‘Metropolitan Park’: green space and Hard Rock-backed gaming, hotel Cohen unveils pitch for casino by Citi Field

by Sophie Krichevsky

Associate Editor

Mets owner Steve Cohen on Tuesday officially unveiled his plan to reimagine the 50 acres of parkland that is currently the Citi Field parking lot: In a project he and his lobbying firms, Queens Future and New Green Willets, are calling “Metropolitan Park,” the space will include a casino and accompanying hotel operated by Hard Rock, a live music venue, a Queens food hall and 20 acres of green space.

“It’s time the world’s greatest city got the sports and entertainment park it deserves,” Cohen said in a statement. “When I bought this team, fans and the community kept saying we needed to do better. Metropolitan Park delivers on the promise of a shared space that people will not only want to come to and enjoy, but can be truly proud of.”

The plan incorporates many of the ideas mentioned during Cohen’s visioning sessions earlier this year. Among those ideas were more bike lanes in the area so as to more easily connect the surrounding communities to Citi Field. A rendering of the plan shows bike paths both north of the ballpark and to the south along Roosevelt Avenue.

A press release from Cohen also mentions an “accessible and renovated mass transit station,” which Cohen spokesperson John

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Collins said will include accessibility and signage updates. He added that the Department of Parks and Recreation is developing a multiyear plan to repair the boardwalk between the Long Island Rail Road and subway stations, as some elected officials, such as Assemblyman Ed Braunstein (D-Bayside) and state Sen. Jessica Ramos (D-East Elm- hurst), have previously called for.

The release of Cohen’s proposal comes after nearly two years of discussion of the plan throughout the World’s Borough. Though various elements of the plan — an $8 billion investment — had been reported and discussed in the last year, Tuesday marks the first time the public is getting a full picture.

The plan also shows three parking structures throughout the park: one north of Citi Field by the left field gate, another south of Roosevelt Avenue and a third near the hotel and casino. Though Collins did not say how many levels each will be, another Cohen spokesperson previously told the Chronicle the project will maintain the number of parking spaces currently at Citi Field — roughly 7,500.

While some community members have pushed back on the idea of a casino, citing concerns ranging from traffic to crime and gambling addictions, others have objected to the idea because the land itself is legally parkland, which has been leased to the Mets ever since Shea Stadium was built so as to allow for a ballpark and accompanying parking lot.

Though Cohen’s press release refers to the outdoor space, complete with athletic fields and playgrounds, as “public park space,” Collins said it will be maintained privately.

To build anything on the property — let alone a casino — Cohen would need the state Legislature to alienate the parkland. He would then have to make up for its loss.

Assemblyman Jeff Aubry (D-Corona) has introduced an alienation bill that would require Cohen to either replace the parkland elsewhere acre for acre or build at least 20 continued on page 16

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