CITI FIELD CASINO BACKGROUND
Queens Future—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 78 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, Corona, Jackson Heights, and Elmhurst 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 78 acres of public parkland is no small thing! Once public land is given away, we can’t get it back. If alienated, the land around Citi Field will still be publicly owned and leased to Queens Future, which means that the group will likely not pay taxes.
WE DESERVE A PUBLIC PARK
The proposed casino takes 78 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 78 acres of our public land to build a massive casino and hotel development 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.
UPDATES + TIMELINE
After 3 years and millions of dollars spent on lobbying, NYC and NY State gave away 78 acres of Flushing Meadows parkland for Queens Future’s casino. The parkland alienation bill passed without a guarantee for acre-for-acre replacement of public parkland and does not guarantee commitments to improving Flushing Meadows Corona Park outside of the casino site.
This does not mean Queens Future received a casino license. It does mean that Queens Future overcame the last administrative hurdle they needed to before applying for a casino license on June 27th, 2025.
What’s next? Check out this article for key dates in the casino licensing timeline.