More than a hundred community leaders and small business owners from the Queens district of New York City released a joint letter to New York State Senator Jessica Ramos on May 20, requesting her support for the development project at Metropolitan Park next to Citi Field, which includes plans for a casino.
The owner of the New York Mets baseball team, Steve Cohen, announced a development project in November two years ago, aiming to transform the asphalt parking lot surrounding Citi Field into the 50-acre “Metropolitan Park.” The project includes 20 acres of parkland, a Hard Rock Hotel with a casino, convention space, and a music hall, a 5-acre community sports field and children’s playground, a Queens food market, and a complete renovation of the subway station.
The land is currently leased by the New York Mets baseball team from the city of New York, with the lease running until 2105. It was used as a parking lot during the two World’s Fairs held in New York in the past and is therefore considered part of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. The New York State Legislature approved the use of this land for baseball and parking purposes during the construction of the former Shea Stadium, which later became Citi Field.
In order to proceed with the development project for Metropolitan Park, Cohen’s team needs the approval of the state legislature to use this land for purposes other than baseball and parking. A relevant proposal has been introduced in the State Assembly by Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry and is currently awaiting a corresponding bill to be presented by the local State Senator Ramos in the State Senate.
Ramos had previously stated in February of this year that she would make a decision before the end of the legislative session in late June.