[NYguy]

http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/2012...adium-proposal

'Toxic' Site Eyed as Replacement Parkland in MLS Soccer Stadium Proposal




The proposed MLS stadium would be built on what is currently Industry Pond in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.

October 9, 2012
By Nigel Chiwaya

Major League Soccer is scrambling to come up with replacement parkland as part of its proposed soccer stadium in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park — and a toxic site along the Flushing River is among the parcels under consideration. The league, which wants to take up to 13 acres of land in the park in order to build a 25,000-seat stadium, is required by law to replace any land used for the project, which has sparked controversy from critics who called it a land grab. But difficulty finding suitable sites is forcing the league to consider land along the polluted banks of the Flushing River in Willets Point, some of which is currently owned by the MTA, as well as several other pieces of land that do not adjoin the park.

League spokeswoman Risa Heller confirmed that MLS is indeed looking at the waterfront site, in addition to several other locations around the borough. "MLS seeks to develop a parkland replacement plan that is driven by the wants and needs of the community members and local leaders," Heller said in an email. "We have begun working with community leaders to identify parcels."

In addition to the waterfront, the league is also looking at a lot near abandoned train tracks in Rego Park, MLS officials confirmed. Both sites come with their share of issues. One of the locations under consideration, a 12-acre site along the Flushing Creek's western bank, is owned by the MTA. The agency's chairman Joe Lhota has indicated that the agency would be willing to part with the land, telling Capital New York that the MTA can sell land as long any deal is "a fair market value." However, its proximity to gritty Willets Point and the Flushing River, which has been a dumping ground, has left the site polluted. Finn called the land "toxic," and a 2011 MTA presentation said that the land had "poor soil conditions" that would require remediation.

The potential Rego Park site is a 16.6-acre land parcel near the abandoned Rockaway Beach branch Long Island Rail Road tracks. However, the site is located 3 miles away from the parkland it would replace. In addition, the fate of the train tracks that border the site is up in the air, as two groups are currently debating future use of the line — with one group aiming to resume service along the tracks, and the other looking to make it a "High Line"-style park.

One potential site is an MTA-owned parcel of land in Willets Point. In 2011 the MTA said that the land would require soil remediation.