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New York

Mets owner airs development plans for space around Citi Field

Steve Cohen focused on open space, entertainment for 50-acre area

Mets Owner Steve Cohen (Illustration by Kevin Cifuentes for The Real Deal with Getty Images)
Mets Owner Steve Cohen (Illustration by Kevin Cifuentes for The Real Deal with Getty Images)

New York Mets owner Steve Cohen has big plans for 50 acres around the team’s ballpark in Queens.

Cohen is seeking community input for the area around Citi Field in a visioning session aimed at furthering his priorities and prior discussions with community groups and leaders. His stated mission for the development includes eliminating vacant space and removing barriers dividing neighborhoods from each other and the Flushing Bay waterfront.

Cohen’s vision for the space includes building green spaces, increasing waterfront access and expanding walkability and transit options.

A central focus is also bringing “year-round entertainment” to the area, which typically hosts most of its events — i.e. baseball games and concerts — during the spring and summer months.

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Mention of a “casino” was absent from the press release, but Cohen’s pursuit for one next to Citi Field is well known. Cohen was reported earlier this year to have pitched Mayor Eric Adams and City Hall officials on a casino in the Citi Field parking lot. But the push for a casino by Cohen and potential partner Hard Rock is a tricky one, as even the parking lot is mired in lease and bond agreements; the area around Citi Field has been notoriously difficult to develop.

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The land for which Cohen is seeking public input is separate from the Willets Point development plan, which is east of Cohen’s tract, according to Queens Post.

Related Companies and Sterling Equities last month reached an agreement to develop 2,500 affordable housing units across 23 acres, as well as a 250-key hotel and a 25,000-seat soccer stadium for Major League Soccer’s New York City Football Club.

Cohen is putting his dream of bringing year-round entertainment to the area in an early test. He’s set to host a visioning session in the afternoon on Jan. 7 at the ballpark.

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CasinosCiti FieldQueensWillets Point