“Every site is going to have different challenges.

Only the state legislature can remove that restriction.Ĭohen’s chief of staff, Michael Sullivan, said the venture would seek whatever approvals are required by the city and state, and that the site had no more constraints than any other potential casino sites around the state. That public use restriction carried over when the site was leased to the Mets in 1961 for the construction of Shea Stadium. Previous efforts to develop the area as a shopping mall and movie theater have been blocked in court because it was designated as park land by the state legislature in order to host the 1939 World’s Fair. and Hard Rock International - have been scouting locations.īut the Citi Field site could face additional hurdles. Several casino operators - including Las Vegas Sands Corp. On Tuesday, the state’s Gaming Facility Location Board approved some of the terms for those licenses: A minimum $500 million capital investment and a $500 million license fee.Ĭohen said the development would be under the auspices of his family office and not the Mets.Ĭohen said he hasn’t lined up a gaming partner for a potential bid. The Cohen venture is one of several potential bidders for three casino licenses the state earmarked for the New York City area last year. To the east, at the tip of Willets Point, is the site of the newly approved $780 million soccer stadium for the New York City Football Club.

Any casino license application would have to go through a Community Advisory Committee appointed by the governor, mayor and other elected officials.Ĭohen said he’s soliciting input about what to do with the “50 acres of asphalt” that now serves as a parking lot for Citi Field just to the west of the ball park. “Right now, we’re in the listening phase.”Ī request for casino applications released by the state this week made clear that “only projects embraced by the community” will be considered. And you know, gaming could be a part of it,” Cohen said in an interview. “We’re taking input from everybody and looking for great ideas. His New Green Willets LLC has spent more than $300,000 lobbying the state legislature on casino-related issues. The event downplayed the role a casino could play in the development, and neither the press release nor the website to promote the event mentioned the word “casino.”īut Cohen, the billionaire founder of Stamford, Connecticut-based Point72 Asset Management, also made no secret that a casino is on the table. The charm offensive - which Cohen’s team called a “community visioning session” - was the fourth and largest of more than a dozen community meetings Cohen has planned.

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