Residents in Freeport are happy a beloved green space is getting recognition at the state level as it faces possible redevelopment by Amazon.
The Village of Freeport voted last month to rezone Cleveland Park for industrial use and sell it. Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit to help stop an Amazon warehouse from being built at the park.
Kiana Abbady says she has been using the park field since she was a kid.
“To lose this space to a warehouse or any type of development will be a loss for the community. It lacks economic innovation, our community deserves better than that,” she says. “We have so many community members that play sports, that organize, that hang out and that thrive here."
Freeport resident Lavette Hook has urged local legislators as well as Gov. Kathy Hochul to veto the plan. She says the attorney general filing a lawsuit is a step in the right direction.
“We've been knocking on many doors, and this validates what we've been saying since day one that this whole process is not being handled correctly,” Hook says.
She says they won't stop until the green space that has been in the community for more than 70 years stays that way.
“Until we get a veto, until this issue with the AG is resolved, until the district finally decides to negate all of this that's going on, we're not stopping,” Hook says.
News 12 reached out to the mayor of Freeport for comment.