The City Council has voted overwhelmingly in favor of modifications to zoning regulations for the planned $8 billion Metropolitan Park casino development adjacent to Citi Field in Flushing.
The City Council voted 41-2 in favor of the proposal, a planned development by New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock Entertainment that would convert a 50-acre parking lot west of Citi Field into an entertainment complex with a casino as its centerpiece.
The proposal also calls for a 25-acre public park, shops and restaurants, a Taste of Queens food hall, the redevelopment of the Mets-Willets Point subway station, and improved roads and bike paths.
Although the proposed development area is an asphalt parking lot, it is legally designated as city parkland, meaning zoning text and city map amendments must be approved before the project can proceed.
The City Council approved the zoning modifications in an overwhelming vote on Tuesday after the Council’s Land Use Committee voted 9-0 in favor of the development. The Council’s Zoning and Franchises Subcommittee also voted 6 -0 in favor of Metropolitan Park zoning changes Tuesday.
The City Council Vote represents the penultimate stage of the ULURP process, with the zoning changes now set to go for a mayoral review.
Previously, five relevant community boards that cover areas bordering Flushing Meadows-Corona Park overwhelmingly voted in favor of zoning text and city map amendments for the project. Meanwhile, CB 4 – the only other community district deemed “adjacent” to the project – delayed its vote until after the 60-day review period outlined in the ULURP process.
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards also issued his conditional approval of the project in December. However, both Richards and the relevant community boards only issued advisory reviews of the proposal.
The Council’s decision is considered to be final unless the Mayor elects to veto the decision.
Council Member Francisco Moya, who represents the area covering Metropolitan Park and who voted in favor of the amendments, said in a statement that the City Council had heard the local community “loud and clear.”
“I’m proud to support this transformative project and help make it a reality for our district, for Queens, and for the entire city,” Moya said in a statement. “This project is about more than building a sports and entertainment park. It’s about creating meaningful job opportunities with 100% union jobs, investing back into our community, and elevating our local economy to unprecedented heights.”
Cohen, meanwhile, said the Metropolitan Park team had focused on creating a development that the local community can be proud of.
“Metropolitan Park will deliver 25 acres of vibrant public park space, 23,000 well-paying union jobs, and much-needed transit upgrades. It’s time the world’s greatest borough gets the investment it deserves,” Cohen said in a statement.
Jim Allen, Chairman of Hard Rock International, praised the Queens community for embracing the Metropolitan Park project. Metropolitan Park officials noted that 83% of community board members who participated in the ULURP process voted in favor of the amendments, while they also noted that the Metropolitan Park solicited significant community engagement and feedback throughout.
Although the City Council has voted in favor of zoning amendments for the development, it does not guarantee any development will take place next to Citi Field.
The $8 billion Metropolitan Park proposal hinges on the project winning one of the three downstate casino licenses approved by state legislators. The New York State Gaming Commission will decide who receives the three licenses.
Two of the three downstate licenses are expected to be handed to existing “racinos” – which have slot machines and horse racing but no traditional casino table games – making competition for the final gaming license fierce. Other projects vying for a downstate casino license have outlined proposals at Times Square, Hudson Yards, the United Nations, Coney Island, and the former Trump Links golf course in the Bronx, among other locations.
Representatives of the Metropolitan Park project have previously stated that the development will not proceed unless it wins one of the three downstate licenses.
State officials will award downstate gaming licenses to the three successful projects by the end of 2025.
Queens Council Members Joann Ariola and Vickie Paladino were the only two elected officials to vote against the amendments during Wednesday’s vote, with Ariola throwing her support behind the Resorts World New York City project, an existing casino attached to the Aqueduct Race Track in Ozone Park. If selected, the $5 billion Resorts World expansion project would create a 35,000-square-foot meeting, conference and entertainment space and a 7,000-seat multi-use arena among other developments.
Ariola said it is unlikely that two of the three licenses will be handed to Queens venues and said Resorts World has already proved itself to be an “amazing partner” for the district.
“I don’t think there is enough of a market share for two casinos to prevail in Queens, Ariola said in a statement. “A lot of the visitors of Resorts World are from the Flushing area. Resorts World has been an amazing partner for our district.
“They have employed many people throughout the communities that I serve and I look forward to them getting the license and growing their footprint in Ozone Park.”
Paladino did not respond for a request for comment, nor did Queens Council Member Tiffany Cában – one of three elected officials to abstain from Wednesday’s vote.
