Belmont casino: still in the cards?

    A new plan to build a convention center at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, announced by Gov. Andrew Cuomo last week, has some local residents and business owners worried.
    The proposal, which Cuomo raised in his State of the State speech on Jan. 4, could include an expansion of Aqueduct’s gaming facility — the Resorts World Casino-New York, which opened last October — which would likely have an impact on a months-long plan to build a casino at Belmont Park.
    The Belmont facility would be designed and constructed by Detroit-based casino developer Michael Malik and operated by the Shinnecock Indian Nation, and its plans have generated wide support from Elmont leaders and the community.
    Cuomo said last week that New York state was working on a joint venture with the Genting Organization, the largest casino operator in the United Kingdom, which currently operates Aqueduct’s Resorts World Casino and several resorts in Asia. According to Cuomo’s plan, Genting would build a $4 billion convention center at Aqueduct that would effectively replace the Jacob Javits Convention Center in Manhattan.
    “Convention centers are important generators of economic activity,” Cuomo said on Jan. 4. “New York needs a larger, state-of-the-art venue to be competitive for the largest trade shows and conventions. The Jacob Javits Convention Center on Manhattan’s West Side is obsolete, and not large enough to be a top-tier competitor in today’s marketplace.”

    He said that the Javits Center is ranked 12th in size nationwide. Cuomo added that given New York’s status as an international tourist destination — tourists spent $50 billion in New York state in 2010 — it should have a larger convention venue. “We know that if we build it,” he said, “they will come.”
    According to Cuomo, the new center would be the largest in the nation, at 3.8 million square feet. Although he did not say that a casino would be part of the Aqueduct plan, construction of a convention center could expand the Resorts World Casino, which is currently limited to slot machines, electronic table games and video lottery terminals.
    State Sen. Jack Martins (R-Mineola), who has long supported the Belmont casino plan, said he believes Cuomo’s plan has made a Belmont casino less likely, but regardless of what happens at Belmont, he believes that political leaders need to work together to provide much-needed economic development opportunities at Belmont and along the Hempstead Turnpike corridor.
    “What we must keep in mind is that any casino option would take years to come to fruition,” Martins said. “Why should Elmont have to wait for job creation and economic development? They shouldn’t ... I hope Governor Cuomo will join me with the same exactness and fervor with developing Belmont as he has with Aqueduct.”
    State Assemblyman Ed Ra (R-Franklin Square) said that he thinks Cuomo’s plan is ambitious, and agrees with its emphasis on the need for economic development throughout the state. If the convention center is combined with expanding gaming at Aqueduct, however, Ra said, it would likely harm Belmont’s plans, given the tracks’ relatively close proximity.
    “With that said, there are many other avenues of development that can be pursued at the Belmont site, including an outlet mall, a corporate park or sports facilities,” he added.
    Carl Achille, owner of The Shop on Hempstead Turnpike in Elmont, near Belmont, said he believes the Belmont casino plans are extremely important to the community’s economy. “We have been blessed with our great regional positioning, and for those that are unaware, Elmont is situated between two airports, numerous highways, and unused train platforms within Belmont Park,” Achille said. “It’s unfortunate that Long Island was barely mentioned during the State of the State address ... people want to know what is being done to lower taxes, to keep small businesses in business and rebuild our community. Because, as we all can see, Elmont is hurting.”
    Pat Nicolosi, president of the East End Civic Association, said he believes a casino at Belmont is now out of the question. “Our only hope now is for the Shinnecock Indian Nation to fight for their right to build here, or we make enough noise to refocus efforts here in Elmont,” he said. “The economy is still bad, and that works in our favor. People want and need jobs.”
    Nicolosi added that he does not blame Cuomo for the potential effect the plan for Aqueduct could have on the future of a casino at Belmont, but instead he believes that local leaders could have done more in 2011 to make Belmont’s plans a priority.
    But Sam Schneider, an Elmont resident, had a different view. “[I’m] very disappointed with Cuomo on this,” Schneider said. “What name has more credibility around the world, Aqueduct or Belmont? Write your governor, folks, and tell him ‘no’ to Aqueduct and ‘yes’ to revitalizing Belmont.”
    According to Dan Silver, a spokesman for the New York Racing Association, NYRA has not yet seen any plans for the Aqueduct convention center.