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June 20, 2024 By John J. Ciafone, Esq.
A few years ago, Long Island City won a national competition to house the corporate headquarters of Amazon. Amazon promised tens of thousands of jobs, from technical employment for workers to local student graduates, deliverers, contractors, laborers, construction union jobs, Porters and Superintendents. Also, not to mention the economic boom in Queens, New York City, and the boost to small businesses in the area, including housing, restaurants, bars, cafes, hair salons, laundromats and livery cabs. The plans were for a new public school, parks and upgrades for public transportation, sewer and electric systems.
However, an array of politicians, whose arrogance matched their ignorance, all but killed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. They failed to realize that the tax credits would come back a hundredfold over the next generations.
Now, we are in the midst of another opportunity for western, northern and eastern Queens by developers, who are promising an $8 billion investment, and unfortunately, again, we are seeing the same elected officials in the area either attempt to kill or fail to have the courage to support Metropolitan Park, near Citi Field.
Again, this will create thousands of permanent union jobs, create parklands, green spaces, bike lanes and athletic fields, improve transportation and include entertainment, concert and food venues, which is much better than the current eyesore of dilapidated buildings and asphalt parking lots.
While we really don’t need another gambling facility, the State will grant a license to a venue in Queens, and why not make it in our area? This would have a net gain in improving the lives of residents and businesses in Queens.
Hopefully, we have all learned a lesson from this. Let’s not have another Amazon disaster in our borough.
*John J. Ciafone, Esq. is an award-winning Attorney with practices in NY, NJ and Washington DC and was awarded the NYC Health and Hospital Healthcare Hero Award for his volunteering as an EMT during COVID-19 at Elmhurst – the epicenter of the disaster.
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10 Comments
For sure, let’s add an (already-scarce) resources-consuming, inherently exploitative business to a crammed area of Queens for the sake of unions, and low paying jobs, so that a billionaire can make more billions and gets a tax break.
lets talk about a disaster
Maybe you could do something with the now abandoned movie theater you bought in Sunnyside, 10 years of nothing except eye sores and broken promises. 2 developments have similar size of gone up in the last 18 months. What kind of property developer buys property to not develop it? If your short of funds or initiative, sell it and let someone else do the work.
John J. Ciafone
Why are you pulling your punches? Your euphemism “an array of politicians” is a real P move. Why aren’t you naming names? It was AOC* that whacked the Amazon corporate headquarters plan. As for what was to be Metropolitan Park you timidly blame “…elected officials”. It’s Jessica Ramos that is blocking this development.
If you’re to soapbox then speak up. Use their names, don’t cop-out. These two are up for re-election and Queens Post should know exactly who you are referring to.
I wouldn’t want you as my lawyer in any legal matter.
*Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
and AOC was just voted back in. you all deserve this.
Leave it to the gang of socialist progressives. They will do it!
and if one gets voted out, another progressive takes their place. the garbage just gets regurgitated.
Say NO to casinos in our backyard. There are no opportunities created by businesses meant to leech off the uninformed.
too late for that. people voted for the crime that comes with the casinos. enjoy!
too late for that. AOC and the progressives would prefer to bring crime from casinos than jobs from Amazon. good job voting them back in everyone! well done.
Metropolitan Park doesn’t compare to the Amazon LIC proposal. Beside the casino, a key concern is that Citi Field and the parking lots where Metropolitian Park will be built is officially public park land and is a part of Flushing Meadow park. Citi Field only has a special permission lease on the land. We should not give permenantly give away public park land for free to enrich private developers, including Steve Cohen (Mets owner) who is the main supporter of Metropolitian Park.
Public parks are a valuable and hard to difficult to replace resource. If Steve Cohen wants to help the community, he can start by building a parking garage for Citi Field and returning some of the parking lots to become a park/playground for the nearby neighborhood.