Maxman Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 Anyone see this today? N.J., Giants, Jets argue over acres Thursday, December 15, 2005 By JOHN BRENNAN STAFF WRITER EAST RUTHERFORD - A 95-acre plan for a Meadowlands stadium complex submitted this week by the Giants and Jets was 20 acres larger than state officials expected. Don't blame us, the two football teams said Wednesday: That's the deal the state agreed to in September. Not so fast, New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority executives replied: We settled on a 75-acre plan back in April, and nothing's changed since. The confusion over the permissible size for the stadium complex footprint results from the two-part nature of the stadium agreement. The Giants signed a memorandum of understanding with the state in April for a 75-acre complex that would include a 20-acre Giants practice site adjacent to the new stadium. But when the Jets signed on as partners in September, the teams agreed that the Giants' practice site would be moved north of the new stadium, near Paterson Plank Road. The amended agreement, meanwhile, committed the state to provide each team with a 20-acre practice site "at no cost." The Giants' planned practice site has since been moved again, this time closer to the new stadium. But sports authority Chairman Carl Goldberg said after Wednesday's monthly board meeting that he still expected that facility to be included within the 75-acre allotment. "This is not a land giveaway," Goldberg said. "I recognize that the amount of acreage is significant, because there is an intrinsic correlation between the acreage and the appropriateness of the ground lease payment." The Giants agreed in April to an annual rent of $5 million, plus an additional $1.3 million paid out to the sports authority to go toward East Rutherford's payment in lieu of taxes for the 75 acres. If the teams use 95 acres for their stadium complex, state officials may seek a higher rent. The Giants, however, counter that the amended stadium agreement entitles the teams to 95 acres on-site and 115 acres overall when the Jets' practice area is included. "Our position is that the Sept. 29 agreement makes it very clear that the 20 acres allotted for both the Giants and the Jets is in addition to the 75-acre site that previously had been designated for the stadium and the surrounding development," Giants spokesman Pat Hanlon said. "There seems to be some sort of a misunderstanding." Jets executive Matt Higgins said the Jets have the same interpretation as the Giants. The disagreement over acreage does not yet appear to jeopardize the $1 billion stadium plan, which is expected to start rising in the Meadowlands in 2007 and to open for business for the start of the 2010 National Football League season. But the master plan and a ground lease must be approved by the sports authority's board before construction can begin. Goldberg said that in its review the agency will be less focused on the acreage sought in the proposal than it will be on the quality of the master plan. He cited parking, traffic management, building design and the stadium's relationship to the Xanadu entertainment and retail complex as among the factors that will be evaluated by the sports authority. "The first objective is to make sure that the plan is something we are comfortable with, and then we can look at whether we should look at other issues, such as if it takes up more acreage than anticipated," Goldberg said. The stadium complex would include 520,000 square feet of space for retail, broadcast, sports medicine and other uses. The 82,000-seat stadium would have about 200 luxury suites - nearly double the current number - as well as 8,000 premium seats, a football-theme restaurant and a hall of fame. The Jets - who seek a 20-acre practice facility within 20 miles of the new stadium - have visited two dozen North Jersey locations in the last several months, including Wood-Ridge and Pequannock. A final decision on a practice location could come within 30 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gun Of Bavaria Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 It's obvious that the politicians in NJ don't want this stadium to go up. I vote to move the Jets to Detroit now. They can have 1000 acres if they want, anything beats abandoned buildings and overgrown fields. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetswin Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 Time for Bloomy to make another pitch to the Jets! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxman Posted December 15, 2005 Author Share Posted December 15, 2005 Time for Bloomy to make another pitch to the Jets! Don't talk like that. BZ is going to get all riled up and reserve another 6 or 7 Bring em home domain names. Those things add up! :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gun Of Bavaria Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 I'm selling my bring em home domains for cheap. But since BZ can't see my signature he's yet to find out and make me an offer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthCoastJetsFan Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 It's obvious that the politicians in NJ don't want this stadium to go up. I vote to move the Jets to Detroit now. They can have 1000 acres if they want, anything beats abandoned buildings and overgrown fields. I was going to say something snide like "Detroit can't support two teams" but then I realized that the Jets and the Lions together can't make up one team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gun Of Bavaria Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 I was going to say something snide like "Detroit can't support two teams" but then I realized that the Jets and the Lions together can't make up one team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryK Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 I'm selling my bring em home domains for cheap. But since BZ can't see my signature he's yet to find out and make me an offer. The Silverdome people should welcome a new tenant. How much can they be making from high school playoffs and car-crusher shows? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gun Of Bavaria Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 The Silverdome people should welcome a new tenant. How much can they be making from high school playoffs and car-crusher shows? Sunday....Sunday....Sunday At the Silverdome....Monster Truck Extravaganza. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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