A whole lot of individuals joined a protest aimed toward native elected officers Sunday afternoon after a Neighborhood Advisory Committee (CAC) unanimously voted in favor of the Metropolitan Park on line casino proposal final week.
Protesters gathered at Corona Plaza on Sunday, Oct. 5, holding indicators corresponding to “sold us out” and “casinos kill communities” to protest in opposition to the bold $8 billion proposal by Mets proprietor Steve Cohen and Arduous Rock Worldwide.
Picture: Ramy Mahmoud.
The challenge is certainly one of 4 developments chasing three downstate gaming licences set to be awarded by the State Gaming Fee this December. If permitted, it might remodel 50 acres of Citi Discipline parking zone right into a sprawling on line casino complicated that includes a 25-acre public park, new retailers and eating places, a Style of Queens meals corridor, and a full-scale redevelopment of the Mets-Willets Level subway station, together with enhancements to roads and bike paths.
The Metropolitan Park proposal has gone by way of rigorous public oversight ever since Cohen and Arduous Rock launched the proposal in November 2023.
Though the proposed improvement space is an asphalt parking zone, it was legally designated as metropolis parkland, that means the town wanted to approve zoning textual content and metropolis map amendments earlier than the challenge might proceed. The state legislature additionally wanted to approve parkland alienation laws reclassifying the positioning as industrial property.
Each homes of the legislature, together with the Metropolis Council, voted overwhelmingly in favor of the mandatory adjustments. All six related Neighborhood Boards additionally voted in favor of the challenge because the zoning textual content and metropolis map amendments made their manner by way of ULURP final 12 months.
All initiatives vying for a downstate license additionally required approval from a CAC, with 4 of the eight initiatives rejects by their related CAC, together with all three Manhattan-based proposals.
The Metropolitan Park CAC, nonetheless, voted unanimously in favor of the challenge, with Meeting Member Larinda Hooks, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and Council Member Francisco Moya voting in favor. Lin Zeng, appointed on behalf of Mayor Eric Adams, George Dixon, appointed by State Sen. Jessica Ramos, and Gov. Kathy Hochul appointee Gregory Anderson additionally voted in favor of Metropolitan Park.
Vows to ‘keep fighting’
That unanimous vote sparked anger amongst some members of the native Flushing and Corona group, prompting Sunday’s protest at Corona Plaza.
Picture: Ramy Mahmoud.
The protest, organized by employee advocacy non-profit Flushing Employees Middle, heard issues from group members in regards to the potential impacts {that a} on line casino would have on the world.
Protesters additionally vowed to “keep fighting” to forestall “public land” from being transferred into the fingers of Cohen and Arduous Rock.
One lady, who didn’t present her title to QNS, alleged that the Metropolitan Park CAC “only wanted to hear from Cohen” and additional alleged that no CAC members listened to members of the local people.
Picture: Ramy Mahmoud.
Protesters additionally accused the CAC of shutting down a listening to on Metropolitan Park to forestall opponents to the challenge from voicing their issues.
A consultant for Flushing Employees Middle alleged that the CAC was “stifling” the voices of the local people by greenlighting the Metropolitan Park challenge.
One man at Sunday’s protest, who additionally didn’t present his title, described the Metropolitan Park proposal as a “design for land without its people.”
He predicted {that a} on line casino would result in the displacement of poor and working-class residents from the neighborhood and mentioned the group “does not need” a on line casino.
“Steve Cohen and his cronies do not care about Corona or public life, our ways to make culture or the ways that we love and protect each other,” the protester mentioned. “They do not care, and we should not believe their lies. We don’t need any of this, and we need to unite in open resistance and non collaboration with these forces.”
He added that native residents have beforehand been impacted by different “big flashy displacement projects” previously.
“Cohen’s project is not an isolated moment,” he added.
Picture: Ramy Mahmoud.
A ‘home run’ for Queens
Metropolitan Park spokesperson Karl Rickett pushed again in opposition to the protests, noting that the proposal has acquired help from six group boards in addition to metropolis and state officers.
“With approval by six out of six community boards, the City Council, the State Legislature and unanimous support from the Community Advisory Committee, it’s clear the community stands behind Metropolitan Park,” Rickett mentioned in a press release.
Protesters, nonetheless, accused group boards of giving further talking time to supporters of the challenge and alleged that the method was “manipulated.”
In the meantime, elected officers and group teams have touted the potential advantages of the Metropolitan Park proposal, pointing to 23,000 union jobs and $1 billion in group advantages.
Talking after final week’s CAC vote, Richards mentioned he had voted in favor of the challenge partially due to the “outreach and respect” that the Metropolitan Park group had proven the local people. He mentioned such outreach set Metropolitan Park other than earlier failed initiatives corresponding to Amazon’s shelved HQ2 challenge in Lengthy Island Metropolis.
“They literally went to every corner of this earth to make sure that they spoke to everybody,” Richards mentioned after Tuesday’s CAC vote. “I think what made this plan much different than a lot of larger economic development projects is they listened first. They didn’t come into queens and just shove a plan down our throat.”
Requested if he was involved if the Metropolitan Park improvement would appeal to “problem gambling” to the group, Richards mentioned the challenge could have a lot of safeguards on-site, together with habit companies. Nonetheless, Richards believes elected officers have a duty to repeatedly monitor issues if the Metropolitan Park challenge involves fruition.
“I think we have an obligation to make sure that we’re keeping our eyes and ears open,” he added.
Richards believes that most of the individuals who have raised opposition or issues in regards to the challenge would be the ones “taking advantage” of the hundreds of union jobs that Metropolitan Park brings to Queens.
“This community was hit extremely hard during the pandemic,” Richards mentioned. “We have an opportunity to now put 20,000 people and beyond to work.”
He described the vote as a “home run” for Queens, including that the borough has “hit the jackpot” with the Metropolitan Park improvement.
Moya, alternatively, mentioned Metropolitan Park can be an “added benefit” for the local people and mentioned the continuing improvement of a brand new soccer-specific stadium at Willets Level would make the world a “destination.”
“We’re going to see job creation there,” Moya mentioned. “It’s going to be a destination for people to come to, not just the sports, but also entertainment. And I think this is really great for the borough of Queens. I feel that this is really the step forward.”
Like Richards, Moya mentioned he believed Metropolitan Park has succeeded the place different initiatives have failed as a result of it included grassroots help from members of the local people. He added that almost all of the opposition to Metropolitan Park has come from “outside the district” and insisted that he has an obligation to hearken to the views of his constituents first.
Tom Grech, president and CEO of the Queens Chamber of Commerce, mentioned the proposal wouldn’t solely ship 23,000 jobs to the world but in addition careers.
“It’s opportunities for people to get out of that notion of not having generational wealth and get into careers, benefits and opportunities for themselves and their family to really grow,” Grech mentioned.
There may be “no question” that Metropolitan Park, alongside Citi Discipline, the USTA and the brand new soccer stadium, can be a “big boon” for tourism in part of Queens that’s usually uncared for by worldwide guests, Grech added.
