As the owner of the New York Mets baseball team, Steve Cohen persistently pursues his casino development project, state Sen. Jessica Ramos may block his road to obtaining a permit for construction in order to preserve open land for Queens residents.
Cohen’s $8 billion “Metropolitan Park” plan seeks to build a casino-entertainment complex in Corona, Queens. First however, he and his proposed-casino partner, Hard Rock, need a state law enacted to redesignate the lots around Citi Field from parkland to entertainment use.
Yet Sen. Ramos, who represents the Flushing-Corona area, said she will not create legislation allowing the billionaire baseball mogul to obtain a permit needed for the project to move forward on Tuesday.
Without the rezoning, Cohen’s project can’t be considered by state regulators, who are fielding his casino bid along with dozens of others that are applying for gambling licenses.
Ramos reported that her constituents are “desperate for green space, and recreation for the whole family,” rather than a space for gambling.
“I will not introduce legislation to alienate parkland in Corona for the purposes of a casino,” the state lawmaker said.
“We disagree on the premise that we have to accept a casino in our backyard as the trade-off. I resent the conditions and the generations of neglect that have made many of us so desperate that we would be willing to settle,” she added.
Another state senator would potentially be able to introduce the bill and push Cohen’s plan forward, but lawmakers are hesitant to go around a colleague on a project or decision that is pertinent in their respective district, as it is reportedly done rarely.
A proposed redesignation bill for the parkland has been introduced in the state Assembly, but it will still need to travel the same path in the state Senate.
Sen. Ramos steadfast opposition to Cohen’s casino project presents a significant setback, considering he has spent millions on lobbying and trying to charm local officials and residents by donating $116 million to CUNY’s LaGuardia Community College. Though Cohen is still vowing not to give up on the project, and argues that Ramos should not have the sole authority over it.
Although Ramos asserts that if Cohen wants the community to flourish, he should be open to alternatives.
“Mr. Cohen and his team have often declared their love for our community and said they recognize our potential. Finding a path forward would be a good way to show it,” she said in a statement.
