Plan to bring NYC's first pro soccer stadium to Queens wins key backing

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said he’s lining up behind plans for the city’s first-ever professional soccer stadium in Willets Point – with some conditions.

Richards on Wednesday announced his official recommendation to approve Phase II of the Willets Point redevelopment, along with a list of conditions, moving the mixed-use development project a step closer to becoming a reality.

Plans for the $780 million, 25,000-seat stadium now move onto the City Planning Commission for a public hearing and a vote. In addition to the stadium – to be used by Major League Soccer’s New York City Football Club– the project includes a 250-room hotel, 80,000 feet of commercial space and 1,400 units of affordable housing.

Richards’ conditions include local hiring requirements, inclusion of local street vendors and greater benefits and infrastructure upgrades for the surrounding community. However, the borough president’s approval isn’t mandatory, so his requests aren’t binding.

“I am proud to see the former ‘Valley of Ashes’ transform into better housing, schooling and open space,” Richards said in a statement. “But I must see material and serious commitments to the surrounding communities of Corona, Flushing and East Elmhurst.”

The soccer stadium is part of Phase II of the mixed-use project. Phase I is already underway, including 1,100 units of affordable housing, a 650-seat school for grades kindergarten through eighth grade and additional retail and community space.

In his official recommendation letter, Richards said at least 30% of the developers’ contracts and hires in “phase two” should go to minority- and women-owned businesses and local residents.

He also suggested discounted NYCFC match tickets for local residents as well as extra funding for bus and subway upgrades and other capital improvements around Flushing Meadows Corona Park, like sports fields and playgrounds.

Jeff Holmes, spokesperson for the New York City Economic Development Corporation, welcomed Richards' backing and said the panel looks forward to working with the City Planning Commission in the next phase of the approval process.

"The Willets Point transformation is a generational investment for New York City that will bring the largest affordable housing development in over 40 years, new public open space, a hotel and over 20,000 square feet of retail, much needed infrastructure, and the city’s first soccer specific stadium that will be 100 percent privately financed," Holmes said in a statement.

He said the project would generate nearly $6 billion in economic impact over the next 30 years, create more than 1,550 permanent jobs and 14,000 construction jobs..

There was no immediate response from the NYCFC.

This article was updated with comment from Jeff Holmes, spokesperson for the New York City Economic Development Corporation.