The Real Deal New York

One day before delivering a State of the State address that focused on building a new convention center in Queens, Governor Andrew Cuomo quietly entered a nonbonding agreement with the Genting Group to build a Queens center that includes an expansion of the gambling already present at Aqueduct, the Wall Street Journal reported. Meanwhile, Hell’s Kitchen residents are already pushing a housing and parkland plan to replace the Javits Center, DNAinfo said.

According to the nonbonding agreement, Genting and the state would include convention and exhibition space, hotel and parking space and an expansion to the existing video gambling terminal at Resorts World New York in the Queens convention center project.

Though Genting said the $4 billion convention center it intends to build is “not predicated” on New York legalizing gambling, the firm would only commit to constructing the 2.6 million-square-foot first phase of the project until a gambling resolution is reached – likely not until at least late 2013. Genting hopes to complete construction on the first phase in 2014, and if a casino expansion is approved, Genting would add another 1.2 million square feet and up to 3,000 hotel rooms to the project.

While there are still many hurdles to clear in the deal – for example, construction lending is still tight, there are still some significant planning details that need to be finalized and Genting is still in negotiations to lower the tax rate on gambling revenues – residents of the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood where the city’s current convention center is located are already planning for life after the 845,000-square-foot Javits Center.

DNAinfo reported that the Hell’s Kitchen Neighborhood Alliance wants park space and housing to replace the behemoth building and to reopen West 35th through West 39th streets. The community also wants to redevelop their Hudson River Park in the area near the Javits Center, which some described as “really inadequate.”

“We look forward to working with the governor and his agencies to develop this 18-acre site with genuinely affordable housing and an expanded Hudson River Park,” said Kathleen Treat, head of the Hell’s Kitchen Neighborhood Association. [WSJ] and [DNAinfo]