QUEENS, NY— The proposed $8.1 billion Metropolitan Park casino near CitiField remains stalled after the New York City Public Design Commission delayed its approval.
Commission members unanimously postponed their vote last week after raising questions about design elements: including accessibility and the project's stormwater management plan.
A November 2024 internal memo, obtained by the City Reporter, raised concerns about flooding and the site's gradual sinking, known as land subsidence.
Sue Donoghue, former New York City Parks commissioner, warned the proposed park could worsen flooding, restrict public access and fall short of city parks design standards.
The memo also questioned how the new park would connect with nearby Flushing Meadows Corona Park and cited the plan called for the removal of 575 trees.
The development team plans to plant more than 1,000 trees across 25 acres of green space.
The casino, between Grand Central Parkway and Seaver Way in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, received a state gaming license in December 2025, following earlier city land-use approvals.
Backed by New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock International, the project would transform about 50 acres of parking lots around Citi Field into a casino resort with a hotel, live music venue, restaurants and public green space.
But amidst continued opposition from Queens residents about the initial land-use approval, much of the design commission's hearing focused on the morality of gambling.
"We keep saying resort, but it's a casino," Kenseth Armstead, a member of the Public Design Commission, said at the hearing.
As a parent of three, Armstead said he would consider withdrawing his children from a school located across from a casino.
However, the commission can only improve public access and safety within the development, not reconsider the decision to authorize the casino, Commissioner Merrill Tisch said.
"I understand that point of view, but that's not our purview or decision," Tisch said.
Jack Hu, an organizer with No Casino FMCP, a community group opposing the Metropolitan Park casino, rejected the notion that the project is a done deal despite receiving major city and state approvals.
"This is just the type of money in politics, pay-to-play manipulation that they've done throughout this entire process to push this project through," Hu said.
At the November 2024 Community Board 3 vote, members Shanel Thomas-Henry and Tammy Rose voiced support for Metropolitan Park but abstained from the vote, citing conflicts of interest related to their professional ties to the project.
Thomas-Henry said Queens Future had hired her for community outreach and workforce development services.
Rose disclosed that her company, Little Friends School Sunnyside, had provided consulting services to Queens Future on the proposed on-site childcare facility.
"I'm excited because Queen Future came to this young black female entrepreneur and engaged my services to do the same for them," Thomas-Henry said.
Ultimately, Community Board 3 approved the Metropolitan Park, 26-8, with three abstentions.
The decision comes as a New York City construction outlook report identifies $17.6 billion in planned casino resort development across Queens and the Bronx.
The project still faces design review by the Public Design Commission, which can require changes to the building and surrounding public spaces.
The commission's decision could still shape how the project is built, including requirements for wider walkways, more transparent building facades, accessible public seating and stronger flood-mitigation measures.
Killing the project would likely require a more consequential step than delaying design approval.
In March 2026, Queens residents and casino opponents sued the New York State Gaming Commission, seeking to overturn Metropolitan Park's casino license.
The lawsuit alleges that the licensing process unfairly limited public participation and that the commission failed to adequately assess the applicants' integrity.
A judge initially dismissed the case on jurisdictional grounds, and the plaintiffs pursued further legal action, including efforts to reargue the dismissal and refile in Queens County.
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