Images: Hard Rock International
The first renderings have been released of Metropolitan Park, a planned $8bn (£6bn/€7.2bn) mixed-use development that will be built on land surrounding Citi Field, home of Major League Baseball’s New York Mets.
Metropolitan Park will seek to transform 50 acres of land around the stadium into an “economic engine” that will create 23,000 jobs. It will feature 25 acres of new public park space, 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.
Mets owner Steve Cohen revealed plans for Metropolitan Park in November 2023. The team brought together to deliver the project includes Hard Rock International, SHoP Architects, Field Operations and McKissack.
The project is currently moving forward with Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), and the design and layout have been decided upon following over three years of community engagement by Cohen and his partners with local residents, small businesses, Mets fans, and Queens community leaders.
The 25-acre park has been designed by SHoP Architects and Field Operations and pays homage to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park’s World’s Fair history and architecture, as well as the history of the Mets, Shea Stadium and Citi Field.
Jim Allen, chairman of Hard Rock International, said: “We are very proud to present New Yorkers with the visualisation of what’s possible for a world-class city and its surrounding neighbourhoods. 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.”
Over two million people already come to Citi Field every year and millions more attend games, events, and tournaments at the USTA National Tennis Center, home of the US Open grand slam tournament, while 22 million people travel through LaGuardia Airport next door.
The site will also house a new 25,000-seat stadium for Major League Soccer team New York City FC. As well as the NYCFC stadium, the Willets Point revitalisation plan will feature 2,500 new affordable homes, over 40,000 square feet of open public space, a hotel, and retail space.
In April, New York City Council voted to approve the construction of NYCFC’s new stadium, which is scheduled to open in 2027. It will be the first fully electric venue in MLS, and the first major league sports venue to be developed in New York City since 2012, when Barclays Center opened in Brooklyn.
Share this