New York Mets proprietor Steve Cohen’s imaginative and prescient to remake the Citi Field neighborhood is more and more coming into focus.

The billionaire has teamed up with Hard Rock International on a bid to construct a $8 billion on line casino and leisure complicated adjoining to Citi Field — a key component within the effort to remake the long-derided space of enormous parking tons and a glut of auto restore retailers.

Hard Rock and Cohen are one in all practically a dozen candidates for one in all three extremely desired state licenses to construct a on line casino in downstate New York. Cohen’s want to construct a on line casino has been well-known, however Tuesday marked the primary detailed launch of his plans for what he’s calling Metropolitan Park, which is able to embody a gaming middle, lodge, music venue, meals corridor, inexperienced house, a renovated mass-transit station, group athletic fields, and playgrounds.

Cohen himself has criticized the Citi Field space, saying “there’s nothing going on” there — and that “it’s time the world’s greatest city got the sports and entertainment park it deserves.”

Tough Road Ahead

There are nonetheless quite a few hurdles for the plan. 

In addition to profitable the gaming license, which itself faces stiff competitors, Cohen and Hard Rock might want to safe new laws to permit for business improvement on what’s presently designated as parkland — and political assist for that’s presently unsure at greatest. A prolonged announcement heralding the challenge included a number of statements of assist from native enterprise and group leaders, however not elected officers.

Exact funding numbers haven’t been revealed, however Cohen is in line to save greater than $200 million over the subsequent quarter-century via a previous refinancing of the Citi Field development bonds.

The Cohen-Hard Rock proposal additionally provides to extra improvement coming to the realm by way of NYCFC’s separate plans to develop a $780 million soccer-specific stadium adjoining to Citi Field.