The proposal to bring a casino to the Bronx survived a crucial vote on Monday while a rival bid planned for Coney Island was killed, further narrowing the field as the contest to build New York City’s first full casino comes to a head.
“Bally’s Bronx” passed its committee of local city and state representatives in a 5-1 vote, making it the third applicant to reach the final round of consideration by the state from the initial eight applicants — a remarkable win given the the fact the plan was nearly killed by the City Council.
The Bally’s plan will face off against two existing racinos, Resorts World in Queens and Empire City in Yonkers, during the final round of consideration by the state. The final contender — Mets owner Steve Cohen’s Metropolitan Park in Queens — is set for a Tuesday morning vote, and is expected to pass.
The state’s Gaming Facility Location Board is set to grant up to three lucrative commercial casino licenses by the end of the year. The two racinos, with footprints already in place, are thought to have the inside track, leaving the possibility of Cohen’s proposal squaring off against gaming behemoth Bally’s for the third license.
The $4 billion Bronx proposal would involve building a 500,000-square-foot gaming complex and hotel on the city-owned golf course in Ferry Point Park. The links have been managed by Bally’s since 2023, when it purchased the lease from the Trump Organization — which stands to receive a $115 million windfall if the site becomes a casino.
Meanwhile the $3.4 billion Coney Island proposal from Saratoga Casino Holdings, Chickasaw Nation and Thor Equities was scrapped in a separate 4-2 committee vote — an anticipated outcome given vocal local pushback.
“The Coney” joins three doomed Midtown Manhattan projects on the reject pile after they similarly failed to pass their respective Community Advisory Committees in recent weeks.
Courtesy of Thor Equities
A rendering of Thor Equities’s ‘The Coney’ casino plan. (Courtesy of Thor Equities)
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s committee appointee, Rafael Salaberrios, said the Bally’s project would be “beneficial to the borough of the Bronx” overall, while Paul Philps, Mayor Eric Adams’ representative, described it as “an exciting opportunity.”
But local dissent has been strong, and the project initially failed to clear a municipal zoning hurdle over the summer when the City Council voted down the project. It was saved due to an eleventh hour veto by Mayor Adams.
Monday’s lone no vote was from Danielle Volpe, the appointee of Councilmember Kristy Marmorato, a longtime critic of the plan.
“That [mayoral] veto does not erase the opposition from both the Council and the community, it only prolongs the process that should’ve ended with the will of the people,” Volpe said.
She repeated concerns around the potential impacts on crime, infrastructure and the environment while blasting Bally’s proposed solutions as “inadequate.”
“I understand that the Bronx needs meaningful economic development, but it should not come at the cost of exploiting our community and our borough,” Volpe said. “What is being offered to us through this casino proposal is not worth the burden it would place on the Bronx.”
The state’s Gaming Facility Location Board is set to make its final decision by Dec. 1 and issue any licenses by the end of the year.
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