A proposed casino in Coney Island will bring year-round “traffic hell” to Brooklyn’s beachy neighborhood, according to one of the six members of the state community advisory council who will vote on whether to approve it.
“It’s not just going to be the summer of hell. It will be traffic hell all year round, and garbage hell, noise hell, crime hell,” Marissa Solomon, an appointee of Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny, told The Post.
The bid will be rejected if it is not approved by four of the six CAC members next month.
“You’re going to replace a piece of American history to build another casino? It makes no sense for the people who live here,” said Solomon, a Coney Island resident.
The glitzy $3 billion Coney casino plan along Surf Avenue from West 12th to West 15th streets includes a 500-room hotel, a convention center and a concert venue.
The project is contingent on securing one of three casino licenses the state plans to award in and around New York City by the end of this year, with the neighborhood CAC the initial review.
The Coney bid is a partnership that includes Thor Equities, Chickasaw Nation’s Global Gaming Solutions, Saratoga Casino Holdings and Legends Hospitality Group, which is part-owned by the Yankees.
Solomon gave the Coney bidder’s environment-traffic study plan a withering reception at a July 30 CAC meeting.
She read directly from the bidder’s traffic report included in the environmental impact statement that cited severe traffic impacts at numerous locations, including 15th Street, Surface Avenue and Stillwell Avenue.
The plan envisions 1,500 on-site parking spots, but admits up to 912 more parking space would be needed off-site — even during the off-season
“Your own transportation study said there would be significant adverse impacts at multiple intersections… and your only mitigation is two new lights and some new stripes? Really?” she asked.
“Is that going to be able to handle what your own report says is a complete breakdown in traffic?”
The bidders seemed to be caught off guard by Solomon’s critique.
But a rep for the Coney, contacted by The Post, insisted the casino complex will spur use of mass transit and not create endless traffic jams.
“The Coney will make massive once in a lifetime improvements to Coney Island’s transit accessibility after decades of neglect by adopting and improving the Stillwell Ave subway station, easing traffic flow through rerouting streets, aligning traffic lights, hiring traffic cops and funding infrastructure investments like a new ferry,” said Coney’s Robert Cornegy, the former Brooklyn councilman.
“In addition, we’re also going to offer discounted or complimentary round-trip subway fares for guests and employees and partner with the MTA to provide express subway service directly from Manhattan to Coney Island — all things that will help get people out of cars while also helping improve Coney Island.”
It’s an open question whether higher-roller gamblers would take the subway rather than drive to a casino, gaming insiders said.
The Coney bid is really rolling the dice given the strong community opposition, including from Luna Park Amusement and Community Board 13.
“Casinos are not engines of sustainable development—they are predatory institutions that exploit financial vulnerability, depress surrounding businesses, and increase social burdens such as crime, addiction, and poverty. Coney Island deserves investment in education, healthcare, and small business support—not a casino that siphons wealth from the community under the guise of economic development,” an anti-casino petition promoted on the Luna Park website says.
“The future of Coney Island should be shaped by its residents, not dictated by corporate developers behind closed doors.”
The six members on the CAC include reps for Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, state Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton and Councilman Justin Brannan.
If it is approved by the CAC, the Coney bid would then be evaluated by the New York Gaming Facility Location Board, which will recommend up to three casino licenses.
The state Gaming Commission will then make the final decision on licensing for bidders who make the final cut.
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