Two recent polls show very different results over Mets owner Steve Cohen’s plan to build Metropolitan Park, a casino gaming and entertainment venue on the parking lot west of Citi Field, where Shea Stadium used to stand.
QNS file photo
Before the shovels hit the ground on New York Mets owner Steve Cohen’s proposed $8 billion casino and entertainment complex in Corona, he would need new legislation allowing construction atop the public parkland where Shea Stadium once stood.
State Senator Jessica Ramos who represents the district, is still undecided as to whether she will carry that bill in Albany.
Recent polling commissioned by both sides gauging support from area residents for the billionaire’s Metropolitan Park project elicited results that are diametrically opposed.
Cohen and Hard Rock International showed their cards last Tuesday, polling that shows strong support across Queens for the Metropolitan Park complex that would rise on the parking lot to the west of Citi Field.
After sharing details of the project and announcing more than $1 billion in community benefits, the Queens Future survey showed support exceeds 80% borough-wide and when asked about the Hard Rock hotel with a live music venue and casino gaming, 76% supported it borough-wide.
“For more than three years, we’ve been working closely with local leaders and the community to solicit input to create a shared vision for Metropolitan Park,” a Metropolitan Park spokesperson said. “This project represents the feedback we’ve received over the course of hundreds of meetings and thousands of conversations and is why the more people who live and work in Queens see and hear about Metropolitan Park, the more supportive they are.”
The proposal is contingent on approval for one of the three downstate casino licenses the state is expected to award in late 2025, and it would require park alienation legislation to be introduced in Albany by Ramos. The Queens Future…
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