Michael Sullivan
Michael Sullivan, Chief of Staff and Head of External Affairs for Steve Cohen of Point72 Asset Management and the New York Mets, leads the Metropolitan Park project, a once-in-a-generation proposal to transform the area surrounding Citi Field into a major destination for New York City.
Metropolitan Park is the product of years of intensive community engagement and one of the most rigorous public review processes undertaken for a project of this scale. Designed to deliver new green space, improved transportation connections, and year-round entertainment, the project is also expected to generate tens of thousands of union construction jobs and significant opportunities for local and minority- and women-owned businesses.
BTEA President Elizabeth Crowley spoke with Sullivan about what it takes to move a complex project from vision to reality, how sustained community and labor partnerships helped Metropolitan Park earn unprecedented public support, and what lies ahead as construction begins on a development that will reshape the neighborhood for decades to come.
BTEA: You are now at the finish line of a long and demanding award process—one that required real persistence. You have been steady in seeing it through an uphill road. Looking back, what stands out most about the process itself and Metropolitan Park’s approach to navigating it, especially as this moment also marks the beginning of the next phase?
Sullivan: The passion that the local community had for Metropolitan Park and their continued engagement throughout a very lengthy process definitely stands out the most to me. We knew that any vision to transform the area around Citi Field needed to be community-driven, and so we started from the ground up, engaging across every connecting neighborhood, and in local languages.
We made sure we had buy-in from the community, and that the vision we put forward actually reflected what our neighbors told us they wanted to see from the project including: good paying jobs and opportunities for local small businesses; new green space, athletic fields, and playgrounds; entertainment options for before and after a ball game; and improved transportation options as well as better connectivity to local neighborhoods.
The result was we saw an 89% support rate across 30+ public hearings and votes at the local, City and State levels – unprecedented support for a project of this scale.
BTEA: Take us through the timeline ahead for Metropolitan Park. How will the coming years play out in terms of the project coming to fruition?
Sullivan: It’s important to be honest about the fact that there is still a long way to go to make Metropolitan Park a reality. We’re not taking any victory laps yet, and we’re staying focused on delivering what we have promised.
Construction will begin shortly and will continue through 2030. Our priority throughout this multi-year construction process is to reduce the impact on both fans and the local community, while providing clear and up-to-date communication.
It’s also important to be clear to our neighbors and stakeholders that after years of engagement, our commitment to the local community doesn’t stop here. We will continue to work with the community and fans throughout the construction process and opening and deliver on our commitments.
BTEA: Based on your experience, which parts of the regulatory process worked particularly well for a project of this scale, and where did things move more slowly than expected? Are there ways industry and government partners can be more helpful in addressing challenges like utility relocations or lengthy permitting processes?
Sullivan: Metropolitan Park underwent a rigorous state and city review process, including approvals from our six local community boards, the Borough president, City Planning Commission, City Council, and State Legislature. And that’s in addition to the licensing process reviews by our Community Advisory Committee, the Gaming Facility Location Board, and finally the state Gaming Commission.
And because we prioritized getting input and feedback from the local community from the start, Metropolitan Park enjoyed pretty unprecedented success throughout this process. The project was approved by all six of the Community Boards that reviewed the proposal, with 83% of the Board members voted in favor. And we saw similar results from the City Council, and State legislature, as well as unanimous approval by the Community Advisory Committee. Our community and labor partners like the BTEA were critical in making all that happen.
BTEA: Our members feel that sometimes there is a disconnect between the realities of a project and how they are communicated to the communities they affect, which allows the negatives to receive more attention than the positives. What lessons have you learned from this process about how best to interact with local elected officials and community stakeholders?
Sullivan: The biggest lesson is to start early, and to not just talk at local community members and
stakeholders, but ensure that they have a meaningful opportunity to be heard and to share their
ideas, and be deliberate in the design process about transforming those ideas into meaningful
parts of the project.
Because Metropolitan Park truly reflected the community’s desires for the project, we had an army of local supporters with tremendous credibility in the local community, including BTEA’s own Elizabeth Crowley, who were ready and willing to show up at hearing after hearing to voice their support. That was because they were real partners in what we were building.
And our local elected officials were receptive because they were involved in listening sessions and had the opportunity to offer input from the very beginning, and weren’t just hearing from me or our partners at Hard Rock, but directly from their constituents who made it clear they wanted Metropolitan Park.
BTEA: Our members are excited about being a part of the historic effort of building Metropolitan Park. What should they know about the opportunities ahead for our industry?
Sullivan: They should be excited! And we’re committed to being a good partner to the building trades throughout this process. Metropolitan Park is projected to directly create 17,000 good-paying union construction jobs, as well as another 25,000 indirect and induced jobs throughout the building process. And we’ve made a commitment to prioritizing hiring from the local community, to ensure that this project directly benefits the people who live here in the area. We’re also setting up a unique and first of its kind MWBE lending program providing Queens minority and women owned small businesses with real opportunities to take part in this process. We can’t wait to get started!