DEIS: Summary of alternatives; Renovation

RENOVATION

Draft EIS states:

There is simply insufficient space within the existing stadium to accommodate the extensive needs and requirements for transforming it into a modern-day stadium.

For the stadium to function properly and provide a comfortable experience for fans, players, and the press, a nearly 100 percent increase in public concourse and fan amenity areas would be required.

Adequate practice space and batting cages are lacking, and there is only one weight room, which must be shared by both the Yankees and visiting teams.

Response:

The DEIS is too quick to dismiss this option. While it is not the option that the Yankees want, it will have a greatly reduced impact on the surrounding community. The rejection of this option begs the question: “who is more important: the Yankees or everybody else?” Should we place a monetary cost on the various aspects of peoples lives that will be harmed by this project and compare them to the economic benefits of a new stadium? Such an exercise would be a callous, insensitive way to examine a set of impacts – but no less callous and insensitive than insisting that the Yankees needs are more important than the members of our community and deserve an approval on this project despite the impacts it will have on everyone around them.

The Yankees’ preferred alternative would exact a great cost on the surrounding community. While the renovation alternative is less than the desired maximum for the Yankees, it is a better alternative for the community – and should be considered more thoroughly. The Yankees are not the only people in this community and they should not be allowed whatever they want at a cost to everyone else.