Jun. 27, 2025 By Shane O’Brien The team behind Metropolitan Park – led by New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock International – has officially submitted an application to the New York State Gaming Facility Location Board for one of three downstate gaming licenses. The application, which came ahead of Friday’s deadline…
June 6, 2025 By Shane O’Brien Hundreds of people packed Sunnyside Community Services (SCS) Thursday evening to give testimony on the OneLIC Neighborhood Plan at Community Board 2’s monthly in-person meeting. Dozens of local residents testified both in favor and against the neighborhood plan during the June 5 meeting at SCS, located at 43-31 39th… Read more »
May. 15, 2025 By Shane O’Brien The New York State Assembly has overwhelmingly approved legislation that would allow Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock International to transform 50 acres of Citi Field parking lot into Metropolitan Park, an $8 billion entertainment complex anchored by a casino. On Tuesday, lawmakers voted 134-11 in favor…
May 5, 2025 By Shane O’Brien The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to gather ideas and gauge interest in the potential redevelopment of the 672,000-square-foot Department of Education building at 44-36 Vernon Blvd. in Long Island City—a property that has long been a focal point in… Read more »
Apr. 30, 2025 By Ethan Stark-Miller Making it easier to build affordable housing in New York City and opening local partisan primaries to voters of any party are just two of the ideas being floated by a local panel that voters may get to decide on this November. The panel — known as a…
April 21, 2025 By Shane O’Brien The OneLIC Neighborhood Plan officially entered the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) on Monday, following certification by the City Planning Commission. The sweeping proposal aims to transform a large portion of Long Island City with new zoning rules that would create nearly 14,700 housing units—including 4,300 affordable… Read more »
Apr. 2, 2025 By Shane O’Brien A coalition of community groups in Elmhurst, Flushing, Jackson Heights and Corona has criticized State Sen. John Liu for announcing his plans to introduce a parkland alienation bill in the State Senate that brings the $8 billion Metropolitan Park casino project closer to reality. Liu announced Sunday that…
Mar. 21, 2025 By Shane O’Brien Mayor Eric Adams has announced the start of the public review ULURP process for the Jamaica Neighborhood Plan, an ambitious proposal to rezone a significant portion of Downtown Jamaica and deliver thousands of homes and thousands of jobs to an area that has faced decades of disinvestment. Adams…
Mar. 13, 2025 By Shane O’Brien The City Council has voted overwhelmingly in favor of modifications to zoning regulations for the planned $8 billion Metropolitan Park casino development adjacent to Citi Field in Flushing. The City Council voted 41-2 in favor of the proposal, a planned development by New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock…
Feb. 25, 2025 By Shane O’Brien The American Planning Association Metro New York (APA) and the Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS) hosted a conversation at Culture Lab LIC on the future of Long Island City as the OneLIC neighborhood plan prepares to enter the ULURP process. “The Future of Long Island City: A… Read more »