The atmosphere inside of Queens Borough Hall Tuesday at the first public hearing for the Metropolitan Park casino proposal was rowdy, like that of a Mets-Phillies game at Citi Field, the site of the proposal.
Supporters and opponents of the $8 billion mixed-use development waved signs, chanted slogans and cheered and jeered for much of the three-hour hearing. The next hearing is set for 10am local time on 16 September, at the same location.
Two hearings is the minimum obligation for the project’s community advisory committee (CAC). After that, it may choose to hold a binding vote or host more hearings if deemed necessary. The vote deadline is 30 September, with two-thirds approval from the CAC required in order to proceed to state consideration. Eight applicants are vying for three downstate New York casino licences which will be awarded by year’s end.
For Steve Cohen, the hedge fund billionaire who owns the New York Mets, Metropolitan Park would be the latest and biggest splurge in what has been a multi-year spending spree since buying the team in 2020.
Cohen has spent big on players – Juan Soto’s MLB record $765 million deal being the chief example – and has now turned his attention to transforming 50 acres of parking lots around Citi Field into a sprawling mixed-use complex. His chosen partner for this mission is the Seminole-owned gaming and entertainment giant Hard Rock International.
The project is squarely in the mix for licensure due to Cohen’s clout and spending power, but it faces hurdles. These include fierce opposition from local senator Jessica Ramos and related political fallout, as well as the issue that another very strong bid (Resorts World NYC) also has a Queens location.
So far, Metropolitan Park has passed through a litany of board votes with high approval rates. But many residents also made their opposition heard on Tuesday and its facade of support may be showing signs of cracks.
Addressing questions from the CAC
Leading another presentation for the project on Tuesday was Michael Sullivan, Cohen’s chief of staff. He sought to address three specific questions raised by the CAC at a presentation on 4 August. The first was a new entryway and path to better accommodate for pedestrian and bike traffic, which would replace a vehicle on-ramp.
Second, CAC member George Dixon had asked about the possibility of including a soap box derby concourse. Due to its size, it could not be incorporated into the existing design, stakeholders said. But they pointed to the possibility of building one elsewhere using funds from a community-led trust. And finally, Sullivan showed renderings for a new “vendor plaza” that would replace a bus parking lot, which would be used as a temporary food court for the project’s construction workers.
“We humbly believe this is the best site in New York City for one of these gaming licences. It’s the ideal place to tie together these great sports venues and build something beautiful that we can all be proud of,” Sullivan said.
The venues he was alluding to were Citi Field; the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, which just hosted the US Open tournament; and Etihad Park, set to open in 2027 as the new home of the NYCFC soccer franchise.
Also speaking on behalf of the project was its outreach director and former city council member, Julissa Ferreras-Copeland. She reiterated the project’s success with various votes, including community boards, city council and the state legislature.
“With this meeting we will have now had 18 public hearings on this project,” she said. “Eighteen times our community has shown up and expressed their support.”
High level of support from local officials
The first block of public comments featured a number of endorsements from local figures.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Queens, I can’t encourage it enough,” said former city councilman Daniel Dromm. “I have lived in Queens almost all my life and we have never had an opportunity like this before.”
That emphasis on the economic opportunities for Queens was mentioned frequently by others. This highlights a general theme of the downstate New York race, in that the bidders outside of Manhattan (five of eight) have argued that their communities are more deserving of development and growth opportunities.
That said, Metropolitan Park has the potential disadvantage of also being in the same borough as Resorts World, which is considered perhaps the biggest frontrunner. It remains to be seen whether state officials would be willing to award two of three available licences to one borough.
“These things don’t happen every once in a while, this is a once-in-a-lifetime, generational project,” testified Tom Grech, CEO of the Queens Chamber of Commerce.
Outpouring of diversity for Metropolitan Park
The diversity of the speakers and their groups was notable, and there were examples of comments both for and against. Queens is nicknamed “The World’s Borough” for its high level of diversity and immigrants. According to Data USA, four different ethnic groups garner at least 10% of the borough’s population, far above the US average.
Some speakers applauded this and argued that Metropolitan Park represents an opportunity for all.
“Our people, who were considered essential workers, have been, with a few notable exceptions, invisible and overlooked when it comes to transformational investments,” said Frankie Miranda, CEO of the Hispanic Federation. “That is why Metropolitan Park is essential to the future of these communities.”
Of all the ethnic groups in Queens, the Asian population is the largest at over 25%, per Data USA. It is something of a cultural stereotype that Asians love to gamble, partly due to the fact that China’s Macau region is the world’s largest casino market by revenue. This stereotype was explored in-depth by the New York Council on Problem Gambling in 2022.
Many speakers, including Community Board 8 member Simon Pelman, who runs an assisted living facility with a majority Asian population, said the casino complex would be a welcome amenity and “if [Asian residents] want to gamble, they certainly have the right to do that”. But others were less supportive.
“No community benefits agreement could offset the harm of this luxury complex, which will compound the rampant speculation that is already displacing communities of colour in Queens,” said Annie Lowe, an attorney for the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund.
No surprise to see residents opposed
It has come to be expected by this point in the licensing process that local residents would be the ones most opposed to Metropolitan Park. This has been the case for nearly every bid, with the exception of Resorts World, although there was a notable lack of unaffiliated residents at its first hearing.
The level of pushback seemed to rise as Tuesday’s meeting went on, with opponents frequently jeering or erupting in applause based on speakers’ sentiments.
Those detractors who did make it to the microphone blasted the process, blasted Cohen’s billionaire influence, and even blasted the committee, which wasn’t received well. By the late stages, the online streaming window for the hearing was nearly completely covered with anti-casino signs.
“This whole community input process has asked us as a community the question, ‘What should we beg the rich guys for?’ That’s what this process has been,” said resident Zeke Dunn. “We don’t need to beg rich guys for parks, this is backwards.”
Stakeholders are proposing a 25-acre public park as a major selling point, but that does not seem to be landing well locally. Instead of endorsing the project because of the park, residents largely turned the question around and asked why a casino was necessary for such development. This has been a common question for detractors of all bids.
“Don’t let this obvious money grab, by those who don’t care about anything except for their own profits, destroy Queens families,” pleaded resident Victoria Hoyle.
Metropolitan Park has received a lot of support from city and state officials, but Queens locals don’t all exhibit the same goodwill.