A group affiliated with New York Mets franchise owner Steve Cohen has revealed a proposal for a new mixed-use entertainment district and casino that would occupy a transforming portion of the Willets Point, Queens neighborhood if approved.

The $8 billion proposal covers 50 acres (20 of which will be dedicated open space) and will include designs from SHoP Architects, Fields Operations, and Jeffrey Beers International. The site is located adjacent to another development that was announced in May and is being master planned by HOK to create the first-ever dedicated professional soccer facility in New York City. The plan calls for a hotel, multiple restaurants or bars, a conference space, gardens and athletic facilities, a music venue, and a food hall for local vendors. 

Speaking in a press release, Cohen said: “When I bought this team, fans and the community kept saying we needed to do better. Metropolitan Park delivers on the promise of a shared space that people will not only want to come to and enjoy but can be truly proud of.” No construction timeframe was made public with the proposal.

The issue of establishing casinos in the New York City area has drawn in many top-tier architectural talents like BIG and CetraRuddy. Some community groups have authored significant pushbacks against the idea, which is supported by Mayor Eric Adams on economic grounds, and zoning laws still remain a barrier to their realization. The blog 6sqft reports the plan’s backers as having cultivated 20,000 in-person conversations and another 15 public workshops over the past three years. The site is currently home to a large parking lot but is technically a part of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, requiring an alienation covenant on the part of its owner New York State. Willets Point’s proximity to multiple subway lines and the LIRR could also be a deciding factor. 

SHoP and Fields Operations have both completed seminal projects in the city within the past year, with the renamed latter’s founder James Corner recently taking home the 2023 Richard Neutra Award. SHoP has also collaborated with Field Operations for the newly-finished Domino Sugar Factory redevelopment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. 

More information can be found by visiting the proposal's website.