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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Melissa Zavala, Member of the Public
2:32:06
ยท
130 sec
Melissa Zavala, a resident of Jackson Heights, Queens, expressed strong opposition to the Queen's Future/Metropolitan Park proposal. She raised concerns about environmental issues, skepticism about the project's promises, and advocated for alternative community-driven plans.
- Highlighted the risk of sinking due to the area being a wetland
- Expressed skepticism about the numerous promises made by the developers
- Suggested using city funds to build a resilience-enhancing park without a casino or luxury amenities
- Called for support of public land in Flushing Meadows Park and urged council members to vote against the proposal
Melissa Zavala
2:32:06
For this opportunity to speak.
2:32:08
I I could reiterate some of the really important points that, others have already made, but I'm going to try to just succinctly summarize my opposition to this.
2:32:18
I'm a not entirely lifelong resident of Jackson Heights, but certainly of Queens, and I am in strong opposition to this plan on several fronts.
2:32:30
Mainly, the the point that miss Roman was just making about the area sinking, it's after all the wetland, and it continues to behave as such, and it will do so especially if very heavy infrastructure is added to it.
2:32:45
So that alone is a real issue for concern, not to mention the fact that really on the surface, if you for all those people who cannot believe that would be opposition to this once in a lifetime, project, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is as the saying goes.
2:33:03
Right?
2:33:03
And this sounds like a lot of pie in the sky.
2:33:06
You have everything from ADA compliance, that hasn't been able that the city hasn't been able to achieve so far to park for disabled people.
2:33:16
Every single thing that anybody wants is there.
2:33:19
What else can Sully and Cohen promise us?
2:33:22
It's alarming actually that that all of these things would be added and then, that we would all believe that this is going to happen.
2:33:31
We know that corporations don't have the same aims as people.
2:33:35
We can build a project like this or not with without the casino, without the hotel and the luxury and all of that.
2:33:42
We can build a park that would enhance our resilience using city money.
2:33:47
We can, we can we can plan this.
2:33:49
The guardians of Flushing Bay and the Fed Up Coalition have already been doing some of this work, and the communities approve of these of these proposed plans.
2:33:57
We can find the money.
2:33:59
If we are underfunding parks, making parks have to rally for 1% of the city budget every single year.
2:34:06
It's no wonder that the pier is in
UNKNOWN
2:34:08
this city.
2:34:08
Thank you.
2:34:09
Time's expired.
Melissa Zavala
2:34:10
Okay.
2:34:11
Thank you.
2:34:11
So I just want you to please vote against this and support the public land that is Fushy Meadows Park.