Bronx President Plans Little League for Yankee Stadium

Historic Yankee Stadium would host Little League games under a redevelopment plan to be announced today by the Bronx borough president, Adolfo Carrion Jr.

If the Yankees proceed with their proposal to build a $750 million stadium at what is now Macombs Dam Park, Mr. Carrion has developed a Yankee Stadium Neighborhood Development Plan that calls for, among other things, a hotel, waterfront access to the Harlem River, and a high school for sports medicine, The New York Sun has learned. Mr. Carrion is unveiling his plan this morning at a breakfast held by the Association for a Better New York.

The team is not endorsing Mr. Carrion's plan but does support some aspects of it, said a source familiar with the Yankees' plans. Big-ticket items such as the high school for sports medicine and the hotel are not things the Yankees would be willing to fund, and it could be difficult for Mr. Carrion to find financing for them, the source said.

The idea for using the current stadium for Little League games was a concept originated by the team itself, and it already has plans to create waterfront access to the Harlem River and improve the surrounding landscape, the source said. The Yankees are also in favor of using part of the stadium as a Baseball Hall of Fame museum and for baseball exhibits.

As for demolishing the current stadium, "they will remove some of the stadium, such as the seats, because 55,000 people don't come to see Little League games," the source said.

Several calls to Mr. Carrion's office and to the Yankees were not returned. Some local elected officials said they were caught unawares that Mr. Carrion was announcing a plan for the neighborhood today.

"It would be nice if we had been notified and asked our opinion before he makes some big announcement," said an elected official who did not want to be named.

The Yankees have been circulating their own plan among local officials that details a new open-air stadium at 161st Street in Macombs Dam Park. It would include 51,000 seats and up to 75 luxury boxes designed to evoke the style of the original Yankees Stadium built in 1923.

The team has agreed to pay $700 million to $750 million to build the new stadium if the city issues tax-free bonds for the project, and is also asking the city and the state to fund $100 million to $300 million for additional infrastructure, including parking garages, a Metro-North rail station, and road and sewerage improvements.

"It is critical that we keep the Yankees in the Bronx, and that any plan benefits the Bronx and the neighborhoods around the stadium," said Rep. Jose Serrano, who represents the district. "The Yankees plan is a good start."

The plan to build the stadium at Macombs Dam Park would require taking nearly half of the park's 28.4 acres and an additional 2.9 acres in John Mullaly Park, with a number of ball fields, tennis and handball courts, a running track, and a soccer field being demolished. To remove a city park, the state Legislature must approve the measure, and in exchange, a park of equal size must be built in the same community. This means the Yankees and the city and state must locate a new park in the same South Bronx neighborhood and fund its creation, and the move must be approved by the state Legislature.

Officials say that using Yankee Stadium for Little League games could help offset the need to create some replacement parkland.

According to the Yankees plan, the city would build the new park and cover the estimated $50 million price tag, and the team would pay an annual maintenance fee for its upkeep.