by Christian Araos

Queens Borough President Melinda Katz suggested a soccer stadium be built in Willets Point at her State of the Borough address Friday.

“New York City’s land is not limitless, and with the projected growth in our borough, this highly coveted area of Willets Point needs to be remediated and prepped for a cleaner future,” Katz said.

“And to help pay for it, let’s consider a soccer stadium, let’s consider a hockey stadium. Just imagine if we, the World’s Borough, hosted the World Cup or the Stanley Cup.”

The 63 acres of land in Willets Point has been the subject of an ongoing legal dispute involving developers, preservationists, the Mayor’s Office and the City Council. Currently, the City has been buying the land in what is known as the Iron Triangle and evicting the local auto body shops in that area. The demolition of those shops should be complete by the summer.

Meanwhile, Related Companies and Sterling Equities who also own nearby Citi Field and the New York Mets are appealing a court decision that barred the construction of a mega mall west of the stadium because the land was technically parkland. Should Sterling lose its appeal, the City would have to adjust their plans for developing the area. Assemblyman Francisco Moya who was a vocal supporter of the proposed soccer stadium in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park praised Katz’ comments.

“I think it’s opening the door to making it a reality,” Moya told DNAinfo. “I think this is a bold step in terms of economic development planning. Soccer would be the economic engine.”

Katz said she hoped the Iron Triangle would also see a new school and an eco-recreation center, both of which were included in the City’s original plan for developing the area in 2013. The land east of Citi Field is accessible by taking the 7 train or on the Port Washington Line of the Long Island Rail Road and is also situated between the Van Wyck Expressway and Grand Central Parkway.

This site shares a similar central location in Queens as the failed stadium in Flushing Meadows. That drove MLS’ efforts but the bid fell apart due to community opposition and concerns over giving over parkland to local developers. State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) led the opposition and told the Queens Chronicle that building a stadium at that site would be a ‘non-starter.’

“I don’t think that will fly with the community,” Avella said. “I’m sort of surprised the borough president would suggest a stadium.”