The proposed Metropolitan Park development would go up in the parking lot next to Citi Field (QNS/File)
The City Planning Commission has voted in favor of modifications to zoning regulations for the planned $8 billion Metropolitan Park casino development adjacent to Citi Field in Flushing.
The proposal, a planned development by New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock Entertainment, would convert a 50-acre parking lot west of Citi Field into an entertainment complex with a casino as its centerpiece.
The proposal also calls for a 25-acre public park, shops and restaurants, a Taste of Queens food hall, the redevelopment of the Mets-Willets Point subway station, and improved roads and bike paths.
Although the proposed development area is an asphalt parking lot, it is legally designated as city parkland, meaning zoning text and city map amendments must be approved before the project can proceed.
The City Planning Commission voted overwhelmingly in favor of the amendments during a public meeting Wednesday morning as the project continues to move through the ULURP process.
Previously, five relevant community boards that cover areas bordering Flushing Meadows-Corona Park overwhelmingly voted in favor of zoning text and city map amendments for the project. Meanwhile, CB 4 – the only other community district deemed “adjacent” to the project – delayed its vote until after the 60-day review period outlined in the ULURP process.
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards also issued his conditional approval of the project in December. However, both Richards and the relevant community boards only issued advisory reviews of the proposal.
The City Planning Commission’s vote in favor of the Metropolitan Park project on Wednesday represents the first time that it has received a binding vote during the ULURP process.
The Commission voted 9-1 in favor of the amendments with one abstention. Commissioner Juan Osorio, who voted against the amendments, said he could not vote in favor of the proposal until the Department of Environmental Protection conducts a FEMA resiliency project for the 37th Avenue pump station to fully evaluate resiliency.
Metropolitan Park spokesperson Karl Rickett welcomed commission approval, stating that the vote moves the project “one step closer to becoming a reality.” Ricket said the project will create 23,000 union jobs for the local community and $1 billion in community benefits.
“This vote reflects the overwhelming community support and input Steve Cohen and Hard Rock have collected over the past three years. We look forward to presenting our community-first vision to Council Member Moya and the City Council,” Rickett said in a statement.
Commission Chair Dan Garodnick pointed out that Wednesday’s vote “focused specifically on the land use actions” for the asphalt parking lot next to Citi Field and did not constitute approval of the project.
The $8 billion Metropolitan Park proposal hinges on the project winning one of the three downstate casino licenses approved by state legislators. Garodnick points out that Metropolitan Park will have to go through New York State’s gaming facility licensing process even if it successfully completes the ongoing ULURP process.
Two of the three downstate licenses are expected to be handed to existing “racinos” – which have slot machines and horse racing but no traditional casino table games – making competition for the final gaming license fierce. Other projects vying for a downstate casino license have outlined proposals at Times Square, Hudson Yards, the United Nations, Coney Island, and the former Trump Links golf course in the Bronx, among other locations.
Representatives of the Metropolitan Park project have previously stated that the development will not proceed unless it wins one of the three downstate licenses.
The zoning amendments will now go to the City Council and Mayor’s office as part of the ULURP process. State officials will award downstate gaming licenses to the three successful projects by the end of 2025.
