The digging can start. On October 15, New York City issued the foundation and earthwork permits for Metropolitan Park, the $8 billion casino, hotel and entertainment complex that Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock International are building in the parking lots next to Citi Field.
The permit's own words are short: "foundation/earthwork for new gaming facility and hotel with parking." The city lists the NYC Economic Development Corporation as owner, since the land is city property leased to the project.
A second permit issued the same day covers foundation and earthwork for a temporary parking area. Its filed estimate is $124.3 million. Only one permit issued in the city so far this month carries a bigger number: a $575.1 million renovation of Arthur Ashe Stadium, issued the same day just across Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.
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Eight months of prep, then the real start
The paperwork started early. The new building application went in on September 18, 2025, before the state had even picked its casino winners. It describes a building of 28 stories and 344 feet, with about 3.9 million square feet of construction floor area and 1,000 units, which lines up with the 1,000-room hotel in the plans.
The state Gaming Commission awarded the license on December 15, 2025, QNS reported. It's a 20-year license with a $500 million fee, and the same vote licensed Resorts World in South Ozone Park and Bally's in the Bronx. The city lease followed on December 22, according to the Queens Daily Eagle.
Crews showed up in February. Permits issued February 12 covered civil site work with temporary restriping, reported at $1.1 million, and a construction fence. The Eagle reported crews breaking up curbs and clearing the lot that month. Test piles and test pits followed under a June 26 permit, and another fence permit in September was filed "during NB construction," the city's shorthand for a new building.
Now comes the foundation.
What's going up
The plan covers about 50 acres of the stadium's parking lots. The Eagle describes a 3.7 million square foot development with a 1,000-room hotel, 5,000 slot machines and 375 live dealer tables. QNS adds a 5,600-seat music venue and a 25-acre public park.
The project's backers have promised 23,000 jobs, counting construction and permanent work, and $1 billion in community benefits, including a planned overhaul of the 7 train station, the Eagle reported.
"Preparation for construction is now underway, bringing us one step closer to creating 23,000 jobs," Metropolitan Park spokesperson Karl Rickett told the Eagle in February.
The developers' schedule, filed with the state and reported by the Eagle in May, puts the first parking garage at November 2027, a second garage at April 2028 and the casino opening at June 1, 2030.
A lawsuit by a group of Queens residents challenging the license was reassigned to a new judge in April, QNS reported; the court had earlier denied their request for a temporary restraining order.
Where the numbers differ
The size depends on who's counting. The Eagle reports 3.7 million square feet. The city filing lists about 3.9 million square feet of construction floor area. The cost shows up as $8 billion in the Eagle and $8.1 billion in QNS.
The permit values don't add up to the project either. The main foundation permit carries no cost estimate of its own, and the $124.3 million figure sits on the temporary parking filing. Permit values are estimates filed with the city, not contract amounts.
Still in review
Next up is the support of excavation filing for the casino and hotel, filed October 8 and now with the city's chief plan examiner. Filings for the superstructure, covering floors 1 through 28, along with plumbing, mechanical and utility work, went in at the end of October 2025 and are still in review. Until those clear, the work at Citi Field is in the ground.
How we count
Permits come from the New York City Department of Buildings records for 121-09 Roosevelt Ave. in Queens, the address on the Metropolitan Park filings, issued February through October 2026, plus the new building filing from September 2025. Values are the estimated job costs filed with the city, not contract amounts. Project details come from the news coverage linked here.
See all of New York City's latest permit numbers, updated weekly.
Sources
- QNS, "Gaming Commission approves all 3 NYC casino bids, including Metropolitan Park & Resorts World in Queens" (December 2025): qns.com
- Queens Daily Eagle, "Construction prep underway for $8 billion Metropolitan Park casino in Queens" (Feb. 25, 2026): queenseagle.com
- Queens Daily Eagle, Metropolitan Park construction schedule (May 15, 2026): queenseagle.com
- QNS, "Judge recuses himself from Metropolitan Park casino lawsuit as case is reassigned" (April 2026): qns.com
- NYC Department of Buildings, permits and filings for 121-09 Roosevelt Ave., Queens (jobs Q01274555, Q01469001, Q01352870, Q01352907, Q01339344, Q01460801).
- Photo: Aude, "Etihad Park and Citi Field aerial view in September 2026," CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons: commons.wikimedia.org
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