Plans Tabled for New Athletic Field

Up until Tuesday, the City Council was moving forward with a plan to build a new athletic field at City Stadium Park.

The idea involved using $2.1 million from a developer with plans to build senior housing on the popular Pascuci soccer field.

That step would have compelled the city to create new parkland – a land swap that would require New York State’s approval, said Mayor Ralph Suozzi. The new field would have featured the Pascuci family’s name, with the family’s OK, he said.

But residents unfamiliar with the land-swap discussions were upset at the notion of assisted living housing built on the soccer field. That prompted some, including a blogger on Patch, to say Suozzi's efforts were not transparent to the public. 

Yet Suozzi claims the city followed its charter and up until Tuesday had the unanimous support of the city council. There was no RFP, he said, because the property had not been marketed for sale. Instead, the city was approached by principals of Virginia-based Artis Senior Living about the property back in February, and the prospect had since been discussed in public pre-council meetings.

The possibility was tabled at Tuesday’s contentious public meeting.

“The attachment to the existing field is very strong,” Suozzi said.  “One mistake the city council made was we should have brought the soccer community into it.” 

Meanwhile, the city is moving forward with plans to expand parking at City Stadium Park. There is talk about adding a new synthetic turf field there, which would feature lighting, seating, restrooms and perhaps a small concession stand. And because it would be of synthetic turf, it would see greater use because teams could play even when the field is wet, unlike a natural field.

The city is collecting environmental data so that when a funding source becomes available, the city, Suozzi said, “would be ready to move forward.”

What do you think of the issue?