A report from Cohen's team after the visioning sessions found that participants consistently ranked 'gaming' as a low priority for the area, but the project is clearly contingent on Hard Rock getting to set up its slot machines and poker tables outside the future home of Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The rendering is also missing Citi Bike docks, which may finally make it to Citi Field by Opening Day 2024.Ĭohen's pitch comes after public visioning sessions ( where people demanded better bike and transit connections to the stadium), behind-the-scenes lobbying and political hardball to get his way on the right to remake the parking lot. It's unclear what guarantees that protected bike lanes would go in under the 7 train on Roosevelt Avenue, or whether Cohen or the MTA would pay for the accessibility upgrades and renovations and the Mets-Willets Point 7 and Long Island Railroad stops. But the bike lane proposal also doesn't fix the trickiest piece of bike and pedestrian connections to Citi Field, which is finding a safe way for people coming to the ballpark from 34th Avenue to cross the Grand Central Parkway twice.Ĭohen is also pitching a 'renovated, accessible train station' as part of the package. Judging by the rendering Cohen released, the bike lanes in the project would go on Roosevelt Avenue and Boat Basin Place, which runs between the Citi Field parking lot and Flushing Bay.

The various pieces that are being proposed to replace the Citi Field parking lot, including bike lanes and a park.

The proposal to remake the parking lot, which he hopes will be known as Metropolitan Park, proposes a public park roughly 20 football fields in size, a public plaza, bike paths, a tailgating area and, lest we forget, a casino. Fresh off of hiring a new president of baseball operations and a new field manager, the Mets and Steve Cohen have revealed their next big off-season priority: Shohei Ohtani replacing the parking lot outside Citi Field with a Hard Rock casino, some green space and some bike lanes.Ĭohen unveiled his vision for the parking lot on Tuesday, solidifying a plan he's talked up since he bought the Mets in 2020.

Hard rock casino ironically owned by