The Bronx contender for a coveted casino license in New York moved forward on Monday, overcoming significant opposition from residents to become the second bid in New York City to pass a local committee.
Later in the day, the sole entrant from Brooklyn, the Coney in Brooklyn, was rejected by its committee amid mounting resistance from elected officials and neighborhood groups.
The approved project, the Bally’s Bronx at Ferry Point Park, prevailed despite an earlier rejection by the City Council of an essential zoning change for the site, which was in turn vetoed by Mayor Eric Adams. It was the third proposed gambling house to advance, joining bids from MGM Resorts in Yonkers and Resorts World in Queens.
If Bally’s Bronx is awarded one of the three licenses, it will have to pay $115 million to the Trump Organization as part of a deal the two groups signed in 2023. That would be in addition to the $60 million that Bally’s paid the Trump Organization that year to buy the rights to operate at the location, which had been a Trump Links golf course.
Five of the six members of the local advisory committee voted in favor of Bally’s Bronx, with the supporters focusing on the gambling giant’s commitment of $27.5 million in annual community investments. The $4 billion project would include a 500-room resort and casino on 16 acres near the base of the Whitestone Bridge.
“It is my judgment that support in the community exceeds opposition and that the benefits can outweigh harms,” Lisa Sorin, a representative who is also the president of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce, said, noting that a majority of speakers at two recent public hearings had voiced support for it.
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