Metropolitan Park is a proposed park in the

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

. The proposed site is located at the parking lots adjacent to

Citi Field Citi Field is a baseball park, baseball stadium located in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, in the Boroughs of New York, borough of Queens, New York City, United States. Opened in 2009, Citi Field is the home of Major League Baseball's New York M ...

, the home of the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB).

History

In October 2013, the

New York City Council The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City in the United States. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The council serves as a check against the mayor in a mayor-council government mod ...

approved a plan to build a mall and entertainment center called Willets West in the

parking lot where

Shea Stadium William A. Shea Municipal Stadium ( ), typically shortened to Shea Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City.Willets Point Willets Point, also known locally as the Iron Triangle, is an industrial neighborhood within Corona, in the New York City borough of Queens. Located east of Citi Field near the Flushing River, it has been known for its automobile shops and j ...

. However, in 2015, the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court ruled that the site, considered parkland, could not be used for commercial development without permission from the

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

state government. In 2022, Mets owner

Steve Cohen Steve, Steven or Stephen Cohen may refer to: Sportspeople * Steve Cohen (gymnast) (born 1946), American Olympic gymnast * Steve Cohen (judoka) (born 1955), American judoka and Olympian * Steve Cohen (wrestler) (born 1963), South African wrestler be ...

began pushing to build a casino in the parking lot, which was supported by New York City mayor

Eric Adams Eric Leroy Adams (born September 1, 1960) is an American politician and former police officer who has served as the 110th mayor of New York City since 2022. Adams was an officer in the New York City Transit Police and then the New York City P ...

, but still needs final approval from the New York state government. In November 2023, Cohen unveiled a proposal to build an $8 billion, 50-acre casino and entertainment complex in the parking lot, called Metropolitan Park, which would include a

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Hard Rock Cafe, Inc. is a chain of theme bar-restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos, hotels and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll memorabilia, a ...

, restaurants, bars, and a live music venue as well as public park space, community athletic fields, and playgrounds.

New York state senator The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature, while the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Established in 1777 by the Constitution of New York, its members are elected to two-year terms with no term l ...

Jessica Ramos Jessica Ramos (born June 27, 1985) is an American politician from the state of New York. A Democrat, she has represented District 13, which includes the Queens neighborhoods of Corona, Elmhurst, East Elmhurst, and Jackson Heights, in the New Yor ...

, who represents

New York's 13th State Senate district New York (state), New York's 13th State Senate district is one of 63 districts in the New York State Senate. It has been represented by Democratic Party (United States), Democrat Jessica Ramos since 2019. Ramos defeated Independent Democratic C ...

where the site is located, announced her intention to formally oppose the construction of the casino and entertainment complex in May 2024. In March 2025, the New York City Council voted in favor of modifications in zoning regulations for the site, the penultimate step of the city's

Uniform Land Use Review Procedure Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) is a process mandated by the 1975 revision of the New York City Charter that is invoked when a proposed development will affect certain legal protections afforded to the existing area and/or its inhabitan ...

(ULURP). In May 2025, over the objections of Ramos, a parkland alienation bill sponsored by neighboring state senator

John Liu John Chun Yah Liu (traditional Chinese: 劉醇逸; born January 8, 1967) is an American politician in New York City. A member of the Democratic Party, he is a member of the New York State Senate for the 16th district in northeast Queens. He pr ...

which reclassified the site as commercial property passed the New York State Senate, clearing the way for casino construction to begin. The construction of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Metropolitan Park hinges on the project winning one of the three downstate casino licenses from the

New York State Gaming Commission The New York State Gaming Commission is the official governing body that oversees casino gaming, charitable gaming, horse racing, lottery, and video lottery terminals in New York State. Based in Schenectady, it was formed on February 1, 2013, ...

References

External links

Official website
{{Flushing Meadows-Corona Park Flushing Meadows–Corona Park Flushing, Queens Proposed buildings and structures in New York City Proposed parks in the United States Urban planning in New York City

History

See also

References

External links