Parks, bars and jobs: Mets owner shares results of first six visioning sessions
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Steve Cohen and his new group, Queens Future, hosted six visioning sessions to solicit feedback from Queens residents about what they want to see built on 50 acres of space currently used as parking lots for Citi Field. Photo via Queens Future
By Jacob Kaye
Queens residents say they want to see green space, restaurants and good-paying local jobs built into whatever it is New York Mets owner Steve Cohen decides to build on 50 acres of parking spaces currently surrounding Citi Field.
On Tuesday, Cohen and his newly-created group Queens Future released the findings of their first six public “visioning sessions” held to solicit feedback from Queens residents about what they want to see built around the Mets’ stadium.
Over a thousand Queens residents and dozens of others from around the New York City metro area participated in the sessions, during which attendees were prompted with questions about how to reform the city-owned land surrounding the stadium.
In the end, three major wishes emerged, according to Queens Future: creating local jobs, bringing year-round entertainment to the area and building new parks and areas for recreation.
“Having spent hours with the community at these sessions, one thing is abundantly clear: everyone believes we can do better than 50 acres of parking lots,” Cohen, who purchased the team in 2020, said in a statement.
“We’re encouraged by what we have been hearing and will continue to host these sessions over the coming weeks to further inform our ultimate vision for the area,” he added.
The visioning sessions, which are ongoing, come as Cohen continues to pursue one of New York State’s three downstate casino licenses, which are expected to be awarded at the end of the year.
Cohen has not kept his desire to build a casino on the 50-acre space a secret. Included on a number of the visioning session prompts were questions about “gaming” facilities.
According to a spokesperson for Queens Future, less than 4 percent of Queens residents who left suggestions on sticky notes during the sessions explicitly said they do not want to see a casino built in the area. The spokesperson did not provide the number of residents who explicitly said they did want a casino built next to Citi Field.
In addition to the report, Queens Future released a video that includes interviews with visioning session participants, Mets fans and Queens residents on the street. While a bulk of those interviewed talk about their desire to see parks, restaurants and community facilities built in the lot, the video also includes three people saying they want to see a casino built back-to-back-to-back.
Building a casino – or anything else Cohen decides to pursue – will have its hurdles.
Citi Field’s parking lots are built on land owned by the city and technically designated as parkland. Previous plans to build a shopping mall on the lot were shot down in court in 2017 after it was ruled that the mall would violate the land’s “public trust doctrine,” which requires that any project built on the land serve an explicit public good.
“Obviously, we're talking about public land that belongs to everybody, that doesn't belong to the Mets, that doesn't belong to Steve Cohen,” State Senator Jessica Ramos, who represents the area, told the Eagle during a January visioning session. “So making sure that everybody who lives in the surrounding community has a say is really important.”
“[But] the feedback isn't necessarily binding,” the lawmaker added. “That being said, I think that we are at a juncture where, especially in our community, we really want more economic opportunity, and an opportunity for good jobs – I think that is really welcomed.”
Speaking to a group of elected officials and community leaders at the Queens Jewish Community Council’s annual legislative breakfast earlier this month, Cohen acknowledged the difficulties of building on the site.
“I think we're developing something really incredible,” he said. “We'll see if we get there or not – nothing ventured, nothing gained. But I think everybody is going to love it.”
“Hopefully, we’ll get it done,” Cohen added.
In addition to the parking lots, Citi Field is currently bordered by an MTA facility, the 7 train and Willets Point, which is currently under development. Screenshot via Queens Future/YouTube
In addition to the parking lots, Citi Field is neighbored by an MTA bus and train facility as well as Willets Point, a long-neglected neighborhood that is almost exclusively home to auto shops. Despite its neglect, Willets Point has also been eyed by developers and city officials for decades as an opportunity for development. Last year, Mayor Eric Adams announced that the area, which is partially owned by the city, would be home to the city’s first-ever soccer stadium, as well as over 1,000 units of permanently affordable housing.
Former City Councilmember Costa Constantinides, who attended four of the visioning sessions, said that he sees the Citi Field parking lots as “untapped potential.”
“You’re going to Citi Field, you're going to watch a game and you're going to leave that area almost immediately because there's nothing – there's no entertainment, there are no restaurants, there's no open space,” Constantinides told the Eagle. “What the potential is, is to really make this a hub, a place where you can go with your family for a whole day. You can play, you can eat, you can have live entertainment, you can have gaming and then you watch the game and then maybe you hang out afterwards.”
“It can be so much more,” he added.
Correction: An earlier version of this story said that around 4 percent of all visioning session participants explicitly stated they did not want to see a casino built next to Citi Field. That is incorrect. Less than 4 percent of those who left a sticky note said they did not want to see a casino built, according to a Queens Future spokesperson.
