Mets owner Steve Cohen unveiled his plan to build an $8 billion entertainment complex on the parking field west of Citi Field.
Mets owner Steve Cohen is hoping his $8 billion “Metropolitan Park” plan unveiled Tuesday is a home run with the city and community, as it includes a 20-acre public park alongside a casino, hotels, food hall and music venue.
Partnering with entertainment giant Hard Rock International, the Metropolitan Park plan aims to create a year-round entertainment complex on a 50-acre “vacant asphalt” parking lot just west of Citi Field that has not served the community of fans to its full potential.
“It’s time the world’s greatest city got the sports and entertainment park it deserves,” Cohen said. “When I bought this team, fans and the community kept saying we needed to do better. Metropolitan Park delivers on the promise of a shared space that people will not only want to come to and enjoy, but can be truly proud of.”
The hedge fund billionaire is campaigning for one of the three downstate full casino licenses with a dozen of other applicants. The parking lot is built on public parkland that would require legislative action in Albany.
Over the last three years, Cohen and his team have met with community groups, elected officials, Mets fans and those who live and work in the surrounding neighborhoods to develop a vision that would give life to a sports and entertainment park. There have been over 15 community workshops resulting in thousands of ideas, hundreds of meetings with local leaders, and over 20,000 door-to-door conversations with our neighbors.
Over 89% of those that have been engaged door-to-door have signed a petition in support of the project, according to a press release.
“As I have made clear throughout my time in office, any developer that seeks to put shovels in the dirt must come prepared to deliver significant benefits to the surrounding community in the form of local hiring, economic opportunities…
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