A 25,000-seat soccer stadium for the New York City Football Club is one step closer to rising in Queens.
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HOK and Turner Construction have been selected as the project’s architect and general contractor, respectively, charged with designing and building a potential stadium in the Willets Point neighborhood.
“This project will be transformative for Queens,” NYCFC CEO Brad Sims said in a statement. “Stadiums are where people come together, and we share a vision with HOK to ensure our stadium becomes a destination of soccer for our fans while playing an important part in the development of Willets Point.”
The soccer-specific stadium, to be located on the edge of 126th Street near Citi Field, will be the first in New York City if approved via the city’s land use approval process later this year.
"The stadium will embody New York City’s dynamism and cultural diversity and will become a vibrant example of urban placemaking," HOK principal and Senior Project Designer Rashed Singaby said in a statement. "Our design will embrace the multi-faceted identity of Queens, Flushing Meadows and the site’s industrial heritage, offering fans an unprecedented, hospitality-driven game-day experience while integrating into the local community as an everyday asset.”
The development would also bring the largest affordable housing project in NYC since the 1970s Mitchell-Lama projects, bringing 2,500 affordable units to the area along with a 250-key hotel, all of which is expected to be completed by 2027.
The proposal comes from Queens Development Group, a joint venture of Related Cos. and Sterling Equities that won support from Mayor Eric Adams last July. The developers will not pay real estate taxes while the lease is active, but also won't receive funding, tax-exempt bond financing, or abatements on sales or mortgage recordation taxes from the city.
In November, NYCFC agreed to pay $780M for a 49-year lease for the 23-acre site, shelling out as much as $4M in annual rents to the city for the ground lease. The Major League Soccer team will reportedly also have a 25-year extension option available.
Turner has already worked on New York City's two most famous sports facilities — Madison Square Garden and Yankee Stadium. HOK designed Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta for the Falcons NFL franchise, as well as a soccer-specific stadium in St. Louis for a new MLS franchise. Its chairman and CEO, Bill Helmuth, died earlier this month.
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