MAMAKATING – Sherry Li of the China City of America Project introduced plans for a grandiose development on 2,232 acres of land straddling the Mamakating-Thompson town line at a special meeting before town officials on May 23. Colorful brochures depicting a truly fantastical realm were handed out to members of the town board, the planning board and the zoning board of appeals in attendance. The public was not allowed comment.

Plans at this very initial stage, Li noted, are provisional and subject to change. They include an amusement park, a museum, a martial arts pavilion, various culturally-themed parks, theaters, a shopping mall, a school, a medical center, senior housing, two hotels, 1,000 units of housing (both western and Chinese style), a high-tech center with offices and showrooms, and possibly a casino.

"With thousands of years of history and culture China is unique, elegant and inspiring," proclaims the brochure. "The China City of America Project is designed to portray this culture using 'Feng Shui' principles for visitors to experience."

"Feng Shui is Chinese for 'air' and 'water,'" explained Li at the meeting, "We care about positive energy."

Later she returned to this theme.

"We love the earth. We want to create economic development while protecting the environment," she said. "We would love to work with towns that have the same philosophy."

It may be a hard sell in Mamakating, however. The mood of the overflow crowd at town hall was skeptical, bordering on antagonistic. Basha Kill Area Association president Paula Medley said that her organization would strongly oppose such a large project in such an environmentally sensitive area. Reactions from members of other neighborhood groups ranged from alarm to astonishment and anger at the sheer scope of the project.

During a brief Q&A portion for the meeting, only board members were allowed to ask questions. ZBA member Bill Herrmann asked if China City had developed anywhere else. Li responded that there are China Towns all over the US.

"Now a new generation of immigrants are highly educated and want to make a difference," she said.

"That's not the question," persisted Herrmann. "Have you developed a China City before?"

"There's nothing exactly like what we're planning," Li finally said.

Funding for the China City of America Project is based on the congressionally-mandated EB-5 program, in existence since 1990, wherein immigrants willing to invest $500,000 in projects that create jobs for American citizens in rural areas will be fast-tracked to get permanent resident status for their families in the United States. It's unclear how many such investors would participate in the China City venture, but the brochure estimates the total cost of the project to be $6 billion.

Similar China Cities have been proposed in Michigan and Idaho. Speculation is that the booming nation is looking to replicate its successful "special economic zone" city of Shenzhen, near the former British territory and free trade port of Hong Kong, which grew from under 1,000 villagers to over 18 million people in 25 years. In China, moves are underway to build tiny pocket cities built from scratch next to crowded urban centers. A Chicago-based architectural firm has designed a master plan for the first of these cities, in Southwest China, to be built from scratch within eight years to host 30,000 families, or roughly 80,000 people, in a compact area surrounded by nature... lending it an overall "green" rating. There are also reports that Chinese investors have bought large tracts of lands near urban centers in at least ten U.S. states, with plans to create Chinese factory towns in the U.S. as a means of "pulling" its massive $1.7 trillion debt. It has also been reported that at least one out of every ten real estate transactions in California these days is to a Chinese investor.

One of the key tourist attractions of Shenzhen, in China, is a theme park presenting highlights of the Chinese provinces, including the Forbidden City and Great Wall, in miniature, as well as a folklore center that offers performances from all districts of the vast and ancient land. An American version of the theme park was later built in Orlando in 1993, but closed ten years later.

A website for the massive new development being planned for our area, which says it chose Mamakating/Thompson because the area is central to the growth areas of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania (www.chinacityofamerica.com), is itself hooked to a prospectus website filled with information about the green card tax incentives (www.chinacityrrc.com).

"China City of America will provide two residential styles for investors," the website reads. "For Chinese investors that would like to stay in the United States for a shorter amount of time or have a vacation home overseas, China City of America provides timeshares. For Chinese investors that plan to reside in the United States or have children already studying abroad in the United States, China City of America will have complete single story houses."

Also provided to Chinese investors will be wholesale and retail opportunities, showrooms... and the various means necessary to draw American tourists, and shoppers, to the attraction, and new city, via the coming I-86 interstate (where Route 17 is now).

How long for the whole process? Three years for the initial elements, and up to 16 to reach full potential.

Given, of course, they make it through the initial planning stages now being entered... including possible casino applications.

As one resident put it, reacting to the scale of the proposal as recently presented: "Mamakating needs a good Chinese restaurant here, but not the whole country."