Designs have been unveiled for an $8 billion new park in New York City, which will also feature a live music venue, a food hall, and a hotel and casino.
The Metropolitan Park project, renderings for which were revealed by Hard Rock and New York Mets owner Steve Cohen on Wednesday, will see empty parking lots transformed into 25 acres of new public park. The privately funded project is moving forward with New York’s process for public approval of the development, according to an official release.
The initiative intends to redevelop 50 acres of asphalt around Citi Field, the Mets’ baseball stadium, and is anticipated to create 23,000 jobs in the process. Newsweek has contacted Hard Rock for comment via email outside of standard working hours.
Hard Rock
Alongside the park space, the new site will feature improved public transportation and climate infrastructure, live music, a Queens Food Hall, and a Hard Rock Hotel and Casino with bars, restaurants, and a sportsbook.
“We are very proud to present New Yorkers with the visualization of what’s possible for a world-class city and its surrounding neighborhoods,” said Jim Allen, chairman of Hard Rock International.
“We’d like to thank our partners for working with us to create something truly transformative. We take great pride and the utmost care in bringing forth something that will create much-needed jobs and memories that will live on for generations to come.”
Cohen said: “It’s time the world’s greatest city got the sports and entertainment park it deserves.”
“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.”
Metropolitan Park’s features are set to include:
- 20 acres of new public park space
- 5 acres of community athletic fields and playgrounds
- A Community Impact Fund that will provide grants to nonprofit organizations serving Queens communities and residents
- Funding for community-identified health care and youth and senior needs
- Improved road network, bike paths, and parking infrastructure
- A live music venue
- A Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
- “Climate-ready” infrastructure including solar, green roofs, and flood mitigation
- New connections to the waterfront, park, and surrounding community
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