Sen. Jessica Ramos seemingly thwarted Steve Cohen’s casino plans near Citi Field, but like his New York Mets, a comeback may be in the offing.
Gov. Kathy Hochul plans to introduce legislation in the 2025 state budget that would expand the allowed uses for city parkland, including for a gambling complex, the New York Post reported.
Parkland alienation is Cohen’s main hurdle with his project, as Ramos did not introduce a bill that would allow for a gaming complex on the Flushing site.
While the Post’s source is connected to a rival casino bid, and therefore has a stake in this proposal, the governor’s spokesperson didn’t deny the report, simply saying Hochul would unveil her agenda at the State of the State in January.
Ramos said it would be “unfortunate for the Governor to do this, breaking an important precedent.”
Steve Cohen’s harbors an $8 billion vision for a casino complex in the Citi Field parking lots, dubbed Metropolitan Park. Cohen’s Point 72 Asset Management has 81 years left on its ground lease on the 50-acre site. The firm has previously said it would not build anything without securing a casino license.
The optics of Hochul introducing a bill that could benefit Cohen are arguably problematic, since Cohen and his wife were big donors to Hochul during her 2021 gubernatorial race, donating $136,700 to the campaign.
But clearing land-use obstacles would benefit other bidders in the downstate casino race, too. Bally’s, for instance, also needs approval of a parkland alienation bill for its Bronx proposal.
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