Queens Casino Plan Lands Important Zoning Changes

Posted on: February 20, 2025, 11:22h. 

Last updated on: February 20, 2025, 12:18h.

Todd Shriber @etfgodfather Read More
Expertise: Financial, Gaming Business, Mergers and Acquisitions.
  • Zoning changes needed to advance Queens casino effort
  • City Planning Commission vote was nearly unanimous

Metropolitan Park, the $8 billion proposal by New York Mets owner Steve Cohen to bring a casino hotel and other amenities to the area near Citi Field, procured necessary zoning changes from the City Planning Commission.

Queens casino
Citi Field in Queens, home of the New York Mets. The City Planning Commission granted zoning changes needed to advance a casino plan near the stadium. (Image: Getty Images)

On Wednesday, the commission voted 9-1 in favor of amendments needed to make zoning alterations that are important steps in advancing the quest for an entertainment district and gaming venue near the Mets’ stadium. Commissioner Juan Osorio abstained because he’s awaiting the outcome of a Department of Environmental Protection FEMA resiliency program.

Commission Chair Dan Garodnick pointed out that Wednesday’s vote ‘focused specifically on the land use actions’ for the asphalt parking lot next to Citi Field and did not constitute approval of the project,” reports Shane O’Brien for QNS.

Cohen’s gaming partner on the project is Hard Rock International, the gaming arm of the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

Commission Vote Could Be Important for Queens Casino

Last November, Queens community boards 3, 6, 7, 8, and 9 voted in favor of the $8 billion Metropolitan Park project, indicating there’s ample local backing for the plan. The City Planning Commission vote is the latest sign of that support.

The commission’s approval of zoning changes is crucial for other reasons. It represents the first instance of binding since the Uniform Land-Use Reform Process (ULURP) for the project commenced. Potentially adding to the importance of the City Planning Commission’s willingness to back zoning alterations is that the vote occurred just four months after Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) opted against including ULURP adjustments in her 2025 budget.

The vote arrived as land use issues remain front-and-center with Metropolitan Park. While Willets Point — the area the gaming venue would occupy if approved — is a parking lot, it’s classified as parkland. That designation needs to be stripped for the Queens casino project to come to life, but State Sen. Jessica Ramos (D-Queens) previously said she won’t introduce related legislation.

Bally’s proposal to bring a casino hotel to a golf course in Ferry Point in the Bronx faces a similar parkland classification issue.

Next Steps for Queens Casino Plan

Cohen and Hard Rock are aiming to turn Willets Point into an entertainment zone featuring 20 acres of park space, dining options, a live music venue, a convention center, and a casino hotel. Upon completing the ULURP process, the Queens casino plan, like the other proposals for downstate gaming permits, must go through steps with the New York Gaming Facility Location Board.

From there, the board will make recommendations to the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC), which has the final say on the winners of the three New York City-area casino permits. There’s optimism the process will play out in 2025, but the bidding window has yet to officially open.

As is the case with nearly all of the downstate casino proposals, Metropolitan Park would be unlikely to move forward if it doesn’t win one of three gaming licenses.