Pols, Community Groups to Protest West Side Stadium

NEW YORK CITY-A coalition of neighborhood organizations, civic groups and political figures will hold a press conference at noon tomorrow to voice their objection to the proposed development of a stadium on the West Side.

The protest, to be held in from of the Marriott Marquis hotel at 45th Street and Broadway, is planned to dovetail with the US Olympic Committee’s upcoming two-day visit in conjunction with the city’s bid to hold the 2012 Summer Olympics here. Proponents believe a stadium would be a major factor in the USOC’s decision.

NYC2012, the committee leading New York’s bid to snag the 2012 Olympics, proposes a venue over the West Side rail yards to be used as a football stadium for the New York Jets and for the Olympics. Opponents of the plan stress that they are not anti-Olympics, only anti-stadium, and claim that the media has failed to focus on the potential neighborhood impact and long-term cost that a stadium would incur.

In addition, Chelsea and Clinton residents object to what they say is NYC2012′s depiction of their neighborhoods as blighted and derelict. Moreover, they say, 6,000 residents face potential displacement if the plan is approved.

State Senators Tom Duane and Liz Kreuger, Assembly Member Richard N. Gottfried, and Councilmembers Christine Quinn and Gale Brewer are expected to attend the event. Sponsors include the Clinton Special District Coalition, Metropolitan Council on Housing, Chelsea Coalition on Housing, 45th Street Block Association, Coalition for a Livable West Side, East Side Tenants Coalition, Ludlow St. Block Association, Chelsea Owners and Tenants for Neighborhood Preservation, 51st Street Block Association and the Committee for Environmentally Sound Development.