Meet the Metropolitan Park

and lots of Eric Adams stuff including the FBI briefly seizing his cell phones! #62

Mets owner Steve Cohen this week unveiled his vision for the parking lots around his stadium.

That vision has a name: Metropolitan Park. And it features community space, offices, decked parking lots, a 2,300-room hotel, a music venue, a 20-acre park and — most crucially — a casino.

The group now known as Queens Future (the LLC filed in April, per state documents) released a public notice for an environmental hearing on the plan on Wednesday, with a public hearing scheduled for December.

A lot of the reporting made it seem like this was a done deal, that the $8 billion investment Cohen is promising was set in stone. The messaging by their street-team, lead by the political consulting firm North Shore Strategies, has repeated that message, business owners and community members have told me. It’s already happening, so sign on, won’t you? Won’t you???

But there are still many hurdles, outlined in their own scoping document. They need the big one, park alienation, but also DOT and MTA approval for the repairs they outlined to highway ramps and the subway station. And of course, they need to actually be selected for one of three downstate casino licenses, the decision of which is expected sometime next year.

And will any of it happen without that casino? Cohen’s team has taken a cautious approach to responding, a “we shall see” motto. As it stands now, the assembly bill meant to get the park alienation going is specifically ONLY for a casino — which might answer that question.

You can read the full story at THE CITY here.

And read Andrew Rice’s excellent profile of Steve Cohen that published this week in New York Magazine [NYMAG]

Other interesting stories, the Mayor Eric Adams edition

➻FBI seized mayor’s phones and iPad earlier this week as investigation intensifies — stopping him on the street and going into his car to grab them [NYTIMES]

➻Adams campaign took money from President Erdogan-backed foundation [THE CITY]

➻Who could challenge him in a primary? “Somebody should, maybe it’ll be me,” Sen. Jessica Ramos said [THE CITY]

➻And a guide to who’s investigating the Adams campaign, and why — which will be frequently updated [THE CITY]

➻Another great guide into the investigation from WNYC/Gothamist

Thanks for reading!