The Bally’s Community Advisory Council (CAC) voted Monday morning to approve the gaming company’s application to build a $4 billion casino, hotel and entertainment complex in Ferry Point Park.
The 5-1 approval was one of many hurdles Bally’s needed to clear in its bid for one of up to three New York City-area casino licenses expected to be awarded by the state by the end of 2025. If it receives a license, Bally’s Bronx will likely become the largest private development project in borough history.
For Bally’s to continue through the process, a two-thirds majority approval vote by the committee comprised of elected officials’ appointees was required. CAC member Danielle Volpe, who was appointed by Republican Council Member Kristy Marmorato representing the East Bronx, was the only member to vote against the project.
In explaining her vote, Volpe said she was “deeply concerned” about the company’s financial stability and that the project would bring “traffic, crime, and instability” to the Bronx.
“What is being offered to us through this casino proposal is not worth the burden it would place on the Bronx,” she said.
Volpe said her vote reflected the will of local residents. “This proposal is unresponsive, dismissive, and disconnected from the surrounding community,” she said.
CAC Chair Lisa Sorin said she voted to approve but was committed to honoring the community’s concerns by holding Bally’s accountable for its promises. At the meeting, the committee stated that the company increased its prior financial commitment to a Community Benefits Fund from approximately $27 million to $32 million per year upon the facility’s opening.
“Great cities make hard choices,” and it’s impossible for any development project to have zero impact on residents, said Sorin.
However, “A ‘yes’ today is not a blank check for tomorrow,” she said. “It is a mandate to deliver, measure, and course-correct in partnership with the people most affected.”
The competition for New York City-area casino licenses has recently intensified as the field of options has narrowed.
As of publication, two proposed casino projects have been approved by their respective CACs, out of a pool that previously included eight.
Resorts World in Queens and Empire City in Yonkers both won approval by their respective CACs, but three proposed Manhattan casinos — which would have been in Hudson Yards, Times Square and along the East River near the UN Headquarters — have already been rejected.
More about which bids survive will soon be known, as a vote on the proposed casino at Coney Island is planned for late Monday afternoon, and Tuesday morning for Metropolitan Park in Queens.
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
