Tuesday, May 28, 2024
Year : 2, Issue: 22
New York state Sen. Jessica Ramos says she will formally announce on Tuesday her rejection of a proposed casino and entertainment complex in her Queens district, after months of hinted-at opposition.
“After three town halls, a poll, a survey and I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had around the district, I’ve concluded that the vast majority of our neighbors would not welcome a casino in our backyard,” Ramos, a Democrat, said in an interview ahead of her planned announcement at a press conference in Albany.
The state senator’s approval was needed for what’s known as the alienation of parkland near Citi Field, where the project has been proposed. The legal step is required for commercial development at the site, according to Ramos’ office and other lawmakers involved in the process.
New York Mets owner Steve Cohen said the $8 billion project, dubbed Metropolitan Park, would be a boon to the surrounding communities through a combination of gaming, hotels, restaurants and entertainment venues. But Ramos disagreed, pointing to a poll she commissioned that found a majority of constituents did not want a casino anywhere in Queens. The survey by Slingshot Strategies found that 61% said they would not want a full casino in Queens and 75% said they opposed building one in their own neighborhood.
“We deserve to have this project, we deserve 24,000 union jobs,” said Aaliyah Scott, a student who spoke at a May 13 rally in Jackson Heights organized by the Coalition for Queens Advancement. “Jessica [Ramos], we are calling out to you. We love you, but we need your help and without you this cannot go through.”
Ramos dismissed these appeals as largely coming from “paid canvassers.”
On May 20, three elected officials — Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, state Assemblymember Jeffrion Aubry and City Councilmember Francisco Moya — wrote a letter urging her to sign off on the project. The officials all sit on the project’s six-member Community Advisory Committee, along with Ramos.
Source: Gothamist
