Hard Rock at long last announced its presence in the downstate New York casino licensing process, saying its $8 billion Metropolitan Park proposal in tandem with New York Mets owner Steve Cohen is “New York’s best site for gaming” in its executive summary submitted to the state’s Gaming Facility Location Board.
Hard Rock had been content to stay in the background while Cohen and his team led by his chief of staff, Michael “Sully” Sullivan, led the process of gathering public support for the Queens-based project adjacent to Citi Field in Flushing. That strategy proved successful as local residents largely backed the project at both Community Advisory Committee public hearings after an extensive, multi-year outreach in the community.
