New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday unveiled plans for a mixed-use economic development in Willets Point with a 25,000-seat soccer-specific stadium as its centerpiece following an agreement between the city and the Major League Soccer club.
This new project would keep NYCFC in New York’s five boroughs, with the Queens-based land right near Citi Field (home of the MLB’s New York Mets) and USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center (where the US Open is held).
NYCFC’s stadium will be within walking distance of the subway system’s Mets-Willets Point station and the Long Island Rail Road. They’re expected to share parking with the Mets.
The stadium is expected to be ready in 2027. The development plans include 2,500 units of affordable housing, a 250-room hotel and an elementary school in the area across the street from Citi Field’s right field wall.
NYCFC is on the hook for 100% of the stadium’s cost. The club is majority owned by City Football Group, the Abu Dhabi-bankrolled soccer conglomerate which also owns English champions Manchester city.