Metropolitan Park, Bally’s Advance; Coney Rejected

Local Community Advisory Committees advanced two major downstate casino bids: Mets owner Steve Cohen’s Hard Rock‑backed $8 billion Metropolitan Park next to Citi Field was unanimously approved (6-0) to move to the New York Gaming Facility Location Board, and Bally’s Ferry Point in the Bronx cleared its committee (5-1); several Manhattan proposals and a Coney Island plan were rejected. Metropolitan Park’s backers say the project would include 25 acres of new parkland, a revamped Mets–Willets Point subway station, a concert hall, a food hall and thousands of union jobs, though it has faced prior legal and legislative hurdles over parkland alienation. The Ferry Point plan sits on land formerly operated by the Trump Organization and would trigger an estimated $115 million payout to the Trump Organization if it proceeds. Competing finalists now include Genting’s Resorts World (Queens), MGM’s Empire City (Yonkers) and Bally’s Bronx proposal. The Gaming Facility Location Board is expected to award up to three downstate licenses by December.