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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Renee Keitt, Resident Association President of Elliott Chelsea Houses
3:17:42
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115 sec
Renee Keitt, representing Elliott Chelsea Houses, strongly opposes the proposed casino development in Hudson Yards. She argues that the project does not address the community's real needs and criticizes the developers' promises as empty and profit-driven.
- Keitt challenges the job creation argument, stating that construction jobs would come regardless of the casino
- She criticizes Hudson Yards as exclusive and not beneficial to the existing community
- Keitt calls for real, deeply affordable housing, public housing, parks, schools, and cultural spaces instead of casinos
Renee Keitt
3:17:42
I'm here.
3:17:43
I'm just getting it up.
3:17:45
Okay.
3:17:47
My name is Renee Keat.
3:17:48
I'm the resident association president of the Elliott Chelsea Houses.
3:17:52
Much has been made about the jobs this proposed casino would supposedly create.
3:17:56
But when you look closer, that argument falls apart.
3:18:00
The developers have already admitted that they plan to build over the rail yards with or without this casino.
3:18:05
Construction jobs are already coming.
3:18:08
We don't have to sell out our community for promises they were going to fulfill anyway.
3:18:13
The reality is the plans they are pushing do not reflect our community's real needs.
3:18:17
It is an outrage.
3:18:18
Hudson Yards is not inclusive.
3:18:20
It is exclusive.
3:18:21
It's a new neighborhood, but not built for the existing community, but for the tourists and the wealthy.
3:18:27
And while the luxury towers up went, the residents have been left behind.
3:18:31
Meanwhile, we've been paying their bills through tax breaks and public subsidies.
3:18:35
And right now, we see how misplaced priorities are.
3:18:38
The Manhattan Schoolhouse plays on our grounds of the Elliott Chelsea houses, not in Hudson Yards.
3:18:44
They benefit from our space while our resident needs continue to be ignored.
3:18:48
Developers keep making empty promises.
3:18:50
They are willing to throw in 4,000 more units just to sweeten the deal to win a casino license, not because they care about it for housing, but because they care about profits.
3:18:59
When are we going to stop begging?
3:19:01
When are we finally going to hold developers accountable?
3:19:04
We don't need more fake affordable housing that no one here can actually afford.
3:19:08
We need real, deeply affordable housing, public housing.
3:19:12
We need parks, schools, cultural spaces, and investment in our community, not casinos and broken promises.
3:19:18
For months, developers have been trying to exact consent from our communities, dangling promise to swimming pools, jobs, and schools, but their true priority has always been profit.
3:19:27
Enough is enough.
3:19:29
We urge the city council to vote no on this application.
3:19:32
Stand with the people who live here, not the billionaires and the tourists they cater to.
3:19:36
Thank you.