Public Park Land Grab?
Billionaire Looking to Privatize Queens Parkland?
Bill Pending in Albany Would Enable it
May 10, 2023 / Queens Neighborhoods / Queens Real Estate / News Analysis & Opinion / Queens Buzz.
NYS Assemblymember Jeffrion Aubrey has sponsored a bill to allow a billionaire to build a casino on Queens parkland. Why can't the billionaire buy his own land to build the casino? And why has Aubrey supported this public park land grab?
Click here to read the OpEd by the President of a local non-profit explaining the situation - scroll down to May 9, 2023. Billionaire Steve Cohen appears to be making bid to essentially privatize Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens.
- CLICK here to directly to the OpEd on Billionaire Steve Cohen Mets Owner Making a Public Park Land Grab with the help of Jeffrion Aubrey?
Queens OpEds & Opinions Queens NYC
The Jackson Heights Beautification Group (JHBG) opposes legislation to alienate parkland in Flushing Meadows Corona Park
A bill that would allow Mets owner, Steve Cohen, to build a casino in the parking lot of Citi Field is before the NYS Assembly. Though the parking lot has been paved over for decades, its 50 acres are official New York City parkland. If the legislation were to pass, “alienating” or decertifying its status as parkland, it would never again be available as parkland to future generations.
The borough of Queens already suffers from a shortage of parkland, we rank fourth out of the five boroughs. Removing park status from this land and allowing its development would be a terrible mistake, forever depriving residents of something in too short a supply—a place for recreation and to enjoy nature.
We wish Steve Cohen and the Mets well in their baseball endeavors, but considering the above the Jackson Heights Beautification Group’s Board of Directors approved the following resolution.
The JHBG strongly opposes the alienation of parkland, particularly in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, which for too long has been the destination for the endless series of sports and business proposals that have no place in a public park.
These developments would never be acceptable in Central Park, Prospect Park, or Van Cortlandt Park, but are deemed acceptable for Queens’ premier park.
It is time to say no to this loss of our public park space. We agree with the Queens Civic Congress, the Flushing Bay Guardians and other organizations and stand opposed to the bill introduced in the New York State Assembly as A5688. Link to the proposed bill https://outlook.office.com/mail/inbox/id/AAMkAGRhNDNmNjkxLT...
It is imperative that you share your opinion on the alienation of Queens parkland with our elected officials:
NYS Assemblyperson Jefrion Aubry - aubryj@nyassembly.gov
718 457 3615
NYS Senator Jessica Ramos - ramos@nysenate.gov
718 205 3881
City Councilmember Shekar Krishnan - mailto:skrishnan@council.nyc.gov
718 809 6373
City Councilmember Francisco Moya - mailto:fmoya@council.nyc.gov
718 651 1917
NYS Assemblyperson Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas - mailto:gonzalezroj@nyassembly.com
718 457 0384
NYS Assemblyperson Catalina Cruz - ccruz@nyassembly.gov
718 458 5367
Leslie Ellman
JHBG President
May 9, 2023