NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — The New York City Football Club (NYCFC) released new renderings of its future Queens stadium on Wednesday after the City Planning Commission unanimously approved the plan to build the club a permanent home.
The stadium will be built in Willets Point, as one part of the second phase of the Willets Point plan, which would bring the 25,000 seat soccer stadium to the underdeveloped area as well as 1,400 units of affordable housing, 80,000 square feet of local retail, a 250-room hotel and 2.8 acres of publicly-accessible open space.
The NYCFC released new renderings of the project, including a fly-through video of the main entrance, dubbed “The Cube.” The Cube will be the first thing match attendees will see from the south, and the NYCFC said that it “will be integral to the matchday experience.”
Thought of as an immersive experience, The Cube will be over seven stories high and lined with 11,000+ square feet of LEDs. It will be able to project video, photography and graphic elements in a permanent experiential installation, the club said.
The NYCFC referred to the entrance as a symbol, stating that The Cube “represents stability and permanence; this is our home and we’re here to stay.”
The club also said that The Cube’s “equal dimensions will represent equality and fair play – two values that are at the heart of our club.”
According to the NYC Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), the Willets Point plan is expected to generate $6.1 billion in economic impact, 1,500 permanent jobs and 14,200 construction jobs, as well as 650 new school seats.
“The club is grateful that the City Planning Commission voted to approve a transformational project for Willets Point, unlocking the largest 100% affordable housing project in over 40 years, thousands of jobs and NYC’s first-ever, union-built soccer stadium,” NYCFC Vice Chairman Marty Edelman said in a statement to the New York Daily News following the vote.
“NYCFC committed 10 years ago to build our stadium in the five boroughs, and today’s vote gets us one step closer to bringing this promise to life in Queens — the World’s Borough will be our home for the World’s Game,” he concluded.
The second phase of the Willets Point plan still requires NYC Council approval, but Councilman Francisco Moya, who represents the Willets Point area, has been an avid advocate of both the project and stadium.