NYCFC stadium in Queens approved by New York City officials: See the renderings
NEW YORK -- New York City officials overwhelmingly approved a nearly $800 million project to construct a soccer stadium for NYCFC in Queens.
City Council members voted 47-1 Thursday to go ahead with the next phase of the Willets Point revitalization project, which also includes the city's largest public housing project since the 1970s.
Renderings revealed last year show the 25,000-seat MLS stadium across from Citi Field, home of the New York Mets.
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NYCFC currently plays home games at Yankee Stadium and Citi Field. The new stadium would be the city's first major league sports venue built since 2012 and the first specifically for soccer. It would be scheduled to open in 2027.
"It means so much to the team, so much to the organization to have a place that we can really call home," said NYCFC goalkeeper Matt Freese.
"We scored a major goal for New York City in this victory," said Mayor Eric Adams.
"This is more than just building a soccer stadium. We're building a brand new neighborhood here. And that's when you find the right partners that we can really, truly create something that the city hasn't seen in four decades," said Council Member Francisco Moya.
The site will also have a school, retail and 2,500 affordable housing units, which are already under construction, according to the city. The project will be funded privately and built with union workers.
Moya said a project of this size would normally take up to a decade to put together, but this one had so much support that it came together in 18 months.
"There's nothing else to say, but finally," said NYCFC fan Felix Palao. "Once these guys get finished building our shell, then we come in and make it a home."
The Willets Point revitalization project has received pushback from small businesses, as some were forced to close shop due to construction. In some cases, they were only given a couple months to leave.
"Indirectly, they are forcing us out of here," the owner of an auto body shop previously told CBS New York. "All these shops they forced to close... I don't know what's going to happen, I'm so worried."
Arturo Olaya has worked on cars at Willets Point for three decades and is now surrounded by construction.
"If they displace us, where are we going to go?" he said.
"A lot of these stadium deals don't necessarily help the local mom 'n' pop businesses," said John Choe, executive director of the Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce.
The mayor's office said the project is anticipated to generate $6 billion dollars over 30 years.
"We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a new neighborhood," Adams said when the stadium was announced in 2022.
The staff at Boca Junior's Steakhouse in Elmhurst is hopeful the stadium will boost business.
"I think it's gonna be good because it's gonna be crowded. There's gonna be peoples coming here," Francisco Perez said.
Until then, fan Jackie Andrade will be watching soccer on the big screen.
"Having a stadium here and not having to travel to New Jersey is a good idea," she said. "I hope that it would have been before because we're having the World Cup here, but that's 2026."
It's now up to the mayor to review and grant final approval, which is expected to happen in the next few days.