Development Corporation and the Convention Center Development Corporation usually get to override community concerns.”
While the opposition to the proposed 75,000-seat stadium over the West Side rail yards gained momentum, the New York Jets last week mounted their own offensive with full-page ads in many community newspapers (not The Villager) listing about 200 leaders of business, labor and the professions who support the New York Sports and Convention Center.
“John Sexton, president, New York University,” was one of the names with identification on the list. Josh Taylor, a university spokesperson, explained. “He signed it as a member of the board of NYC 2012, the organization promoting the city as the site of the 2012 Olympics, and not on behalf of N.Y.U.,” said Taylor. “N.Y.U. has not taken a position on the Sports and Convention Center,” he added.
The headline on the ad said, “People who know New York know New York needs the Sports and Convention Center.” The 200 names, grouped in various categories, all had affiliations for identification purposes. Among them were David Caputo, president of Pace University, and Roland W. Betts, co-founder and president, Chelsea Piers.
