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The South Bronx has come a long way since the 1970's, but local leaders complain that they are being snubbed by the Yankees. I think the community has a bright future, but I don't think that the Yankees have anything to do with the area's renewal. The Yankees have so much money. It would be great if they would invest financially in the neighborhood.
Last edited by Pete Piper; 07-10-2008 at 06:21 AM..
they should invest in rehabbing the neighborhood around yankee stadium for starters.
I think that they're hoping the rehab will come with the mass amounts of people coming to this area now for the mall, and the stadium. Quite frankly, if it's not successful, I think they'll be forced to rehab the area to try and make it more likable so the whole project isn't a failure.. but then again, the city can just as easily ignore the area completely, and pretend it didn't happen if this idea fails.
i'll agree with the article. however when he says they should have the parade up the grand concourse instead of sixth avenue, would residents of the area want the parade there since it would disrupt traffic on an already busy street?
Regardless of how you look at a baseball team, their value to any neighborhood simply cannot be calculated. Once upon a time, there was a very disreputable part of Flatbush that was known as Pigtown; residents of the surrounding areas used it as a kind of gigantic public dumping grounds, and as a result, real estate there was cheap.
That worked out well for one Charles Ebbets, who had only recently gained control over a certain National League baseball team that played in Brooklyn. Ebbets was always on the edge of financial ruin, and the prospect of cheap real estate was key to him--his club needed a new stadium. So he built it (against the advice of his backers, who said that putting up a stadium in Pigtown was a complete waste of good money).
Ebbets didn't need any prompting when naming his new ballpark. And the Robins (who soon underwent yet another name change, and became the Dodgers) were so successful that the name of Pigtown disappeared from the map altogether.
Moral: do not underestimate the importance of the Yankees to The Bronx.
The Yankees are an asset to the city, that's for sure, but the area around the stadium has suffered greatly in the past. The addition of a new stadium taking away parkland and a new mall that will increase congestion in an already high asthmatic area due to existing poor air quality, are not easily offset by the old stadium remaining as a community center and supposed new "green" spaces. Specifically, new park space on top of a parking structure (somewhere close to 3000 spaces) is a disaster for anyone with a respiratory ailment, and the high asthma rate is already a fact in this neighborhood.
The new development may not impact the immediate area much at all, but is a boost for the city as a whole and for the Yankees. And, the mall creates a nicer looking streetscape in the immediate area, whcih should diminish the negatve images that have surrounded the stadium. The job creation, which likely has been overstimated, is mainly at the lower end of the service sector, many seasonal, and are not going to provide much in the way of economic stimulus for the area.
In terms of the parade being in Manhattan, that is not a shocker, since I do not think they'd be able to put it in the Bronx for one reason, the sponsors. The parade has to be in Manhattan as it is a sponsored event, and, as such, they can dictate where it is to take place. Manhattan is the favored locale. especially the Central Park area, as it is branded as a quintessential New York location. This is more of a business decision than a social one, since it's more profitable to underscore the New York aspects of the team, for the team, the city, and the sponsors, as the New York brand identity is known worldwide. Moreover, one cannot reasobably expect a business to make decisions that counter the money spend, and not using a proven New York locale for as high profile an event as the parade would be irresponsible.
Are the Yankees important to the city? In a word, yes, but it is only responsible to improvement the area, both for fans and area residents, not to exclude one at the cost of the other.
Ya u would think the yankees would have did this a long time ago. even if it was for pure selfish reasons. They dont give a ish about the area but u would think they would attempt to make it more appealing for fans.
The new Gateway Mall at Bronx Termainal Market is the mall to which I was referring.
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