Jets Get The Vote

The battle in New York City over a prime piece of real estate reached a milestone at press time. The New York Jets, which have been fighting with Madison Square Garden owner Cablevision over the plot of land, were victorious in their bid for the property.

Although opponents claim the fight is far from over, the Jets, who have the backing of Mayor Michael Bloomberg for their project, got approval for the stadium from the Metropolitan Transit Authority March 31st.

The MTA owns the railyards on which the stadium would be built and all of the board members were appointed by Gov. George Pataki; four voting members were recommended by Bloomberg.

Cablevision has fought tooth and nail over the site, which is just blocks from MSG. It outbid the Jets for the property, upping the ante from $720 million to $760 million. The company said it would build a new district atop the railyards filled with retail, entertainment and office space.

MTA chairman Peter Kalikow said Cablevision’s offer was “not credible” and was an attempt to thwart the football team’s bid, a person who spoke with him told The New York Times.

Now that the MTA has accepted the Jets bid to build the $1.2 billion retractable-roof venue, there’s still the Public Authorities Control Board to contend with. Plus, Cablevision is reportedly preparing a legal challenge to the MTA’s vote.

Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and the Rev. Al Sharpton approve of the stadium, the latter trumpeting the hundreds of jobs the project would create. It is the backbone to Bloomberg’s attempt to bring the 2012 Summer Olympics to the city. Not only that, but the owners of the National Football League have said the Super Bowl would head to NYC if the state-of-the-art facility is built.