approved

The group, along with community leaders, also raised concerns about the lack of community input on the project. Good Jobs New York director Bettina Damiani pointed out that the plan is still in the proposal phase and has yet to receive all the approvals needed to make it a done deal. Damiani and Dan Steinberg, Good Jobs New York research analyst, authored the report. "Up until now this has been a closed deal process. There has not been any input from the community," Damiani said. "They are moving this process along very quickly. They need to slow down and bring the community to the table."The plans call for the New York Yankees to build on what is currently parkland north of the existing stadium, with the state legislature approving the seizure of two parks: Macomb's Dam Park and portions of John Mulally Park--a move that spurred criticism from community leaders. "This impacts our community greatly. Parks were taken away at the state level without any hearings," said Greg Bell, co-chair of Bronx Voices for Equal Inclusion. "The are so many concerns the community has that have not been addressed. We are not trying to stop the project. We are trying to help shape the project so it's a win-win situation for everyone."The Yankee Stadium plan involves creating an open-air, five-level stadium with approximately 53,000 seats, standing room for 1,000 and 60 suites. It will have approximately 1.3 million sf of space, including food and beverage service facilities, retail space, Yankee corporate business space, and other amenities. The design is expected to be reminiscent of the 1923 Yankee Stadium and the current stadium. Four new garages would be constructed which would provide around 4,735 new parking spaces. Damiani explained that Good Jobs New York is not against development, but is in favor of responsible development. "We're not anti-development. Developments create jobs."