NY Assembly bill would open path for Queens casino bid near Citi Field

A potential bid to build a casino in the sea of parking lots near Citi Field inched forward Wednesday, as a state lawmaker introduced a bill that could make the project possible.

Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry (D-Queens), whose district includes Citi Field, introduced the legislation, which would allow the city to greenlight a gambling development on at least 20 acres of asphalt by terminating a parkland designation.

The Citi Field casino concept is one of at least nine such proposals under development in New York City, as the state holds a bidding process for three coveted downstate casino licenses.

Two of the licenses are expected to go to existing so-called racinos with horse racing and digital betting, leaving the field of nine or so contenders essentially vying for a single license.

[ Competition is fierce for new NYC casino license, here are proposals so far ]

Steve Cohen, the owner of the New York Mets, has played the expected Citi Field bid close to his chest. But it may carry advantages over some city contenders that have already faced intense community pushback.

Cohen has hosted listening sessions for his potential project. Aubry and Donovan Richards, the Queens borough president, have expressed excitement about the possibility of a casino near the ballpark.

An entity pushing the development of the Citi Field area was the city’s eighth-largest lobbying spender last year, according to the City Clerk’s office.

“Steve Cohen and his team are committed to delivering a vision with dedicated green space, year-round entertainment and good-paying local jobs,” Karl Rickett, a spokesman for the Mets owner, said in a statement.

Still, some locals have begun to voice casino concerns, and a bid would have to clear land-use hurdles.

[ NYC casino developers getting community pushback ]

Aubry’s bill would require that the land revert to parkland if construction on a gaming facility fails to begin within 15 years of the legislation’s authorization.

The bill was previously reported by The City news outlet.

The local state senator, Jessica Ramos, did not immediately support the legislation.

“I have yet to review the legislation in full,” said Ramos, a Democrat, in a statement. “Clearly, I need to have conversations with my colleagues to ensure that whatever is introduced reflects our shared goals of prioritizing community input.”

In an interview on Wednesday, Aubry said that his office had contacted Ramos about the bill, and that he had introduced the legislation because “there is a timeliness issue” around keeping the bid competitive.

The local city councilman, Francisco Moya, a Democrat, did not immediately reply to a request for comment. He was out of the country, said his spokeswoman, Chantal Alba.