Politics & Government

Queens A Big Part of Cuomo's Ambitious Plan

Gov. wants to build nation's largest convention center just miles from Forest Hills.

During his State of the State address on Wednesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo laid out an ambitious plan for New York — one that puts Queens front and center as an economic engine.

In one of the first bullet points of a sweeping address, Cuomo said he intends to create the nation’s largest convention center just miles away from Forest Hills.

“Convention centers are important generators of economic activity. New York needs a larger, state-of-the-art venue to be competitive for the largest tradeshows and conventions,” Cuomo said. “We are pursuing a joint venture with the Genting Organization, a gaming development company, to complete this vision at the It is a $4 billion private investment that will generate tens of thousands of jobs and economic activity that will ripple throughout the state.”

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The genesis of those ripples, Cuomo implied, will be jobs and money based in central Queens at the current site of the Aqueduct Racetrack.

State Sen. Joe Addabbo, D-Forest Hills, said he was excited by the idea, but urged the state to consider the possibilities carefully.

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“I am enthusiastic about the idea of a convention center at the Aqueduct Racetrack site, but I also believe we should proceed forward in a cautious manner,” Addabbo said. “I am an advocate for community input on this project and feel most people would want to see plans or drawings for the proposal.”

Addabbo couldn’t deny the impact that the proposed convention center would have on jobs, however.

“Given our current economic situation, I would certainly work toward creating the thousands of jobs and revenue to the city and state the convention center brings,” he added.

Cuomo’s vision wasn’t limited to Queens however. He urged the state to consider the legalization of casino gaming, and proposed a $2 billion infrastructure investment to create an “energy highway” that would help meet New York City’s power needs.

U.S. Rep. Bob Turner, R-Forest Hills, acknowledged the governor’s accomplishments this year, but cautioned that there is still a long way to go.

“While New York enjoys an unemployment rate below the national average, there are still plenty of things that must be done to get New Yorkers back to work including increasing incentives for companies to do business in the state and promoting tourism,” Turner said. “I look forward to working with the Governor and the Legislature to get New Yorkers back to work and our state back on track.”

For Cuomo, the action for the future was clear in his address.

“Together, we can make New York the strongest it has ever been. We can build the biggest convention center in the country. We can build a new energy system across our entire state,” he said. “We dream big and we act smart — because we know who we are, we are New York.”


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