Pressure is mounting on state Sen. Jessica Ramos to help clear the way for “Metropolitan Park,” Mets owner Steve Cohen’s proposed casino and entertainment hub by Citi Field, as the fierce competition to bring a casino to New York City heats up.
Several Queens electeds urged her this week to back a state bill needed to eventually transform the parking lot around the stadium — legislation she’s held up for months while gauging local support.
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, local Councilman Francisco Moya and Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry have all signaled their support for the Park. In a letter sent to Ramos on Monday that was obtained by the Daily News, they implored her to support a measure that would cut bureaucratic red tape for the project.
“We appreciate that, like us, you have taken a deliberative and thoughtful approach to weighing the benefits of this project, and that you will continue to evaluate its support among your constituents,” they wrote. “We have also heard from our shared constituency. The community wants Metropolitan Park.”
Ramos has spent the past few months getting local feedback at several town halls, where she’s expressed skepticism of the project herself. Recent polls of the community showed varied levels of support for the undertaking.
“I’m curious what ‘deliberative process’ the authors of this letter think they have taken,” Ramos said in a statement. “I haven’t seen them attend one of my town halls, let alone host their own.”
New York Budget
Hans Pennink/AP State Sen. Jessica Ramos
The $8 billion proposal would turn 50 acres of asphalt around Citi Field into an entertainment hub with a casino, hotel, concert venue, food hall and public park — if it can clear several government hurdles first.
One of those is having Ramos co-sponsor a “parkland alienation” bill already introduced by Aubry before the state legislative session ends in June. Because the massive parking lot around Citi Field is technically parkland, it needs to be “alienated” by the state before anything could be built there.
Ramos said she will make a decision on the bill by the end of May. She, Aubry, Richards and Moya would eventually have to approve Cohen’s casino application as part of a Community Advisory Committee, which will also include reps for the mayor and governor.
There are currently about 10 hopefuls around the city aiming to secure one of three casino licenses on offer from the state. Two of those are expected to go to existing “racinos” in Yonkers and at Resorts World on the other side of Queens. State applications aren’t set to open until 2025, though that process may be moved up.
The city recently made it easier for casinos to come to the Big Apple by passing legislation allowing gaming facilities in certain commercial and manufacturing zones.
The area neighboring Citi Field is poised for transformation even if Cohen doesn’t secure a casino license. The City Council passed the Willets Point rezoning last month, setting the stage for thousands of new homes and the city’s first soccer stadium.
