First, the newsy bit: the Hudson River Park Trust and the Park Advisory Council are holding a meeting Thursday night to talk about the future of Pier 40, which is one of the half dozen sites -- and the most attractive one -- that Major League Soccer is considering for its not-yet-proposed-but-certainly-exciting-nonetheless New York stadium.
The meeting won’t produce any results, although it will give residents and other concerned citizens a place to ask questions and voice their issues. Nor will anyone from MLS be directly involved. (There are reports that MLS plans to present its vision for the future of the park at a meeting in June.)
There are plenty of issues to be resolved, however, before we even begin to think about getting an MLS stadium on the West side of Manhattan. From an April New York Times article:
The good news is that everyone involved seems to want to figure this all out sooner rather than later, so we should have an answer -- or at least an idea of whether the stadium could eventually become a reality -- at some point in the nearish future.
The PST quick take: It would be an incredible showcase piece for MLS and a fantastic fan experience. But man, oh man are there a lot of hoops to jump through before it happens. (And how would the New York Red Bulls feel about suddenly becoming the New Jersey Red Bulls?)
(For those interested in an overview of the entire situation, check out this mid-May story from Downtown Express.)