NEW YORK | Casino Development| FT| FLOORS

[NYguy]

It’s a shame Cohen only wants to improve the stadium surroundings if he gets the casino. Converting that parking lot to an actual park would be nice. They could still keep the covered parking with a new museum or something. I still say that’s where the city should have built the soccer stadium, and more housing on the soccer stadium site. I agree that his plan looks more suitable for Nassau County.

[NYguy]

A few more looks at Cohen's proposal...

[NYguy]

Community Board review begins for the Met Park proposal.

[NYguy]

https://nypost.com/2024/10/09/busine...yc-casino-bid/

Gov. Kathy Hochul will go to bat for one of her biggest donors – Mets owner Steve Cohen – to help revive his NYC casino bid


By Josh Kosman and Carl Campanile
Oct. 9, 2024

Hochul plans to introduce legislation in the 2025 state budget that would broaden the permitted uses of city parkland for a gambling complex, a source close to the situation told The Post.

State lawmakers have tried to thwart Cohen and others from moving forward with their billion-dollar projects, citing concerns over the loss of public land to private ventures.

“The Governor is going to try to get all the land use issues for the casino license bids rolled into the budget,” the source, who is close to one of Cohen’s rival bidders, told The Post. “She is trying to stuff it in there.”

State Sen. Jessica Ramos refused to introduce a bill that would rezone the land.

She said her constituents are “desperate for green space, and recreation for the whole family” — not gambling.

“It would be unfortunate for the Governor to do this, breaking an important precedent. New Yorkers are yearning for real economic development,” Ramos told The Post on Wednesday.

[streetscaper]

God I hate that corrupt woman!

[NYguy]

https://nypost.com/2024/10/10/us-new...ed-casino-bid/

Gov. Kathy Hochul now says she has ‘no intention’ to aid Steve Cohen’s troubled casino bid


By Carl Campanile, Vaughn Golden and Josh Kosman
Oct. 10, 2024

Gov. Kathy Hochul insisted Thursday that she won’t aid Mets owner Steve Cohen’s bid for a coveted New York City casino license — after sources told The Post she intended to introduce legislation that would benefit the billionaire.

“There are people, shady people, who will try to manipulate the [casino bidding] process to their benefit and be willing to put out lies. I have had no intention of putting this in my executive budget,” the governor told reporters when asked if was going to bat for Cohen, one of her biggest donors.

When asked to comment for The Post story earlier this week, a Hochul spokesperson declined to say whether she intended to add the new provision in the upcoming budget.

“Gov. Hochul will unveil her State of the State agenda in January,” the rep told The Post.

After hearing Hochul might address Cohen’s land use problem in the state budget, the governor got immediate blowback from lawmakers, who said it looked like she was aiding the Cohen/Hard Rock $8 billion casino proposal near Citi Field in Queens.

“It’s a bad precedent,” said Joe Addabbo (D-Queens), who chairs the state Senate’s Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee, when first hearing of Hochul’s planned intervention.

“For the governor to get involved and favor one bidder over other bidders sets a dangerous precedent.”

A spokesperson for Cohen shot down accusations that Hochul was putting a thumb on the scale to help the Mets owner.

“Permitted use legislation doesn’t prejudge the gaming approval process in any way nor does it guarantee the project will move forward,” the spokesperson said.

Hochul’s apparent change of plans leaves Cohen’s bid in a pickle.

He needs the State Senate to introduce and pass a bill to give his bid with Hard Rock the authority to use the city lots around Citi Field to build the casino and entertainment complex over the wishes of Jessica Ramos, the local state senator, who opposes it.

Cohen’s bid is dead — can’t even move forward for consideration — without an alienation law, the taking of parkland for non-park use.

As is custom, legislators defer to a local representative when it comes to controversial projects in his or her district — and it’s highly unlikely the Senate would pass an alienation bill over Ramos’ objections.

[streetscaper]

Thank god it seems impassable now!

[Busy Bee]

Icky

[NYguy]

Hochul's whole reason for declining to amend the approval date to what was approved in both houses is that she wanted the land-approval processes currently underway for each approval to be completed. The 7 month approvals process for all of the city proposals that require it hasn't even begun yet, though those are moving up to a starting date soon. A couple of proposals that need approval besides that are the Bally's Casino in the Bronx (parkland) and Cohen's Hard Rock proposal (parkland). But even when all of those steps are completed, that's only the beginning. That's when the state's approval process kicks in. This is all a lot of redundancy that was put in place by Hochul. It's all ridiculous.

Here are the developments nearing beginning of the 7 month ULURP process:


1. Queens Future has begun (don't know how as they don't have the site yet)
https://zap.planning.nyc.gov/projects/2024Q0218

2. Hudson Yards is beginning soon
https://zap.planning.nyc.gov/projects/2024M0108
https://zap.planning.nyc.gov/projects/2024M0282 (mapping)

3. Coney Island casino
https://zap.planning.nyc.gov/projects/2024K0230

4. Silverstein's proposal has not been changed to accommodate the casino plan
https://zap.planning.nyc.gov/projects/P2016M0148
https://zap.planning.nyc.gov/projects/2020M0325
https://zap.planning.nyc.gov/projects/P2014M0309


Basically, everything that's being done now is to see who can even apply for a casino license in the first place.


Then we'll be here at the starting line:





Given Hochul's ability to delay, and delay again, it wouldn't shock me if those dates were pushed back even further.