Key Moments:
- A Manhattan Supreme Court judge has issued a temporary restraining order against Steve Cohen’s $8 billion casino resort project in Queens.
- The decision blocks the City of New York from moving forward with the redevelopment agreement. The order specifically applies to the 50-acre parking lot near Citi Field.
- The legal action follows the USTA’s claim that the city’s approval would violate its decades-long lease for the parking area. Consequently, the USTA argues that the agreement cannot legally proceed.
Project Put on Hold by Court Order
Judicial intervention has cast uncertainty over the future of the Metropolitan Park casino project. It is an $8 billion initiative spearheaded by Steve Cohen. Late last week, a judge from the Manhattan Supreme Court granted a temporary restraining order, pausing any advancement related to the development of a casino resort next to Citi Field in Queens.
The Metropolitan Park vision is backed by Cohen, who owns both the New York Mets and Citi Field. It aims to transform the 50-acre parking lot at Willets Point into a multifaceted sports, hospitality, and entertainment hub. The project’s scope encompasses a resort casino featuring 1,000 hotel rooms, a gaming floor with 5,000 slot machines and 400 table games, a sportsbook, 18 restaurants and bars, extensive retail and convention facilities, parking garages, and 25 acres of green space.
USTA’s Lease Rights at the Core of Legal Dispute
The parking lot targeted for redevelopment is owned by the City of New York and serves both Citi Field and the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home of the US Open. The United States Tennis Association opposes the city’s plan, arguing that executing an agreement with Cohen’s consortium, which includes Hard Rock International under the joint venture name Queens Futures, would breach its more than forty-year lease to use the parking area.
In response, the USTA filed for a temporary restraining order, which was granted by Justice Nancy Bannon. The order prohibits the city from entering into any agreements linked to Metropolitan Park with Queens Futures or its affiliates, absent a court determination that such actions comply with the existing lease terms.
As stated in Justice Bannon’s order: “Executing or otherwise entering into any agreement between the City and Queens Future or its subsidiaries or related entities pertaining to Metropolitan Park unless and until the City establishes that such agreements comply with USTA’s rights and the City’s obligations under the USTA-City Lease, as those rights and obligations are determined by the Court pending resolution of this action.”
The complex, which hosts the US Open, saw attendance figures surpassing 1.1 million during the event last August and September.
Looming Uncertainty Ahead of Casino License Decision
The New York Gaming Facility Location Board is scheduled to announce its decisions regarding downstate casino licenses by December 1. Prior to the USTA’s legal intervention, Metropolitan Park was considered a leading contender for one of these permits.
According to court filings, the USTA claims the city has failed to engage in dialogue regarding the project’s potential conflict with its parking lease. Neither city officials nor the New York Gaming Facility Location Board responded to media inquiries concerning the litigation. Queens Futures is not listed as a defendant. The development proposal includes three parking garages, but application documents do not specify the number of spaces that would be provided.
| Key Project Features | Details |
|---|---|
| Casino Resort Investment | $8 billion |
| Hotel Rooms | 1,000 |
| Gaming Floor | 5,000 slot machines, 400 table games |
| Restaurants & Bars | 18 |
| Retail Space | 20,000 square feet |
| Convention Facilities | Almost 100,000 square feet |
| Public Green Space | 25 acres |
- Author
Daniel Williams
