The International Cricket Council is hoping to host next year’s T20 Cricket World Cup in Van Cortlandt Park.
Photo ET Rodriguez
Despite visions of grandeur from the Adams administration of a temporary 34,000-person cricket stadium in Van Cortlandt Park, legislative obstacles could derail the project before it even begins.
The International Cricket Council (ICC), based out of Dubai, has tapped the Bronx to potentially host the 2024 T20 Cricket World Cup – an ambitious proposition for the world’s second-most popular sport embraced by City Hall that has been met with tentative excitement, ardent opposition and legal worries.
If Van Cortlandt Park – New York City’s third-largest park at 1,146 acres – is selected as the location for the stadium, construction would begin in January 2024 and need to be completed in time for the bulk of cricket matches taking place that June, according to Community Board 8 Chair Julie Reyes. CB8 held a special meeting on July 20 to share plans for the project, which detail a 19.5-acre section in the southeast corner of Van Cortlandt Park including an area for concessions and a stage for entertainment.
But the timeline of Albany’s upcoming legislative session, which isn’t set to start until January 2024, could also throw a wrench in the ICC’s potential plans for a NYC location to be included in its host cities.
State Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz – a Riverdale Democrat whose district runs through Van Cortlandt Park – said he is excited about the idea of hosting such a tournament in the Bronx, but expressed opposition to it being held in Van Cortlandt Park. State Sen. Gustavo Rivera, a Kingsbridge Democrat whose district also includes the park, has not yet voiced his opinion on the project.
Nonetheless, the need for support from Albany would come if the proposal required parkland alienation – and that seems likely.
According to the New York State Park Alienation Handbook, “Parkland…
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