CITI FIELD CASINO BACKGROUND
New Green Willets (NGW)—a firm owned by Steve Cohen, the billionaire owner of the Mets—seeks one of New York State’s 3 casino licenses for publicly-owned parkland adjacent to Citi Field. The project would privatize over 50 acres of public parkland and exploit local communities.
The proposed casino project publicly targets Flushing, selling the project’s profitability on its exploitation of the local Queens communities and Mets fans. The neighborhood impacts of gambling centers are well documented and devastating—they siphon money from local communities while residents, like many in Flushing, are struggling with rent and the soaring cost of living.
IMPACT TO LOCAL COMMUNITIES
PARKLAND ALIENATION: WHAT IS IT AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
'Parkland alienation' means taking away parkland to allow for a different type of land use. The parkland around Citi Field has very specific allowable uses—festivals, events, parking, etc.—that do not include a permanent structure, like a casino. A state bill is required to allow for any new parkland alienation that would enable a permanent structure.
Taking over 50 acres of public parkland is no small thing! Once the land is taken, it sets legal precedent which means that the same kind of land grab could happen elsewhere. If alienated, the land around Citi Field will still be publicly owned and leased to New Green Willets, which means that the group will likely not pay taxes.
WE DESERVE A PUBLIC PARK
The proposed casino takes over 50 acres of publicly-owned parkland situated in the middle of multiple environmental justice communities that already face threats of residential and commercial displacement. Instead of giving away over 50 acres of our public land so that a billionaire can profit, the FED UP coalition believes that we should improve and invest in the parkland adjacent to Citi Field by building a real community park.
We are calling on local Queens communities to collaborate with us on developing this vision, and on our local elected officials to identify the city, state, and federal funding sources that could enable it.
Timeline of CASINO LICENSING PROCESS
Stage 1: Request for Applications + License Approval
January 3, 2023
Casino Request for Applications released.
February 3, 2023
Applicants can submit questions to the review board.
March 23, 2023
Review board responds to questions.
April 22, 2023
Applicants submit a second round of questions to the review board.
Applicants submit casino license applications. As of September 13, 2023 casino operators and real estate developers are preparing to submit their official proposals.
Community Advisory Committee (CAC) begins immediately once all applications are in.
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The CAC is the local decision-making body that plays a crucial role in determining whether the casino license will be granted to an applicant.
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NYS Governor (Kathy Hochul), NYC Mayor (Eric Adams), Applicable NYS Senator (Jessica Ramos), Applicable NYS Assemblymember (Jeffrion Aubry), Applicable Borough President (Donovan Richards), Applicable City Councilmember (Francisco Moya).
Applicants submit revisions and questions based on CAC feedback.
CAC votes.
Applicants submit proposal to applicable zoning authorities.
Stage 2: Local Zoning Approval
The applications must also undergo the city's land use review procedure (ULURP), which takes roughly 7 months and involves multiple stages of community input. Click here to see the Center for Urban Pedagogy’s detailed diagram of the ULURP process. Once ULURP is complete, Stage 2 will begin.
Spring 2024
(Predicted)
Zoning completion deadline
Supplement Return Date
Board announces remaining applicants
Applicant publicly presents to Board
Board public comment event(s)
Board selection of Applications to proceed to licensure consideration by the Commission