Looming over the event was the prospect of a casino in the corner of Northeast Queens.

Shortly after the start of the Saturday event, the room was filled with hundreds of suggestions written on sticky notes. Participants made their way from station to station answering different prompts – “What changes would have the most impact for the Citi Field area,” “Year-round entertainment priorities,” “What would improve your day at the ballpark,” among others. It was the fourth such “visioning session” to be hosted by Cohen and his new group, Queens Future – the first three sessions were not publicly announced and a spokesperson for Cohen declined to share the names of the people and organizations in attendance.Īround a dozen stations were set up around the rotunda of the Piazza 31 Club, a private section of Citi Field that overlooks the stadium’s parking lots and the 7 train subway station. Over the weekend, around 450 Queens residents, civic leaders and elected officials took a rare January trip to the ballpark to share their thoughts on what they want to see built on the tract of land. The hedge fund-billionaire’s eyes are instead fixed on the parking lot that surrounds Citi Field, a 50-acre stretch of city-owned land leased to the ball club but designated as parkland. Steve Cohen, the owner of the Queens club, is dreaming too – but not about baseball.

For fans of the New York Mets, the off-season is a time to dream of an improbable break from decades of mediocrity.

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