


Mayor Eric Adams’ administration is eyeing the Aqueduct Racetrack and Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens as new locations for massive emergency tent cities that would help temporarily shelter the relentless influx of migrants in the Big Apple, officials said Sunday.
City Hall notified Queens Borough President Donovan Richards late Saturday that officials would be touring the grounds of both sites this week, he confirmed to The Post.
If they are deemed suitable, the tent cities would open on the grounds of Aqueduct and Creedmoor at the end of July, Richards said.
The City first reported the locations were in play to be converted into encampments housing 1,000 migrants each.
Both sites are on state property and Gov. Kathy Hochul would have to approve the plans, officials said.
“As the mayor has said, all options are on the table as we deal with this crisis and no humanitarian relief centers are final until announced,” an Adams spokesperson said Sunday.
“With over 53,000 asylum seekers currently in the city’s care, we need additional support from state and federal partners.”
While racing at Aqueduct has been on the decline, one of the state’s cash cows — the Genting NY-Resorts World casino — is located next to the race track and attracts gamblers who use the parking lots there.
That could potentially complicate use of the site as a migrant encampment.
Many of Queens’ hotel airports — particularly those near JFK and LaGuardia — have already been converted into migrant shelters.
Richards said his borough has been doing its part in aiding the asylum seekers, but the Adams ally also emphasized there must be better coordination and communication between City Hall and Queens elected officials.
“I understand we are in a crisis. I’m not playing the NIMBY game here,” Richards said, referring to the acronym for the phrase “not in my backyard,” used to refer to people who oppose undesirable developments in their neighborhoods.
But Richards expressed frustration that he doesn’t know how many migrants are sheltered in the borough because city officials have refused to provide the tally.
“How many migrants are in Queens? I can’t get a breakdown,” he said.
The borough president suggested the situation is unsustainable, particularly if the Biden administration won’t accelerate the time period to allow migrants to obtain employment.
“When it comes to these two proposed sites, the Mayor’s Office must establish a constant channel of communication with local leaders and neighborhood stakeholders through the creation of Community Advisory Boards for each location,” Richards said.
“The city must also leave no stone unturned to ensure the safety of all involved — both the surrounding communities and those housed at the sites alike — and ensure that there is adequate local transportation for our asylum seekers who need to travel elsewhere,” he added.
“Above all else, such a proposal is yet further proof that there is no more critical work ahead of us locally than the work of rapidly and significantly expanding our affordable housing stock.”
Prior use of city property for migrant tent cities was met with stiff community opposition last year, particularly in Orchard Beach in The Bronx.
More than 53,000 migrants are now housed in the city, bringing the total shelter population to a record-breaking 103,400 people — larger than most American cities.
The mayor last week opened two new mega shelters just to help cope with the relentless flow of migrants, bringing the total to 186 emergency sites set up across the five boroughs.
The administration estimates will be a $4.3 billion price tag by the end of the next fiscal year. That cost also includes contracts with security firms to safeguard the sites.
The Post recently reported that team Adams is also eyeing empty school facilities that aren’t being used for the summer session as sites for the migrants.
City Hall faced a firestorm of criticism when it previously placed migrants in school gyms.
With shelter and space in the city dwindling, Adams has ordered that migrants be sent to hotels in the Hudson Valley and farther upstate while monitoring whatever private office space is available.