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COVER STORY: Francisco Moya’s Moment .................................... 12
COVER STORY NYCFC Stadium to come to Willets Point in 2027
going to be just an isolated arena somewhere where people just go in and come out of. For me, it was always about making sure that if we were going to partner up, these
were the specific things that I needed to see up front from someone before we can even proceed,” he said.
Moya highlighted the impact that Manchester City, whose owners also own New York City Football Club, had on the dying coal town as a reason for the partnership.
“When City Football Club came
in, they built an entire city around it. And they kind of did a similar model that I'm presenting here,” Moya said. “I think that whenever you can find someone that says we share your vision of putting housing first, we share your vision of creating the same type of atmosphere that we have in Manchester. It made it so much easier to move this along.”
The new football stadium will have union apprentice programs and opportunities for CUNY students to use the facilities in their studies.
Moya also emphasized that the cleaning up of contaminated soil that started last year was key to getting the deal done.
“In life, everything's about the timing. And I think we kind of hit that moment where just everything started coming together. The new administration coming in. The advanced stages already applied what we're doing in the development of the first part of Willets Point. The fact that they saw I had this vision, and bringing them here to the borough that lives and breathes this sport like none other,” Moya said. “You walk anywhere and if it has a patch of grass in Corona, Queens – somebody's playing soccer.”
The stadium is projected to open in 2027 following a ULURP process, while construction on the first housing units will begin in 2023.
