Metropolitan Park gets another thumbs up from City Council

Steve Cohen’s Metropolitan Park got another approval from the City Council on Thursday. Rendering via Metropolitan Park

By Ryan Schwach

The City Council passed a resolution on Thursday calling on the state to pass a bill that would allow New York Mets owner Steve Cohen to build a casino on Citi Field’s parking lot.

During the Council’s stated meeting, members voted overwhelmingly in favor of the resolution which supports state legislation – known as the parkland alienation bill – that will give Cohen a crucial permission to build the $8 billion casino and entertainment complex dubbed Metropolitan Park, so long as he receives one of the state’s three downstate casino licenses.

While the Council’s resolution is mostly a formality, the city legislature’s approval puts Metropolitan Park and Cohen one step closer to getting to the coveted finish line.

A "home rule resolution" like the one passed on Thursday, is a necessary part of the process whenever state lawmakers aim to pass legislation affecting land use in the city. The council voted 41 to 2 in support of the resolution, with five abstentions.

Parkland alienation legislation, which will allow Cohen to build on the Citi Field parking lot, which is owned by the city and technically designated as parkland, was brought at the state level by local Assemblymember Larinda Hooks and State Senator John Liu.

Liu introduced the legislation after the local senator, Jessica Ramos, declined to do so after finding that a majority of her constituents were “opposed to the construction of a casino in [their] backyard.”

The Flushing Senator announced he’d introduce the bill at the end of March, and did so

in exchange for Cohen’s commitment to building a Highline-like bridge linking Downtown Flushing to Willets Point, which Liu called “Flushing Skypark.”

Neither Cohen nor Liu have provided many details about the proposal. The Mets owner does not own the land either end of the bridge would sit on and neither Liu nor Cohen provided an estimate as to how much the project would cost.

Given the Flushing Skypark’s hurdles, Cohen and his Metropolitan Park partners Hard Rock, signed an agreement with Liu to donate $100 million to the Flushing Waterfront Alliance to make improvements to Flushing Meadows Corona Park if Skypark isn’t built.

“The council vote affirms the intent of Senator Liu’s bill,” said the senator’s spokesperson, Scott Sieber.

Hooks introduced the legislation first, taking the baton from her predecessor, Assemblymember Jeffrion Aubry.

Hooks did not respond to a request for comment.

Metropolitan Park applauded the Councils’ actions on Thursday.

“Today's home rule brings us one step closer to delivering 23,000 union jobs, 25 acres of public park space, new entertainment options, and over $1 billion in community benefits for Queens,” said Metropolitan Park spokesperson Karl Rickett.

Votes of support came from all of the councilmembers whose districts may be directly impacted by the casino, including Francisco Moya and Sandra Ung.

Brooklyn Councilmember Darlene Meely and Queens Councilmember Joann Ariola were the lone nay votes.

Ariola previously voted against a zoning amendment related to Metropolitan Park, arguing it would compete with a similar casino bid from Resorts World, a “racino” just outside of her district that she supports.

“[The resolution] is an attempt to pave the way for the Cohen casino,” Ariola said in a statement on Thursday. “Queens already has a casino at Resorts World, and they've been a valuable partner for the communities across South Queens. We should be working to support the employer of hundreds of locals rather than opting to open a new casino that would threaten to remove this vital economic engine from our area.”

Councilmembers Chris Marte, Simcha Felder, Sandy Nurse, Pierena Sanchez and Tiffany Cabán abstained.

Cabán, who represents Queens, did not respond to a request for comment.

The Council’s latest thumbs up for Metropolitan Park is a positive step for Cohen, the richest owner in baseball, but the project is still far from the finish line.

Metropolitan Park is one of around a dozen developers vying for one of the three licenses, and there is no guarantee it will be granted one.

The project would house a casino, a hotel, a live music venue, restaurants, retail space, a convention center and open space.

Cohen has also committed to making improvements to the local 7 train station, building sports fields nearby and improving infrastructure surrounding the stadium.

None of Metropolitan Park or the $1 billion in community benefits would be built if Cohen isn’t granted a casino license.