The City Decides on Casinos and the Fate of an Upper West Side Church

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Janae Pierre: New York City officials decide on casinos and the fate of an Upper West Side church. From WNYC, this is NYC Now. I'm Janae Pierre. A Code Blue is currently underway in Essex County, New Jersey, as wintry weather and below-freezing temperatures hit the region. Essex County officials say the order will be in effect from 8:00 at night until 8:00 in the morning every day for the next week. Newark, East Orange, and Irvington have all opened emergency shelters and warming stations to help residents escape the cold weather. The city of Newark is also implementing its own Code Blue. Officials there say shelters will be open for extended hours during the advisory. Street outreach teams will be working to connect homeless residents with shelters and warming stations.

Nearly half of all Americans report having dealt with porch pirates. You know, people who steal packages off their doorsteps. Now, New Jersey Congressmember Josh Gottheimer is introducing bipartisan legislation to make it a federal crime to mess with any mail.

Josh Gottheimer: All those kids who want those packages and the gifts and the toys, there's literally a Grinch that's tearing through neighborhoods. He doesn't just do it on Christmas, but he's doing it all year round.

Janae Pierre: Now, New Jersey Congressmember Josh Gottheimer is introducing bipartisan legislation to make it a federal crime to mess with any mail. Gottheimer's bill would increase fines and jail time for convicted package thieves while making it easier for federal law enforcement to work with local police. Over 100 million deliveries were snatched over the past 12 months. That's down from record highs in 2023.

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On yesterday's episode, we mentioned that New York City is now even closer to seeing three new casinos. A state-appointed board recommended that one casino be permitted in the Bronx and two in Queens. The location board found that all three casinos can create new jobs for New Yorkers and generate $13 billion in tax revenue over 10 years.

Male Speaker: They did concede, also, that there is a big downside to new casinos: problem gambling, gambling addiction. Overall, the board said the benefits of gaming far outweigh the liabilities and that the revenue's going to go to help fund public schools and transportation when the state really needs these revenues.

Janae Pierre: WNYC's Arun Venugopal was in the room when the recommendation was made. There was an outburst from demonstrators sitting right by him.

Female Speaker: -and Resorts World New York City.

Demonstrator: Shame on you.

Demonstrators: Shame on you. Shame on you. Shame on you.

Janae Pierre: Arun says the board considered the risk of having three casinos in the same city, but concluded that the market in New York is big enough for everyone to get a piece of the pie.

Arun Venugopal: In part because there's a lot of disposable money, a lot of rich people around, and there's domestic tourism, and of course, international tourism as well, that they think they can count on.

Janae Pierre: Also, the board thinks the casinos are different enough from each other. The one in the Bronx, for example, will have a golf course, while the other two won't. New Yorkers have protested and pushed back throughout this process, some out of moral opposition to casinos and others who are worried that these will create gambling addictions or hurt existing businesses. On the other hand, Arun says many elected officials are excited.

Arun Venugopal: Including Governor Kathy Hochul, Mayor Eric Adams, also the New York Building Congress, because this is going to mean thousands of union construction jobs.

Janae Pierre: The board's recommendations are heading to the state's gaming commission in a couple of weeks, where they could still be rejected, but if all three are approved?

Arun Venugopal: We could see a newly expanded Resorts World in Queens by next year, followed by a couple of other casinos up and running by 2030.

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Janae Pierre: That's WNYC's Arun Venugopal.

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Janae Pierre: Up next, the church says 'love your neighbor'. Well, for some Upper West Siders like actress Scarlett Johansson, their neighbor is the church. More on that after the break.

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Janae Pierre: The future of a historic, crumbling church building on the Upper West Side will be determined next week. WNYC's Hayden Betts reports on a preservation fight that's pitting celebrities against a Presbyterian congregation.

Hayden Betts: New York City community board meetings usually don't feature much star power, but last month, people craned their necks to see Academy Award-nominated actor Matt Dillon speak up for the preservation of West Park Presbyterian Church.

