Posted Dec 5, 2013, 1:20 PM
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New Yorker for life
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Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Borough of Jersey
Posts: 51,900
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Thompson, N.Y. | China City of America
An interesting proposal...
http://nypost.com/2013/12/04/mysteri...ty-of-america/
Mysterious plans to build upstate NY ‘China City of America’
By Geoff Earle
December 4, 2013
Quote:
A Long Island businesswoman wants to build a massive “Chinese Disneyland” in the Catskills — which would include an amusement park, huge mansions and a “Forbidden City” laid out according to the principles of Feng Shui.
The China City of America scheme could bring thousands of wealthy Chinese immigrants to the tiny Sullivan County town of Thompson, under a federal program that lets foreigners get visas by investing $500,000 in the US.
The mastermind behind the plan, Sherry Li, says the development would eventually draw $6 billion in foreign investment.
“We can kind of view it as a Chinese concept of Disney — so it’s going to have lot of attractions for families,” she said.
The designs for China City include a college, 1,000 residences, a Chinese-themed retail center and possibly a casino.
The place would feel like a trip to China just 90 miles outside New York city, as one area would mark parts of the Chinese Zodiac while another would have 16 buildings representing the major Chinese dynasties.
“Each dynasty will have its building and will have rides go with it,” Li said at a town council meeting in May where she pitched the original plan.
China City’s web site features golden dragons, and projects an initial investment of $325 million — with $10 million going to a “Temple of Heaven,” $24 million on a hotel and entertainment complex and $20 million to construct a “Forbidden City.”
It also projects a $65 million infusion from the U.S. government – without naming what agency would make the contribution.
“It’s multiple phases. No project is going to happen in one day. It’s going to be step-by-step,” Li told the Post, saying the amusement park component would get built in a later phase.
The plan is now under consideration by the leaders of Thompson, population 15,000.
It’s already getting a lot of opposition.
“It actually seems surreal but unfortunately it is real,” said Paula Medley, an activist who heads a local environmental group.
“This is kind of a combination of pie-in-the-sky and ethnic solidarity and showmanship and a federal program that sort of facilitates this sort of thing. It’s really an odd mix,” said David North, who authored a new report picking apart China City’s proposal for the D.C.-based Center for Immigration Studies.
Others questioned its link to the federal visa program, known as EB-5.
“It sounds like an EB-5 scam,” said Laura Corruzi, a New York City attorney who vacations in the area. “The financials don’t really support the $6 billion project.”
The Thompson town council has had at least five meetings on the project, with the latest Tuesday night.
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http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...icle-1.1538186
China City of America proposal in New York State sparks intrigue and concern
China City would build 600-acre retail center and casino in Catskill region. Developers claim the project would create jobs and economic activity. But critics say the influx of Chinese immigrants would create domestic security concerns.
By Lee Moran
December 5, 2013
Quote:
A businesswoman is pushing a plan to bring a sprawling Shanghai simulation to New York.
A group of Chinese investors headed by Sherry Li reportedly want to pump billions of dollars into a mysterious mega-development in upstate New York’s Catskill region called “China City of America.”
The 600-acre site would transform the quaint, but economically depressed town of Thompson into a pipeline for Chinese culture and money, according to reports.
Proposals include the building of a college, 1,000 homes, a Chinese-themed retail center and possibly a casino, Fox News reported.
US. immigration honchos and local elected officials are now considering the China City of America development.
Many local residents in the economically depressed area support the project as they believe it will bring both financial and cultural boons to the region.
But critics have raised fears it is a “stalking horse” for the ever-powerful Beijing government.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has not disclosed further details of the application.
“The [CHINA CITY]Regional Center is not approved,” spokesman Christopher Bentley told Fox News. “An application has been filed and it's still pending. A decision has not been made on it yet.”
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