Old Yankee Stadium To Remain Standing Till 2010

Well this should certainly bother some local officials.

From Harvey Araton (hat tip to Zell's Pinstripe Blog):

From the press office of the mayor, Michael R. Bloomberg, we received the city’s estimated timetable of 16 months — or spring 2010 — for the dismantling of the old stadium, as well as explanations of why it has yet to begin (without a demolition company even chosen by the city).

PART I “The primary reason Yankee Stadium has not started demolition is that the new stadium and its offices have just now become available for occupancy.” But if New York schoolchildren can learn in trailers when there is a shortage of building space, why couldn’t the Yankees have conducted business in a temporary shelter for a few short months to expedite the demolition process?

PART II “The demolition of Yankee Stadium, with a lot of adjacent construction, utility work and proximity to the elevated subway structure, requires a complicated public procurement process.” But if demolition is so complicated, how has Shea Stadium — not as cramped but similarly flanked by a new stadium and an elevated subway — been largely flattened, piece by piece, since October, with the job expected to be completed next month?

[Joyce] Hogi’s point about construction priorities is one that cannot be hammered home enough. When it is in the baseball team’s interest to demolish a stadium so there will be enough parking by opening day, the old ballpark can’t come down soon enough. When the existing stadium site has been designated for replacement park baseball fields, the community can wait — in the case of Heritage Field on the existing old Stadium site, until at least fall 2011, or three years after the last major league pitch.

The city and the Yankees say the area will benefit in economic development. Hogi said: “The Yankees have been there for 80 years and what’s been developed? The only thing they are building now is a fortress so the people coming in will never have to step foot in the neighborhood.”

As much as I don't want to see the old place go down, I can't disagree with the many people that will be bothered by this. The building will serve no purpose while it sits there, and will be a waste of land. That's not even debatable.

Expect this to be a major issue over the next few years.