What is Metropolitan Park?

Metropolitan Park is a community-driven vision to transform the 50 acres of asphalt around Citi Field into a revolutionary sports and entertainment park. This reimagined space will bring together neighbors, fans and visitors to enjoy a new public park, improved public transportation, live music, a Queens Food Hall and a Hard Rock Hotel and Casino with sportsbook.

The park will be a year-round entertainment destination for the enjoyment of not only the people of Queens and the New York region but for international tourists as well. Metropolitan Park embodies the spirit of Queens, and is poised to become the next great New York landmark.

When will Metropolitan Park be built?

Metropolitan Park is about creating sustainable jobs and long-term economic growth for the area. The process is designed to ensure that there is community input and the right kind of engagement to build something that will last. Doing it the right way will take time, but it ensures that the community is part of the process and our partners each step of the way.

Can there be a Metropolitan Park without gaming?

No. Year-round entertainment would be core to any vision for the area, and ultimately provides the economic engine to make the project viable. A feasibility study found that site prep infrastructure alone would require an estimated $3 billion investment. If we are not able to move forward with this plan, we would be back to the drawing board, and the area would remain 50 acres of empty surface parking.

If there is development on the parking lots, where will Mets fans park?

Metropolitan Park will have more parking capacity than currently exists at Citi Field.  Steve Cohen gave his team a mandate to improve the transportation and parking situation for Mets fans and the surrounding communities. The overall project fully replaces and modernizes the existing parking with new garages, as well as improvements to surrounding roadways and transportation infrastructure to address the congestion issues and create better overall visitor experience.

Will Mets fans still be able to tailgate for the games? 

Of course! Since taking over the Mets, Steve Cohen has cultivated a closer relationship between the team and the fans by focusing on the fan experience, through improvements to the facilities at Citi Field and by embracing the traditions of this storied franchise.

Across the country ballparks, stadiums and arenas have created meaningful experiences and shared spaces for both fans and the local community.

Metropolitan Park will create the type of enhanced fan experience that will turn a three hour game into a day at the ballpark.  We will also be creating a new tailgate park to offer fans new tailgating options.

Traffic is already a challenge in this area. How will this project impact traffic?

Metropolitan Park makes significant investments in our community’s infrastructure and traffic challenges. Our strategy focuses on the root causes of traffic, and on long term infrastructure improvements that will ultimately benefit our entire community

Right now, there's nowhere for fans to go before or after the games, which is a huge contributor to the traffic problem, because everyone arrives and departs at roughly the same time. With Metropolitan Park bringing increased entertainment, restaurants, and other options around Citi Field, we expect more people to come early and stay longer and ultimately help alleviate the rush and better distribute traffic patterns. 

Significant investments in improvements to the local roadway and highway network to rationalize traffic patterns, moving from a 1960s network designed for a single baseball stadium to a 21st century network for a mixed-use neighborhood. 

We’ll also build on the Mets experience during the construction of Citi Field – and their investment in a dedicated, expert in-house traffic and transportation team – to ensure that any reduction in parking capacity be limited in time and impact. Other changes like bringing back the Mets Express train on the 7 line and adding ferry service to World’s Fair Marina will further improve the overall experience for Mets fans. 

The 7 Train is already overburdened, won’t this project add far more additional volume than it can handle?

We’re working to develop a comprehensive plan that looks at how we can improve the transportation infrastructure of the area, which includes both improving upon the existing public transit options, as well as providing new transit, pedestrian, bike/scooter, and rideshare options.

The vision for Metropolitan Park brings with it a revitalized Mets-Willets Point subway station that seeks to bring the existing facility up to modern standards, including accessibility, signage, and materials, while maintaining its size and throughput for processing large sporting event crowd sizes.

And with entertainment options beyond what’s happening at Citi Field, the traffic flow will be better distributed before and after the game. 

What about the events currently being held in these parking lots?

The events held in the parking lots of Citi Field are privately operated, and these organizations lease the use of parking lot space from the Mets (Citi Field). Outside of game days, a small number of privately-sponsored events, and limited commuter parking in the south lot, the lots are otherwise not accessible to the public. Creating a shared space with year-round entertainment and amenities that everyone can come to and enjoy would provide more benefits to the community.

Does the local community support Metropolitan Park?

Yes. The community-led Metropolitan Park plan has strong public support from local unions, the Queens Chamber of Commerce, the Waterfront Alliance, and the Coalition for the Advancement of Queens, among other local leaders and organizations. 

From shovel to broom, Metropolitan Park is committed to using 100% union labor and has the support of major unions including: 

• Building Trades Employers’ Association

• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local Union No. 3

• International Union of Painters and Allied Trades AFL-CIO, District Council No. 9

• Laborers’ International Union of North America, Cement and Concrete Workers District Council

• Laborers’ International Union of North America, Construction and General Building Laborers’ Local 79

• New York City and Vicinity District Council of Carpenters

• Transport Workers Union of America AFL-CIO

• United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry of the United States and Canada, Plumbers Local 1

Elected Leaders across Queens also support Metropolitan Park including: Borough President Richards, Council Member Moya. Assembly Member Aubry, and Assembly candidate Larinda Hooks.

This support followed unprecedented, comprehensive community engagement, including over 15 community workshops resulting in thousands of ideas and hundreds of meetings with local leaders. The community team has knocked on over 40,000 doors in the surrounding neighborhoods and has engaged with residents across Queens.

Are the Mets involved in this project?

Mets fans are key to the success of any project in this area and their needs are important considerations in the broader vision for this project.  While the Mets organization is not officially involved in any capacity, Mets owner Steve Cohen is a partner in the project.

What is your relationship to the NYCFC stadium project in Willets Point?

We are committed to working closely with all partners in the area to ensure that both projects can move forward efficiently, as well as provide smooth operations during events for both the fans and the community. While these two projects are not directly connected, NYCFC is a partner for bringing Metropolitan Park to life. 

Metropolitan Park is a comprehensive transformation of the area that embraces the existing sports attractions (Citi Field and USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center) as well as the forthcoming NYCFC soccer stadium, to create a world-class sports and entertainment destination in the heart of Queens.

What are you doing to address concerns that gaming targets specific communities?

We take our responsibility to be a good neighbor and good partner seriously. Throughout this process our first priority has been engaging with our local neighbors and community members to hear their concerns, priorities, and perspectives.  From their visions for the lots around Citi Field, to what improvements to the area and support for their communities they hope to see.

The team behind Metropolitan Park released $1 billion in specific community benefits and transit improvements they have committed to providing, including $163 million for a Community Impact Fund that will provide grants to non-profit organizations serving Queens communities and residents including for addiction services.