MTA Aims To Close Soho Basketball Courts For Years

SOHO, NY — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority aims to temporarily close the Grand Canal basketball courts in Soho to build underground infrastructure. State senator Brian Kavanagh has drafted legislation that allows the MTA to permanently use land underneath the park for an electrical substation and temporarily repurpose the courts as a staging area during the construction, officials said.

The space, run by the Parks Department, on the corner of Thompson Street and Sixth Avenue could be closed for up to 45 months — or nearly four years — during the construction. The upgrades seek to improve train service running along Eighth Avenue.

But even a temporary loss of one of the few places to shoot hoops in Soho will be felt by the community, said one Grand Canal Court regular.

"People come here all the time after school and there's never enough space to begin with," said Chelsea resident Andy Lui, 18, a senior at Chelsea Career and Technical Education High School three blocks from the courts. "If anything they need to add more courts, not take them away. It will just make it harder for people to play."

A state “alienation” is required to repurpose the courts since the land will be used as something other than a park, officials said. The bill is expected to pass before the end of the current legislative session on June 20. The City Council would also have to sign off on the plan before shovels hit the ground.

If the proposal moves forward, the city will be required to offer comparable space for the community while the courts are out of commission, according to Kavanagh's office. But some ball players fear that construction delays could stretch the timeline and leave the courts closed for years longer.

"The MTA doesn't have the greatest track record right now," said Soho resident Brian Larson, 27, who frequents the courts. "Temporary doesn't always mean temporary."

But Kavanagh's office emphasized that the courts will return to the community as soon as possible.

"This is a temporary alienation — in the long-term, there will be no loss of park land — that allows the MTA to make critical infrastructure upgrades," said Jack Sterne, a spokesman for Kavanagh's office.

The MTA did not return requests for comment.

Photo credit: Caroline Spivack/Patch