Excellent. As a New Yorker, I find it distressing that more of my money goes to that part of new jersey that lies below the Mason Dixon line than they will ever send back here, but I don't come on to soccer boards to complain about it. I don't pretend to know the ins and outs of this deal, nor of NJ politics. But I do think that even if the acting gov doesn't have direct control over Hudson County's ability to fund a stadium through debt, he still can be influential, being the governor and all. I am taking an educated guess that he's not just being a messenger either. He's basically saying he's against the deal without appearing to overreach, but behind the scenes he may be throwing his influence around to defeat it.
Does anyone have a number I can call??? METRO FO perhaps? Otherwise I am just gonna call 1-888-4metro tix till we get an answer... I hope others will follow suit.
Ok, there's more about Codey in reference to the MetroStars in an AP release: .......He (Codey) said a plan for a soccer stadium in Harrison is not feasible because Hudson County cannot handle the financing. http://www.nj.com/newsflash/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-11/1100107440310601.xml&storylist=jersey
$800 million sports complex? Sounds like some governor is trying to prove he's not gay like the governor before him. That's a shame, though, if someone's trying to thwart your team's stadium plans. Good luck.
You don't think the construction could have any adverse affects on the river, or any wildlife that lives nearby? As for pumping the pollution into the river, it's not that unlikely, this is new jersey after all
Some great insights here as to what is going on. Here's my 2 cents: Why on earth, with a week to go before coronation, would the "one year" governor go to the papers with a plan to expand the Xanadu development and proclaim a small soccer stadium that has been years in development "Dead"? Even if the teams he asks to join him in his quest for Jersey pre-eminence buy into it, the state will be forced to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to make it happen. This doesn't sound like a good way to start your campaign for a full term as governor, in fact it's a plan that's certain to fail. So maybe he's not serious about the big plan, and it will fade away as the election heats up and he doesn't follow through. So then why did he do it? To Kill Harrison. The last thing the NJSEA, Xanadu, and the potential Newark arena need is one more competitor for events in an overloaded market. The Harrison stadium would be $$ that won't go to them. The HCIA was just about to review the report and decide for themselves, when along comes this headline, that will shine bright lights into the darkest of caves, with everyone wondering if the deal is dead or if the county is being taken for a ride. This is exactly the attention I have long feared would kill this project. Of course the county is being taken, but in the grand scheme of things it is pocket change compared with the fleecing that Xanadu will reek upon us. (150 MILLION has already been looted from the PANYNJ to pay for public transit to Xanadu, and that's just to get started) This is a bad turn for Harrison Stadium, but I think it's just one paragraph in this chapter, of this crazy book of NJ politics. David Chase dreams he could make this stuff up.
Cody said today that the Meadowlands will have a separate facility for MetroStars if it is not too late. Not bad if we stay here and get our own new stadium.
To me it's not good enough because there is no decent public transportation to the Meadowlands. Maybe in 10 years there will be, but not now.
HCIA floating a bond is not stealing money from Hudson County taxholders. If the facilities generate enough revenue to pay the bills, the incremental tax burden won't be material post-construction. Codey is putting himself in COMPETITION with Hudson County. Codey's proposal: Metros pay for their own stadium on the grounds of the Meadowlands, with no state assistance or funding because of the state deficit. Harrison's proposal: Metros put up equity financing for a stadium project with other aspects to it as part of an urban renewal, Harrison provides additional money and support, Hudson County provides backing for a bond issue. I'm sure AEG is jumping for joy about Codey's generous plan. It doesn't matter what Codey says, UNLESS HCIA thinks the same way he does.
-- And as a resident of a highly populated town in Central New Jersey, I find it distressing that my tax dollars go to support a post office system that has to deliver mail to presumably remote rural locations like yours. It's high time that all rural people move to cities so we can collectively save some tax dollars on mail delivery. Thus, it is also high time to kick states like Montana, Wyoming and the Dakotas out of the Union. We here in the money-making states have been supporting their frontier asses for far too long.
1, No point in a new stadium if the Metros and MLS wont be able to control and profit from the ancillary revenue streams such as parking, concessions, naming rights, etc. IF the stadium is built at The Meadowlands, surely some of these revenue streams will be directed to the state. 2, Cody does not want expand Xanadu. Xanadu is not happening, he wants to keep the shopping and movies out, and keep the complex for sports venues and thats it....
It seems to me that this is a bunch of politics and that Codey is in bed with NJSEA. His objective is to try and keep the existing francises at the Meadowlands. Now who else wants that? Not the teams or their fans, right? Answer: NJSEA. A state run organization that is losing money and basically a White Elephant. He is also trying to cozy up to the Beggen county people as they stand to lose a ton in taxes if the like of the Nets, Devils and Metrostars relocate. Maybe he is calling HCIA bluff but he might have just scared the day lights out of them at the same time. Up to now, noone in Harrison or HCIA has stated the development was not viable. Until we hear confirmation from them, I would not call it a dead deal just yet.
Are you a moron? I live in a town of 55,000 people that's about 10 minutes or so from Philadelphia. It's hardly rural. The only thing that's strange to me is that as a New Jersey resident, I pay for things I don't use that supports teams I generally do not. On the flip side, Philadelphia and the state of PA paid almost a billion dollars for stadiums I do use and for which I have paid nothing in taxes so it works out I guess.
We're all paying for the to-be-built hockey arena in Pennsauken, Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, the state aquarium and Campbell's Field in Camden, Atlantic City Convention Center, etc., etc. I think we're all still paying for the bonds on Garden State Park, too. Patronage in NJ is not nearly as much a north/south imbalance as some of the southern Jerseyites are led to believe. Unless you're from someplace way out of the way like Bridgeton, in which case you might have a legit gripe...
I don't think that arena in Pennsauken will ever happen and the Camden Aquarium just went private and is being expanded. Garden State park was shut down a few years ago and is now being redevoped through Cherry Hill Township. I'm not really concerned about imbalance really. As I said above, I benefit from plenty of development in Philadelphia that I don't pay for. The state is definitely riddled with sleezy deals and this development stinks as well. Down here we have millions being flushed down a black hole in Camden that you're paying for so you're right. To be honest, I think the problem isn't the Medowlands or Harrison being two hours or so from me, its that NJ sits between two large media markets and is split as a result. In any event, I would love to see the Harrison project come to fruition.
No, you, are the moron. Bitching about your tax dollars going to camden and north jersey makes you a moron. That's all.
Isn't the Harrison project more than a soccer stadium? I thought it included residential and retail redevelopment too. If the stadium funding craters does that mean the entire Harrison redevelopment is being scrapped. You'd think, in that case, that the project might have more support from the County.
This fuken codey mutherphuker is a piexe ******** ass hole Buils a new stadium for the Giants? What about the harrison project this seemed almost perfect. He supports a new fuken mall, new giants stadium and a ball park for some wackass baseball team what the f***'s up with that. Its ************** like him that make the progression of soccer in the us more slow .
Here's what I've heard back: The MetroStars are still currently working with Harrison on the stadium deal. This deal is not dead and they are still on course for April 2006 (time is ticking fast though isn't it). The fact that the new governor of NJ has included the MetroStars in discussions regarding our new stadium being part of the Meadowlands redevelopment project is viewed as having no (negative) impact on the MetroStars Harrison stadium.
This isnt meant for you, but for anyone who has spoken with any Metro rep: Has anyone asked for a response re: the HCIA not floating the bonds? Thats whats really in question here.