Casino Next to New York's Citi Field Gets Local Approval
The New York City Planning Commission has approved modifications to zoning regulations for the proposed $8 billion Metropolitan Park casino development next to Citi Field in Flushing. The project, backed by New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock Entertainment, aims to transform a 50-acre parking lot west of the stadium into a large-scale entertainment complex centered around a casino.
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:The development plan also includes a 25-acre public park, retail spaces, restaurants, and a Taste of Queens food hall. Additional infrastructure improvements, such as the redevelopment of the Mets-Willets Point subway station and enhancements to local roads and bike paths, are also part of the proposal. The site currently serves as an asphalt parking lot but is legally classified as city parkland, necessitating zoning text and city map amendments before the project can advance.
Related: Cohen's Metropolitan Park Casino Wins Boards ApprovalDuring a public meeting, the City Planning Commission overwhelmingly voted in favor of the zoning changes as the proposal moves forward in the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) process. Prior to this vote, five community boards representing neighborhoods near Flushing Meadows-Corona Park also supported the amendments. Community Board 4, the only other district deemed adjacent to the project, postponed its vote until after the 60-day review period mandated by the ULURP process.
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards had previously given his conditional approval for the project in December. However, both Richards and the community boards provided only advisory recommendations. The City Planning Commission's approval marks the first binding vote in the project's review process.
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Commission Overwhelmingly in Favor
The Commission voted 9-1 in favor of the zoning changes, with one abstention. Commissioner Juan Osorio, the sole dissenting vote, cited concerns about the area's flood resilience. He emphasized the need for the Department of Environmental Protection to conduct a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) resiliency study for the 37th Avenue pump station before he could support the proposal.
Project representatives expressed optimism following the commission's approval. Karl Rickett, a spokesperson for Metropolitan Park, described the decision as a significant step forward, emphasizing that the project will generate 23,000 union jobs and provide $1 billion in community benefits. He highlighted the extensive community engagement conducted by Cohen and Hard Rock over the past three years and said the development team looks forward to presenting their vision to City Council Member Francisco Moya and the City Council.
Commission Chair Dan Garodnick clarified that the vote was strictly related to land use considerations for the parking lot near Citi Field and did not represent full project approval. He underscored that Metropolitan Park must still undergo New York State's gaming facility licensing process before it can proceed.
The success of the Metropolitan Park proposal depends on securing one of the three downstate casino licenses authorized by state legislators. Two of these licenses are widely expected to be awarded to existing racinos, which currently operate slot machines and horse racing but lack traditional casino table games. This leaves significant competition for the final license, with rival proposals for casino developments in Times Square, Hudson Yards, the United Nations district, Coney Island, and the former Trump Links golf course in the Bronx.
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