Hirschfeld stadium plan: is it fantasy or visionary?

Developer Abe Hirschfeld last week revealed new details of his plan to create an enterprise zone around Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, which would include over a million square feet of new retail space, 15,000 new parking spaces and a 15-story hotel along the left-centerfield gap of the stadium, anchoring the major league's first clear dome.

Hirschfeld estimated the construction would cost between $210 and $225 million, all of which he would borrow from private sources and recoup through the operation of the new garages and management of the retail space and hotel.

Representatives of Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Governor Mario Cuomo and Yankee owner George Steinbrenner have all indicated that they are seriously looking at the details of the plan.

Key to the overall project would be the demolition of over 10 blocks of the IRT #4 elevated subway line along River Avenue; the re-routing of the IRT alongside the underground D-line; and the widening of River Avenue by approximately 20-feet to accommodate 3 lanes of traffic running in each direction, separated by a grassy island similar to Manahattan's Park Avenue.

Another key facet of the plan would be city and state approval of the elimination of the current 8.25 sales tax in the newly created Yankee Village Enterprise Zone, stretching from 149th to 167th Street. The elimination of this tax, which the city and the state currently split, would be a key factor in attracting major retail outlets such as A&S and Home Depot to the area. According to Hirschfeld, the city and state would more than make up for the loss of sales tax through property and occupancy taxes on the new retail space, which he estimates at $60 million to $100 million annually, as well as income taxes on the estimated 8,000 to 10,000 permanent new jobs the project would create.

On the surface, the plan would accomplish the three things Steinbrenner has said he needs most to keep the Yankees in The Bronx when their lease expires early in the next century. The first, an arguably most important, is adequate parking.

The current parking situation around Yankee Stadium is woefully inadequate. Hirschfeld's plan calls for the construction of three new 8-story garages along River Avenue, all within 4 to 5 blocks of the Stadium. The main floor of each new garage would consist of retail shops. One garage would have 2 floors of retail.

Hirschfeld also plans to add Ave flows each to We two existing 3-story garages, which he built during the last reconstruction of the Stadium in the early 1970s. The first floor of these garages, which run directly alongside the Stadium, would also be converted to retail, including clothing shops and restaurants. The construction will bring the total number of parking spaces at the Stadium to 15,000, or roughly 30 percent of the Stadium's 55,000 seat capacity.

The second Steinbrenner requirement fulfilled by the Hirschfeld plan would be the creation of 350 "skyboxes" in each of the room of the now hotel, which would be built along the left-centerfield gap of the Stadium and would anchor the dome. Steinbrenner is said to covet more of these luxury boxes, and another city plan for the Stadium would create as many as 111 skyboxes. The Stadium currently has only 19.

The third requirement fulfilled by the Hirschfeld proposal would be the improvement of the surrounding neighborhood, a problem not addressed by any other plan for the Stadium. The area around Yankee Stadium, while by far not the worst in the city, can be fairly desolate, especially late after a night game. Fans, especially those from the suburbs and New Jersey, could be fearful of walking four or five blocks to a garage. The retail aspect of the Hirschfeld plan will increase activity along River Avenue, and also calls for street and lighting improvements which will give fans a much greater sense of security.

Problems with the plan

One of the major hurdles that the Hirschfeld proposal will have to clear will be opposition to demolishing the IRT elevated train. A Transit Authority spokesman, Charles Seaton, said that the project would cost at least $120 million or more, and would be complicated by the underground D-line. Widening River Avenue, also not covered financially by the Hirschfeld proposal, would cost even more, and would sure to meet opposition from those against sacrificing the 20-foot strip of parkland necessary to do the job. Another question about the plan concerns the construction of the hotel and the dome. Hirschfeld says these are necessary to make Yankee Stadium a year-round, self-sufficient facility, attracting an NFL franchise and concerts and other events during the winter months. The hotel,he says, will attract foreign shoppers, eager to take advantage of the tax breaks available throughout the enterprise zone.

However, the Yankees play just 81 games a year at home, and even if a NFL franchise could be lured back to the city, the Jets current lease at the Jersey Meadowlands runs through the year 2008, with an option for another 10 years. The Giants, who are unlikely to move from the stadium that bears their name, have a lease through 2016, also with a 10-year option.

Even if the Jets are lured back to The Bronx, that would only bring another 8 games to the Stadium annually. The question is, who is going to fill these 350 rooms during the other 275 days of the years? Hirschfeld's answer is shoppers and concert-goers.

Concerning the dome, Hirsehfeld said it would be constructed a lightweight material and would be clear, allowing the sun to shine through and natural grass to grow, preserving the classic nature of Yankee Stadium. He said heating filaments would run throughout the dome, allowing snow to simply melt and run off the structure. He said the glare of sun passing through the dome would be no greater than the natural glare of sunlight.

Despite some problems with Hirschfeld's plan for Yankee Stadium, Governor Cuomo is said to be "very excited" about the project, and a spokesman for Borough President Ferrer, said Hirschfeld "has certainly helped moved along the progress" of plans to keep the Yankees in The Bronx.

Hirschfeld says he can construct the garages, the dome, the hotel and the retail within two years. He said all financing would be private, and dismissed the idea that the improvements would be funded by bonds secured by Stadium and parking revenues. "I will borrow twice as much as I need to get the job done. I don't want anything from government, except that they should leave me alone."

Although some have dismissed Hirschfeld's plans as the ravings of a crazy man, Giuliani advisor Herman Badillo said "Abe is crazy in other things, but not when it comes to building."

Hirschfeld's "self-sufficient" plan for the Yankee Village Enterprise Zone is also visionary. Secondary phase plans also call for another hotel near the Stadium, complete with a casino, should gambling be legalized in the city. It also calls for the renovation of the Bronx Terminal Market, and the extension of the enterprise zone south to 149th Street, creating, a whole new retail corridor.