By Jacob Kaye<\/p>\n
The city\u2019s Public Design Commission unanimously voted to table its vote on the design of a public-facing portion of the Metropolitan Park casino<\/a> after a number of people testifying in opposition to the project on Tuesday raised concerns about the $8 billion complex\u2019s impact on the local environment.<\/p>\n The commission, which is tasked with reviewing and approving the design of buildings, art or other structures proposed on city-owned property, delayed its vote on a crucial section of Steve Cohen and Hard Rock\u2019s Metropolitan Park casino and entertainment complex following a public hearing on Tuesday. <\/p>\n Their reluctance to vote on the project came after a vast majority of those testifying said they opposed Metropolitan Park, including some who claimed the complex would do little to mitigate flooding issues that already plague the northwestern section of the World\u2019s Borough.<\/p>\n The commission initially set out to review only a section of the project\u2019s design \u2013 the stairway and balcony area of the casino, which would face out to and connect with the public park slated to be built between the complex and Citi Field. But after dozens of Queens residents told the commission about their fears about the project, including its alleged potential to worsen flooding in the already-flood-prone area, the commission\u2019s view shifted. <\/p>\n \u201cWe can’t really think about this until we make sure that we understand what the site as a whole is doing,\u201d PDC President Deborah Marton said. \u201cIt’s just the sequence of things that makes it so that we don’t understand the underlying conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n The PDC has previously voted to approve other sections of the project, including its master plan, lighting proposals and a parking garage. But commissioners said they were surprised, concerned and also heartened by the large number of people who showed up to testify both against and in support of Metropolitan Park this week. Laurie Hawkinson, who has served on the commission for a decade, said she couldn\u2019t recall a meeting that had drawn more public interest than the one that unfolded over nearly five hours on Tuesday. <\/p>\n Much of the testimony shared during the hearing varied little from remarks given at the dozens of public hearings held on Metropolitan Park over the past half decade. And much of it didn\u2019t necessarily fall under the commission\u2019s purview. <\/p>\n Those in support said the casino and entertainment complex would bring much-needed jobs and a boon to the local economy in Queens. They also praised the developers\u2019 efforts to plan the project with the local community in mind. Those opposed said the project would be a plague on the community, enticing local residents to gamble away their hard-earned money. They also urged the city to find a more public use for the land Metropolitan Park will be built on, which is owned by the city but now leased to Cohen and Hard Rock.<\/p>\n Only a small portion of those testifying spoke to the project\u2019s design. One person said they didn\u2019t like the long glass windows that would adorn the side of the casino, arguing that they would give Metropolitan Park a \u201cDonald Trump vibe.\u201d Another said that while they liked the look of the public park, it would be overshadowed by the \u201chuge honking mass of a casino\u201d at the center of the complex. <\/p>\n At one point, the crush of negative testimony led one commission member to question the PDC\u2019s role in the public review process. <\/p>\n \u201cI feel like there’s this huge elephant, and we’re talking about what kind of saddle we’re going to put on the elephant or what we’re going to feed the elephant \u2013 but the elephant is this massive gambling operation,\u201d Kenseth Armstead, a member of the commission, said. \u201cWe’re tiny, and if people keep showing up like this, that means that whatever community board you went to, that did not work. That did not achieve the goal of getting community buy-in, and I think we need time to consider that.\u201d<\/p>\n But the commission\u2019s ultimate pushback centered around its concerns about its lack of understanding of Metropolitan Park\u2019s environmental impact. <\/p>\n