New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his vision to build the nation’s largest convention center at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens during his State of the State address. Today, the New York Daily News reported that the Cuomo administration has signed a letter of agreement for the project with the operator of the Aqueduct racino, Genting New York. Under the terms of the agreement, the Malaysian-headquartered firm pledges $4 billion to build country's largest convention center.

The new 3.8 million-square-foot convention facility will replace the 842,000-square-foot Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan. The convention center plan dovetails with what is expected to be another key part of the governor’s plan to revitalize the city’s economy: legalizing casino gambling to create new revenue for the state. Cuomo predicts that the new development will add 3,000 hotel rooms and generate tens of thousands of jobs. In his address, Cuomo stated that with the new facility New York State would jump from having the 12th largest convention center in the country to having the largest. 

Now here's my take on this from Forum Publishing Company... WHO is going to be using this new convention center? New York just spent a zillion dollars expanding the Javits Center and most days the site sits unoccupied because there are just not all that many trade shows being done any more. And this is not just in New York - most cities have seen their trade show attendance decline. Lest we forget that they want to put this new center in Queens. Queens is a great place, but the racetrack is very inaccessible by public transportation. Another crazy idea from government who wants to spend on everything but the right things!