Newsletter

Casino next to Citi Field in New York? Cohen Invites Community Discussion | Metropolis | Mets

[The Epoch Times, January 08, 2023](Epoch Times reporter Lin Yijun reported in New York) New York Mets (New York Mets) Steve Cohen (Steve Cohen) closed the door several times with stakeholders in Queens After the talks, on Saturday (7th), a vision symposium was held under the name of the project “New Green Willets” he established for the casino and surrounding development projects, and for the first time, community groups, leaders and the public were invited to walk Stop by Citi Field in Willets Point and meet him face-to-face to share his thoughts on the casino and surrounding development.

The “New Green Willie” vision symposium was not held in the meeting room, but in the rest area on the fifth floor of Citi Field, where Cohen himself interacted with the community and took photos, but he declined media interviews. The on-site display boards were covered with memos written by the public, which stated the community’s expectations for the casino and development projects, such as hotels, retail, housing or job opportunities.

On January 7, 2023, New York Mets head Steve Cohen (Steve Cohen) at the vision symposium at Citi Field. (Lin Yijun/The Epoch Times)

“One of the things that we do feel is very important is that there has to be entertainment and bring people in year-round. It’s really the only economically viable way to do all the things that we want to do with the space. “New Green Willie” spokeswoman Maria Comera said in an interview.

“We just learned about the ‘Request for Information’ (RFI) of the gaming license, which may not be successful, and you don’t know what will happen in two years, so we want to focus on thinking, and what other ways can we re-open? Envision the space,” Comeira said.

The vision symposium on the day was from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., and there were three sessions in total. Next, “New Green Willie” will hold 10 to 12 symposiums.

On January 7, 2023, New York Mets head Steve Cohen (Steve Cohen) held a vision symposium in Citi Field (Lin Yijun/The Epoch Times)
On January 7, 2023, Cohen, the head of the New York Metropolis, held a vision symposium, and the people’s memos were posted on the exhibition boards at the venue. (Lin Yijun/The Epoch Times)

“The key is behind the pitch (the car park), where there will be football pitches, housing and other event facilities. That’s what we’re talking about, it’s a huge, wide, underused car park space. So I think it’s (The symposium) is a great opportunity to engage the community,” said Thomas Gretch, president and CEO of the Queens Chamber of Commerce.

If the 50-acre vacant land around Citi Field is really used to build casinos and other development projects, what kind of impact will it bring to the local area? Greich cited Resorts World New York City as an example, saying the casino “benefits a lot of small and medium-sized businesses around it, and a lot of employees live nearby.”

In addition to job opportunities and crowds, Li Yanni, vice chairman of the executive committee of the Fushou Elderly Center, said that most of the center’s 17,000 members are low-income households, but the government stipulates that a bank account of 40,000 U.S. dollars can be used to purchase housing for the elderly. Therefore, she hopes that the casino development project will be successful. There are more elderly homes.

The 50 acres of vacant land that Cohn intends to use for the casino and other developments are primarily parking lots next to Citi Field — a site that dates back to the 1939 World’s Fair. During the Christmas season, the Amaze Light Festival is also held here.

On January 7, 2023, a Christmas light show is being held in the parking lot next to Citi Field in Queens, New York City. (Lin Yijun/The Epoch Times)

Since South Ozone Park (South Ozone Park, Queens, New York City) already has a long-established casino in Genting World, and the casino is expected to win one of the licenses this year to expand the casino equipment. If a casino is really built next to Citi Field, the distance between the two casinos is only about 20 minutes by car; if you use public transportation, it takes about 1 hour.

Therefore, although the symposium held by Cohen on the 7th was very friendly, the people of Queens had mixed reactions to the need for a second casino in the area.

Community media “QNS” reported on January 4 that Richard Hellenbrecht (Richard Hellenbrecht), founder of the “Flushing Meadows-Corona Park Conservancy” (Flushing Meadows-Corona Park Conservancy), referred to the The land is public green space, dissatisfied with Cohen’s casino and development.

“Yes, it’s paved and sometimes used as a parking space for events at Citi Field. But in fact, the paved space is just right for concerts, circuses, festivals, marathons, and other events that take place at the venue year-round. A popular public event at the park. For Cohen, to suggest that ‘idle asphalt’ is all there is to this place, or that it’s not being used as parkland, is deceptive and misleading — and just plain wrong.” Helen Brecht said.

The “Queens Chronicle” (Queens Chronicle) published an editorial titled “North Queens No Casino” on November 23 last year. The world generates taxes, but we don’t need more corruption.”

On January 7, 2023, people pass by Citi Field in Queens, New York City. (Lin Yijun/The Epoch Times)

The New York State Gaming Facility Location Board will issue three $500 million casino licenses this year, mainly to companies that create jobs, guarantee profits and allow minority and women-owned businesses to win contracts.

The winners of the 3 high-priced casino licenses are currently the most optimistic about Resorts World Genting and MGM’s Empire World Casino in Upstate New York. The remaining one was competed by five billionaires including Cohen. According to “Local Today”, its net worth and casino location fall respectively:

(1) Cohen, $12.8 billion, Citi Field, Queens.

(2) Stephen. Stephen Ross, $8.39 billion, Hudson Yards, Manhattan.

(3) Stefan. Stefan Soloviev, $4.4 billion, South End of the United Nations (UN) in Manhattan.

(4) John Catsimatidis, $4.1 billion, Coney Island, Brooklyn.

(5) Singer Jay Z, $1.5 billion, Times Square, Manhattan. ◇

Editor in charge: Li Yue

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Trending