Meadowlands Sports Complex

The Meadowlands Sports Complex is a sports and entertainment facility located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, owned and operated by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA). The site currently consists of three venues: Giants Stadium, the Meadowlands Racetrack (aka The Big M), and the Izod Center (formerly the Continental Airlines Arena).

History

In the mid-1960s, civic leaders in New Jersey began calling for a sports complex in the New Jersey Meadowlands that would be able to lure a National Football League team from New York City. The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority Law was passed by the New Jersey Legislature in 1971 and signed by then-Governor of New Jersey William T. Cahill. The first chairman of the NJSEA was David A. "Sonny" Werblin, former president of the NFL's New York Jets. By year's end, Werblin had secured a deal for the New York Giants, who were then playing in Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, to move to the Meadowlands. Ground was broken on Giants Stadium and the Meadowlands Racetrack on November 19, 1972.

To accommodate the new facility, access roads were improved. The New Jersey Turnpike, which had been suffering the burden of increased traffic volumes near its northern terminus in Ridgefield Park, built a new alignment, the "western spur", with an exit, interchange 16W, leading directly to the sports complex as well as to Route 3. Routes 3 and 20 (now 120) also received improvements.

On September 1, 1976, the Meadowlands Racetrack became the first complex venue to open, featuring harness racing. The track drew a capacity crowd of 42,133 for its initial date. Giants Stadium opened on October 10, 1976, as 76,042 fans watched the New York Giants lose to the Dallas Cowboys, 24-14.

By 1977, plans were in the works to expand the complex. A new arena was to be built on the opposite side of Route 20 from the stadium and racetrack, connected by vehicle ramps and a pedestrian bridge. Brendan Byrne Arena, named for the sitting governor, opened July 2, 1981, with the first of six sold-out shows by the rock musician Bruce Springsteen. The arena was renamed for its corporate sponsor, Continental Airlines, in early 1996. The arena is commonly known as "The Arena" by the locals.

In addition to the three venues, the complex also hosts events in the Giants Stadium parking lot. State Fair Meadowlands (formerly called the Meadowlands Fair, and not affiliated with the New Jersey State Fair held annually in Sussex County) began in 1986 and has been operated by State Fair of Belleville since 2003. The parking lot is also the home of a twice-weekly flea market, which is canceled when the parking spaces are needed for stadium events.

Auto racing

In 1983, a Formula One auto race was planned for the New York City area. A temporary street course at the Meadowlands Sports Complex was one of the finalists for the location. A course at Flushing Meadows Park, in the New York City borough of Queens, was chosen, but the event was cancelled before the first running. In July 1984, the CART IndyCar series held the first Meadowlands Grand Prix on a temporary circuit built in the Giants Stadium parking lot. The race was only moderately successful, and crowds were mediocre at best. In 1988, the course layout was moved to the streets surrounding Brendan Byrne Arena and redesigned to a 1.2-mile, six-turn layout in an effort to improve competition. The race continued until 1991, and crowds continued to stay away. In addition, from 1988–1991 the race was part of the Marlboro Million, a cash prize awarded to any driver who won the Marlboro Grand Prix, the Marlboro 500, and the Marlboro Challenge All-Star event in the same year. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DEFD61F30F933A15754C0A96E948260 http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DEFD61F30F933A15754C0A96E948260] ] The prize was never won. In 1992, race officials announced plans to move the race to Manhattan, using a street course at the World Trade Center [ [http://www.grandprix.com/ft/ftmt001.html http://www.grandprix.com/ft/ftmt001.html] ] . Within a few months, however, the race was cancelled due to cost concerns.

In the early 2000s, conceptual plans were drafted to build a NASCAR-style speedway at the Meadowlands Sports Complex, as part of a revitalizing project. However, the plan was rejected, and abandoned.

CART Champ Car race winners

Future

Several times, the prospect of bringing baseball (in particular, the New York Yankees) to the Meadowlands Sports Complex has been discussed. Bringing the Yankees to the Meadowlands was originally thought to be as important as getting the Giants. However, New York City's government agreed to remodel (and virtually rebuild) Yankee Stadium at public expense in the mid-1970s. Later, a 1987 bond issue to build a baseball stadium was defeated by the voters. The Yankees continued to toy with the idea of a move to the Meadowlands, but dramatically improved attendance in the late-1990s and early-2000s convinced them that playing in the Bronx was still viable. They also conceded that taxpayers would likely only finance road and mass transit improvements in any location; the stadium itself would need to be privately financed. New Yankee Stadium is being constructed adjacent to their old one.

The Florida Marlins had considered relocating in the early 2000s, and New Jersey and the Meadowlands had been considered for the franchise's new home, though this seems to have fallen through. The Xanadu Project, if done according to plan, would bring new teams such as the Bergen Cliff Hawks (minor league baseball) and the Bergen River Dogs (professional lacrosse).

