Mets owner Steve Cohen seeks input on how to transform area around Citi Field
NEW YORK -- The owner of the Mets wants to transform the area around Citi Field in Queens.
Saturday, Steve Cohen invited people who live and work in the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park neighborhood for a listening session.
Right now, the space around Citi Field has 50 acres of vacant asphalt.
Cohen wants to open the space to the public, connect surrounding neighborhoods to the waterfront and offer year-round entertainment.
"Those 45 or 50 acres, whatever that parking lot consists of, truly is wasted and underutilized space, and so this visioning process is fantastic," said Tom Grech, president and CEO of the Queens Chamber of Commerce.
The re-imagining project would also create good-paying local jobs and offer economic opportunities for local small businesses.