With his team on a winning streak and his casino proposal receiving new life, April is shaping up to be a banner month for New York Mets owner Steve Cohen.
A state Senate committee narrowly approved a bill that would enable the parkland alienation of a portion of the proposed Metropolitan Park casino site, Bloomberg reported. Bills that pass committee typically receive full Senate approval, though the measure would also need approval from the Assembly and Gov. Kathy Hochul.
The measure is needed because the parking lot where Cohen intends to put the casino is technically city parkland and requires state intervention to be used for non-park purposes.
The bill’s possible passage is a moment with little precedent for the state legislature, which often defers to the wishes of local lawmakers on land use decisions. Mayoral candidate Jessica Ramos’ district contains most of the 50-acre park, while State Sen. John Liu represents about 12 acres. Ramos previously refused to take up a parkland alienation bill, seemingly dooming Cohen’s $8 billion project, before Liu sponsored the bill last month.
Around the same time Liu started working the political levers, Cohen and gaming partner Hard Rock International sweetened the pot, partnering with Slate Property Group to add 450 affordable housing units to the proposal, albeit two miles away from the casino site.
Cohen and Hard Rock are under a binding agreement to fund $100 million in infrastructure upgrades to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. Their proposal for Metropolitan Park in the parking lot west of Citi Field includes a hotel, live music venue, food hall and 20 acres of public park space.
Cohen has said, however, that he won’t build any of the project without one of the three coveted gaming licenses up for grabs from the state.
Applications for the three licenses are due near the end of June. The state’s Gaming Facility Location Board is expected to decide on which applicants will receive licenses by the end of the year.
— Holden Walter-Warner
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Steve Cohen sweetens casino proposal with 450 affordable units
