The New Mega-Casino Coming to Queens

Flushing Meadows Corona Park is the cultural heart of Queens. It's the home of the US Open, the night market, and several city landmarks. It's known as the World's Park, but at the same time, it's a true locals park. That may soon change. In December, New York State's Gaming Commission voted to license a new casino, Hard Rock Metropolitan Park. The development would occupy more than 75 acres. Much of that land is a parking lot by City Field, but many locals still use it for public events such as carnivals and festivals. This is the latest in a long history of efforts to transform the park into a major tourist destination. To understand this pattern, we have to go back to a time when everything around me was ash. The area was originally a landfill called the Corona Ash dump. One mound was so massive at 90 ft tall it was called Mount Corona. There was one person in particular who thought it could be something else. Robert Moses, the city's most infamous parks commissioner, wanted to build a park. He saw the 1939 World's Fair as an opportunity to do that. Designers were brought in, the mounds were leveled, trees were planted, and lakes were created. Though the fair was this flashy event, as a park, it was kind of a failure. After the fair, attendance fell off. The trees withered, the rats returned, and it fell into disrepair. This pattern of developers trying to build entertainment mega centers in Flushing Meadows Corona Park would continue for decades. Moses tried again with the 64 World's Fair and that's where we get some of the park's most famous features including the Unisphere. Sheay Stadium was also built to coincide with the fair and it would become the home of the Mets. The tennis center that is home to the US Open was built in 1978 and City Field which is the current home of the Mets was built to replace Shea Stadium. Along the way, it also became a park beloved by locals. And that brings us to today. The plans include 5,000 slot machines, 375 live dealer tables, and a thousand room hotel with a spa and theater. The highways that Moses had built surround the park in this maze-like manner, which creates a barrier between the surrounding neighborhoods and the park. In addition to the casino, they're promising to add upgrades to the subway station, new bike lanes, more green space, and several more investments in public space. Many locals remain skeptical. Several of them told me that they're worried a casino in their neighborhood could lead to more gambling problems and that it could turn a family-friendly park into a mini Las Vegas. Many of them do want the accessibility concerns and the parking lot to be changed, but they're left wondering why does that kind of public space improvement have to come with a casino?

In New York City, some residents are worried about how a major casino could affect Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens and the neighborhoods around it. Anna Kodé, our reporter covering design and culture, visited the site. Here is what to know about its past and possible future. Video by Anna Kodé, Gabriel Blanco, Laura Salaberry, Christina Shaman and Léo Hamelin. #nyc #queens #flushing Read the story here: https://nyti.ms/4unynUa Subscribe: http://bit.ly/U8Ys7n More from The New York Times Video: http://nytimes.com/video ---------- Whether it's reporting on conflicts abroad and political divisions at home, or covering the latest style trends and scientific developments, New York Times video journalists provide a revealing and unforgettable view of the world. It's all the news that's fit to watch.