In 2003, under the leadership of NJSEA chairman George Zoffinger, the authority agreed to a redevelopment of the Arena site. The proposal, named Xanadu, would expand the site into a shopping, office, and entertainment complex, preserving the Arena in a scaled-down form and adding a stadium for minor league baseball. The Mills Corp. and Mack-Cali Corp. broke ground for the project in March 2005 after receiving final environmental clearances [ [http://www.icsc.org/srch/sct/sct0505/dev_leasing_9.php MILLS STARTS BUILDING MEADOWLANDS XANADU] , accessed July 12, 2006] .

In April 2005, after months of negotiating, wrangling, and filed lawsuits, the New York Giants organization and the NJSEA reached a deal to construct a New Meadowlands Stadium to replace the 1976-constructed Giants Stadium. The board of the NJSEA approved the deal shortly thereafter. A few months later, a new deal replaced the existing plans to build a new stadium, now a 50/50 joint venture between the Giants and the New York Jets. [via Bloomberg News. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9506EEDB143EF934A2575BC0A9619C8B63 ' N.F.L. ROUNDUP; The Jets and the Giants Borrow $1.3 Billion for Their New Stadium'] , "The New York Times", August 17, 2007. Accessed november 3, 2007. "The Jets and the Giants yesterday completed a $1.3 billion financing agreement to build an 84,000-seat stadium in East Rutherford, N.J."]

Although the new building is currently referred to as "Giants Stadium", it has been speculated that the naming rights will be sold to a corporate sponsor by the Giants, who received the future naming rights based on the April 2005 agreement. The Giants have agreed to pay all construction costs for the stadium itself (estimated at $750 million in 2005), in exchange for the land and for the state of New Jersey's assumption of all debt for the 1976 stadium (as of 2005, there is still a debt balance). The state also plans to reconstruct major access roads to the complex in preparation for both the new stadium and Xanadu projects, at a cost of millions of dollars.

The future of the IZOD Center is in doubt after the Devils moved to a new arena called the Prudential Center in Newark, and the Nets are in plans to move the team to Brooklyn. The moves would leave the arena vacant as the Nets and Devils are its two major tenants. It was originally proposed to be demolished for the Xanadu Project, but Meadowlands Xanadu is slated to be completed before the Nets leave the arena. Problems getting Brooklyn citizens to sell their apartments to make way for the arena has resulted in the Nets signing a lease extension at the Arena until at least 2010.

Xanadu Project

The Meadowlands Xanadu is a large mall and entertainment complex, consisting of over 4.8 million square feet, that has been proposed by the Mills Corporation. The Xanadu Project would reside within the Meadowlands Sports Complex, utilizing areas now used for parking or not being used. Additional parking would be provided via new parking decks.

The Xanadu Project is not without controversy. From traffic concerns to environmental concerns, there are many who oppose the idea of building a permanent shopping center in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. As of early 2006, the project has gained necessary approvals and building of the Xanadu Project has begun.

New Jersey Transit is working on extending the nearby Pascack Valley Line to the Meadowlands Sports Complex, in preparation of the opening of the Xanadu Project. Studies are underway regarding the extension of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail line to the Meadowlands Sports Complex as well.

The Xanadu Entertainment project will consist of many different station including sports, fashion, food/home, kids and entertainment. New Jersey is willing to bring on the challenge of making the biggest mall in the world, but is not ready for the expected traffic and population issues. New Jersey currently ranks as the #1 state of highest population density and it is no question that traffic has been a major issue in the northern New Jersey area for years. As of early April 2006, there is no answer regarding Xanadu's problem with Bergen County's Blue laws, which prohibit certain establishments from conducting business on Sunday.

Tenants

Giants Stadium

Current

*New York Giants (NFL) (Moving in 2009 to New Meadowlands Stadium)
*New York Jets (NFL) (Moving in 2009 to New Meadowlands Stadium)
*Red Bull New York (MLS) (moving in 2009 to Harrison, New Jersey)

Former

*New York Cosmos (NASL) (1977–84)
*New Jersey Generals (USFL) (1983–85)
*New York/New Jersey Knights (WLAF) (1991–92)
*New York/New Jersey Hitmen (XFL) (2001)

Meadowlands Xanadu (planned)

*Bergen River Dogs (lacrosse)
*Bergen Cliff Hawks (Minor League Baseball)

Izod Center

Current

*New Jersey Nets (NBA) (moving in 2009 to either Brooklyn or Newark)

Former

*New Jersey Devils (NHL) (1982-2007) moved to Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey)
*Seton Hall University Men's Basketball (NCAA) (1981-2007) moved to Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey)
*New Jersey Red Dogs (AFL) (1997-2000)
*New Jersey Gladiators (AFL) (2001-2002)
*New Jersey Rockin' Rollers (Roller Hockey International) (1995)
*New Jersey Storm (NLL) (2002-2003)

References

External links

* [http://www.meadowlands.com Meadowlands Sports Complex]
* [http://www.meadowlandsxanadu.com/ The Mills - Meadowlands Xanadu]
* [http://www.teterboro-online.com/xanadu/index.shtml Teterboro Online: Xanadu Project]