Overview

• State senators voted 54–5 to reclassify 50 acres of Citi Field parking lot from public parkland to commercial use, a key step for Steve Cohen’s $8 billion Metropolitan Park proposal.
• The bill mandates that Cohen and Hard Rock International convert 20 acres of the site into a proper public park and upgrade transit connections and bike paths.
• Companion measures passed earlier in the Assembly and New York City Council, and the legislation now awaits the governor’s signature or veto.
• Metropolitan Park’s design includes a casino, entertainment district, Taste of Queens food hall and promises 23,000 union jobs with $1 billion in community benefits.
• Local leaders such as State Sen. Jessica Ramos and neighborhood activists continue to oppose the plan, warning it could constitute a community “land grab.”