Cohen’s casino project approved by community advisory committee

The Mets’ dreams of a 2025 championship may be dead, but team owner Steve Cohen’s hopes of a Citi Field-adjacent casino and entertainment complex are still very much alive. 

The project’s community advisory committee unanimously voted Tuesday to advance the proposal to the state Gaming Commission, which will determine which projects will get the state’s three coveted full downstate gaming licenses, slated to be awarded by year’s end.

“I could not be more excited about the potential this project represents,” Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said in casting his vote Tuesday. “Queens hit the jackpot with the Metropolitan Park project.”

In addition to Cohen’s plan, dubbed Metropolitan Park, three other projects made it to the final stage of the yearslong process: Genting’s Resorts World in Southeast Queens, MGM’s Empire City in Yonkers and the Bally Corp.’s Bronx proposal. 

For years now, the conventional wisdom has been that Empire City and Resorts World, both of which are racinos and therefore have existing infrastructure, would get two of the three licenses, with the final license likely being awarded to a new casino project. Nearly a dozen projects were proposed in the New York City area, but few made it past the CAC process (and some didn’t even get that far). Now, it seems it’s down to two: Metropolitan Park and Bally’s. 

Not 18 months ago, the project was thought to be dead in the water. Since the proposal – complete with 25 acres of green space, a concert hall and food hall – is slated for the Citi Field parking lot, which was legally parkland, the state Legislature needed to pass a parkland alienation bill to make way for the plan. With the project largely located within state Sen. Jessica Ramos’ district, it was viewed as her legislation to carry. After more than a year of deliberation, Ramos decided in May 2024 not to introduce the bill. 

But after Assembly Member Larinda Hooks brought the legislation back to the Assembly in the spring, state Sen. John Liu, whose district includes a small portion of the project, introduced the legislation in exchange for a pedestrian bridge connecting Downtown Flushing and Willets Point – should Cohen be awarded a license. The move by Liu – who had previously voiced concerns about gambling – was seen as a significant break in precedent and a loss for Ramos, who has insisted her constituents do not want a casino, but broke with many of her colleagues in her opposition. The bill passed 54-5. 

Still, it was Ramos who was able to make an appointment to the CAC. But George Dixon, Ramos’ pick, voted in favor of the proposal Tuesday.

“Working people should not have to depend on a disgraced billionaire with an extraordinary record of violating the public’s trust. Gambling on a casino to be the economic saving grace for families to finally build generational wealth is unrealistic and unfair to the people who deserve better,” Ramos said in a statement to City & State. “Today’s vote failed to serve the people.”

As for Dixon’s vote specifically, Ramos added that she appointed him “in good faith,” calling him “a distinguished member of the community in East Elmhurst.” “Until this moment, Mr. Dixon had remain(ed) undecided per my phone call with him this morning before today’s vote,” she said. Dixon could not be reached for comment.