Matt Dillon: It would be a shame, I think, to demolish this landmark building, which is an important structure to the Upper West Side.

Hayden Betts: A-listers like Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, and Alec Baldwin also want to save the 19th-century Romanesque Revival structure as a venue for young artists. The congregation says maintaining the landmark church has become a money pit that's hindering social justice work they do in the community. Here's longtime congregant Marsha Flowers.

Marsha Flowers: People do not come to church to manage real estate.

Hayden Betts: I took a tour of the building with Roger Leaf, who works for the church. There's a sidewalk shed outside to keep chunks of the exterior from falling on people. A corner of the church is stuffed with rags to soak up water that leaks in.

Roger Leaf: Now, this whole area here is not open to the public. The fire department has closed this off.

Hayden Betts: The congregation says it can't even afford a pastor and hasn't held service in the building since before the pandemic. They want to sign a $50 million deal with a developer who would knock down the church and build a luxury apartment building on the site, but to do that, they'll have to get the city to strip the church of its landmark status. It would be a rare move. Only 13 other properties have been de-landmarked by the city. Debby Hirshman runs an arts group evicted from the church.

Debby Hirshman: People use the words 'demolition by neglect'.

Hayden Betts: She says the congregation has let the building fall into disrepair to increase the likelihood that the sale will go through.

Rev. Chris Shelton: [sings] You are the church. We are the church.

Hayden Betts: Reverend Chris Shelton leads a nearby Presbyterian congregation. He says his church teaches kids a song that is relevant to the preservation fight.

Rev. Chris Shelton: [sings] The church is not a building. The church is not a steeple. The church is not a resting place. The church is a people. I am the church, you are the church.

Hayden Betts: The Landmarks Preservation Commission is expected to decide whether to remove the church's protections next week.

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Janae Pierre: That's WNYC's Hayden Betts.

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Janae Pierre: The weather is pretty nasty right now, but after the rain and snow flurries clear, consider heading to your local market for all the colorful varieties of kale. Amelia Tarpey is a program and publicity manager for GrowNYC Greenmarkets. She says kale is at its most flavorful this time of year.

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Amelia Tarpey: Closet Greenmarket staple that gets us through the winter, and the perfect thing to eat after Thanksgiving, after we've just had these big heavy meals: Lacinato kale. It can also be called Tuscan kale or dinosaur kale. They're called dino kale because the texture of the leaf, some people say, looks like dinosaur skin. This kale tends to be more tender than the curly leaf kale and is very mild and sweet in flavor. It's really great for a kale salad.

Any kale salad needs to be massaged. Basically, you get your three elements of your vinaigrette: your fat, your acid, and your salt, and then massage it with your hands until it's nice and tender. It's going to begin to break down the kale a little bit. Makes it much easier to digest, and it's just going to be tastier that way.

The other kale variety you can find at Market is called Red Russian kale. It's a beautiful kale variety. It has these purple stems and veins. They have this oak leaf quality to them. The leaves, they're a light green with a purplish tint to them, with these beautiful purple veins going through them and purple stems. This is said to be like one of the sweetest of all the kale varieties.

If you want to do a more complicated recipe, I love a kale gratin. You could file this under Recipes to make later on in the winter, once you've digested from the Thanksgiving holidays. If you have leftover heavy cream, breadcrumbs, extra cheese from the cheese board, gratin is a nice way to use up those little tidbits you might have left from Thanksgiving.

Janae Pierre: Amelia Tarpey is a program and publicity manager for GrowNYC Greenmarkets. She says right now, Greenmarkets across the city are selling kale for $3 to $5 a bunch. Grab some and maybe try a new recipe. I like my kale sauteed with onions and ginger over a bed of rice. Or maybe consider a kale and chickpea stew. Mm. So many options for dinner tonight. We'll see.

Thanks for listening to NYC Now from WNYC. I'm Janae Pierre. We'll be back tomorrow.

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