THE New York Jets have never had their own stadium – and it seems like the NFL team never will.
Since being founded in 1960, the Jets have been tenants at the Polo Grounds, Shea Stadium, Giants Stadium and, currently, MetLife Stadium.
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But in the early 2000s, the Jets had plans to move into their own $1.2billion retractable-domed stadium on Manhattan’s West Side.
West Side Stadium, as it was called, was designed to host the 2012 Summer Olympics, conventions and rock concerts, as well as the Jets.
The 80,000-seater venue was part of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plans to develop a barren part of Manhattan, which would have included an extension of the No. 7 train, an expansion of the Javits Center and creation of new office space.
But after years of debate, the expansive $2.2billion property development was axed by New York lawmakers in 2005, ending the city's chances of hosting the 2012 Olympics.
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Many stakeholders felt the project clashed with plans to redevelop Lower Manhattan in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
A number of nearby businesses also argued that the stadium would negatively affect their livelihoods, including Cablevision which owned Madison Square Garden.
"Am I supposed to turn my back on Lower Manhattan as it struggles to recover?" New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said.
"For what? A stadium? For the hope of bringing the Olympics to New York City?"
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Bloomberg was rocked by the rejection of the stadium, which he said would have created thousands of new jobs, new tax revenues and a new commercial district.
"This delay will be measured in years, not months," Bloomberg said.
The decision meant that neither of New York's NFL teams – the Giants and the Jets – would play in the state of New York.
They are now based in New Jersey at MetLife Stadium, with no plans to move elsewhere.
"It would have been nice to have the New York Jets play in New York," said Scott Schiamberg, the lead architect for New York City's Olympic bid.
"It would have been nice to have the Olympics there."
Even though the Jets stadium was not built, the plans drastically sped up rejuvenation of a neglected neighborhood.
The West Side area is now known as Hudson Yards, a high-end development which contains private residences, retail units, office buildings, a mall, and public spaces.
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"In the end New York City didn't win the Olympics, but the city got a lot of benefits," Schiamberg said.
"This perhaps would have happened anyway, but it might have taken 50 years instead of 10 years."
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