“Place your bets… the ball is rolling,” is one of the phrases that promoters of the construction of a casino in Queens hope to hear soon in the Big Apple, if the project to build a gambling complex in the county finally sees the light. The so-called Metropolitan Park proposal would be built in the parking lots around Citi Field and would create, in addition to the playground, a 25-acre park, a live music area, hotels and a food hall with Queens vendors.
And although sponsors of the project, headed by Steve Cohen, owner of the Mets baseball team, are still committed body and soul to trying to convince New Yorkers that the Citi Field Casino will not only bring a lot of fun to the city, but also millionaires. investments for the Queens community, the push does not seem to resonate with residents and leaders of the neighborhoods surrounding Citi Field. The promise of $1 billion in “community benefits,” of which $480 million would be used to improve the 7 train and LIRR stations in Mets-Willets Point, as well as many other resources for community organizations, have not done sounding the music of the winner’s machines and support for the plan seems very far away.
This was revealed by a survey conducted by the consulting firm Slingshot Strategies, the cost of which was paid by a donor to state senator Jessica Ramos, and whose identity was not revealed by the Queens political leader. The legislator, who must support the project so that it can move forward, said that she conducted the survey among members of the communities near the Mets stadium, where the casino is planned to be built, because she wanted to hear more clearly what her neighbors have to say. on the Metropolitan Park project, which would cost $8,000 million.
The survey showed overwhelming opposition to the casino project, with 75% saying they did not want such a site in their neighborhood and 61% saying they would not like to see a gambling complex anywhere in Queens.
The poll was conducted among 432 registered voters living in State Senate District 13, which includes the neighborhoods of East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, Corona, Elmhurst, Woodside and Astoria. 35% of those who responded to the questionnaire identified as Hispanic, 24% as Asian, 22% as white, and 12% as black or African American.
“I always had doubts about how they buried the word ‘casino’ in their scripts, in their written propaganda; I was really desperate to be transparent and hear directly from my neighbors,” said Senator Ramos. “This is a momentous decision and I want to be able to have all the information I can.”
Community leaders such as Nabil Ahmed Khatri, from the Muslim Center of New York, warned that the voice of the residents of Queens has been clear in showing their rejection of the casino plan, and with 84% support they showed that instead of that initiative They prefer an alternative project, called Phoenix Meadows, that would create an elevated park. “Senator Ramos’ survey confirms what we have known all along: most people do not want a casino in their neighborhood because of its exploitative and harmful effects on the community,” she said.
Despite the data revealed by the survey, the casino promoters affirm that in their outreach efforts to the community about the initiative, in which they have visited more than 20,000 residences in the area, 89% showed support for the project, as did a survey last year that revealed that 78% want the gaming complex to go up. They also assure that the project includes the comments received throughout “hundreds of meetings and thousands of conversations.”
“It is clear that the community overwhelmingly supports the vision and the 15,000 good-paying union jobs, 20 acres of new park space and $1 billion in community benefits that come with it,” said project spokesman Karl Rickett.
The casino in the area surrounding the Mets stadium in Queens is just one of nine casino proposals throughout New York City, including one in Times Square, another above Saks Fifth Avenue and one in Coney Island.
Data
- 75% of Queens respondents do not want a casino in that county
- Metropolitan Park would have a casino, 25-acre park, live music area, hotels and a food hall
- $1 billion in “community benefits” project promoters promise
- $480 million would be used to upgrade the 7 train and LIRR stations at Mets-Willets Point
- $8,000 million is the total cost of the project
- 15,000 well-paying union jobs they say the plan would generate