Metropolitan Park Pledges Revitalization In Queens Casino Pitch

Presenters for the $8 billion Metropolitan Park casino proposal in Queens, New York, focused their initial meeting Monday on a community-focused pitch that would bring more than 23,000 total jobs and a revitalized landscape around Citi Field.

The proposal, fronted by New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock International, is among eight being considered for three downstate New York casino licenses worth $500 million each being offered by the state’s gaming commission. Metropolitan Park could be considered the wild card of the bunch as it is the only one directly involving a sports franchise.

Six of the eight applicants have made pitches to their respective Community Advisory Committees (CACs). The CAC for MGM Empire City held an organizational meeting July 24 and will hear MGM’s pitch Thursday. Bally’s will have its initial CAC organizational meeting Friday, but it is unknown if it will pitch the Bronx-based proposal at that time.

The CAC requires a two-thirds majority — four votes — to advance the applicant to the New York Gaming Facility Board by Sept. 30. Should it fail to hold a vote by that date, the applicant is deemed rejected. The board would then make its selections for the licenses Dec. 1, which would be followed by the commission license consideration before the end of the year.

Extensive community outreach

The Metropolitan Park presentation was led by Michael “Sully” Sullivan, Cohen’s chief of staff. He provided a history lesson on the land being considered for the casino, which included being part of the 1939 World’s Fair and serving as a large commuter parking lot prior to the 1964 opening of Shea Stadium, the home of the Mets until Citi Field opened in 2009.

He said the long-term vision of Metropolitan Park began shortly after Cohen bought the Mets in November 2020. Sullivan joked that “against my better wishes, he went on Twitter.” And though Sullivan said Cohen learned “people love the ballpark, they love the food, we consistently heard from our neighbors and Mets fans that the areas around Citi Field left a lot to be desired.”

Former New York City Councilmember Julissa Ferreras-Copeland followed Sullivan and focused on the community outreach performed. She called it a “build from the ground up process” based on the importance of hearing from the community. Ferreras-Copeland cited more than 1,000 organizational meetings, plus 16 workshops that approximately 1,800 residents attended.

She also noted that there has been overwhelming support at all levels of government, highlighted by approval from six community boards as well as backing from Queens Borough President and CAC member Donovan Richards Jr. Ferreras-Copeland said the group knocked on more than 40,000 doors and collected more than 20,000 signatures for petition purposes.

The pledge of parkland

A good portion of the land where the proposed casino and rebuild would take place is currently 50 acres of asphalt. Sullivan said approximately half of that would be converted into parkland, with the group pledging that “we will pay to build it to Parks Department specifications. We will maintain it long-term to Parks Department specifications. And we will provide the public safety in this new park.”

The park is the focus of a proposed $1 billion community investment by the group, which also includes a modernization of the New York City Subway 7 line stop and a “Taste of Queens” food hall that would be open year-round. Gregg Pasquarelli, co-founder of SHoP Architects, detailed some of the plans that included reconnecting the area to the waterfront while also connecting Corona Park, East Elmhurst, and Flushing. The timeline for those projects would be spring 2030 in tandem with the opening of the casino.

There is also a commitment to affordable housing, contingent on getting the license, with plans for 450 units to be built approximately one mile from the proposed project at the Queenswood Housing Development.

Oh, yeah, the casino

At roughly the 30-minute mark of the presentation, Sean Caffery, Hard Rock International president of casino development and chief of staff, brought job creation into focus. Metropolitan Park is projected to create 6,000 casino-related jobs and another 17,000 construction-related. Caffery said the median annual compensation of salary and benefits for Hard Rock employees would be $140,000, and employees would have access to on-site child care through locally owned Little Friends.

Caffery said Hard Rock has already partnered with 20 local organizations and have two hiring and information centers, including one at Citi Field. He touted the importance of job retention and Hard Rock’s efforts in that area through the company’s Women in Leadership program.

Part and parcel of every Hard Rock venue is its connection to music. Caffery detailed a 5,600-seat venue as well as an outdoor venue that would retain part of Shea Stadium’s identity dating to its seminal moment of hosting the Beatles in 1965. That area would also feature “a place for people to visit and celebrate the stadium’s heritage and history.”

CAC’s duties, responsibilities

Besides choosing whether to vote an applicant forward, the most important duty for each Community Advisory Committee is to hold at least two public hearings to solicit comment. In addition, it reviews public comments submitted on a project and votes to reflect the public support or lack thereof.

A CAC can solicit changes to an application, but there are limits to the changes that can be made. The committee has the power to request a bidder change or modify its application, but that also must be put in writing prior to the deadline.

A CAC cannot make any changes or modifications necessitating change to the Environmental Quality Review Act.

The CAC for Metropolitan Park voted New York Assembly member Larinda Hooks as its chair. Hooks appointed herself to the committee. The other five members are:

• Gregory Anderson, deputy director of state operations, appointed by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul;
• Lin Zeng, director of the Queens office for the city Department of City Planning, selected by New York City Mayor Eric Adams;
• George Dixon, former East Elmhurst Democratic district leader; tabbed by state Sen. Jessica Ramos;
• Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr., self-appointed;
• New York City Councilmember Francisco Moya, self-appointed.