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Coney Island casino supporters promote the project
Coney Island casino spokespeople Rob Cornegy and Marie Mirville-Shahzada discuss the details of the potential $3B project.
NEW YORK CITY - A community advisory committee voted Monday against a casino proposal in Coney Island.
The measure was rejected in a 4-2 vote.
The former Trump golf course in the Bronx is the proposed site for a Bally’s casino.
In a meeting on Monday morning, a community advisory committee approved the Bronx proposal in a 5-1 vote. It will now go on to the next stage at the state level.
About the Coney Island project
What we know:
"The Coney" project includes a massive $3 billion casino and entertainment complex, as well as the rezoning of the neighborhood streets.
It promises 10,000 in total jobs, as well as a $75 million investment in "local police, fire, and EMS services to increase safety for all."
But the proposed casino and rezoning have proven divisive among residents. Opponents say a casino would bring more crime and traffic to the area, while supporters promise economic transformation to the neighborhood.
What both sides are saying
What they're saying:
"The RFA demands 70% of this project is centered around being transformative in the neighborhood that you're in," Rob Cornegy, spokesperson for "The Coney" said Monday on Good Day New York. "There's 17% unemployment, and on that peninsula, access to jobs is a serious, serious concern based on the distance to the city, based on what actually exists there as it stands. So, people that I speak to on a daily basis, and we've gotten, you know, tens of thousands of petitions for, say that they want the ability to have access to good quality jobs and careers, which this project would provide."
The other side:
"A billionaire developer is trying to replace Coney Island with a massive casino, hotel, and convention center that would cast shadows over the amusement area," the website, No Casino — Coney Island USA, said. "The Casino would remove almost half the rides and put the others at risk of disappearing. Soon the only rides left could be the Wonder Wheel and the Cyclone. Everything else could be gone."
Dig deeper:
Last week, the committees approved two casino expansion plans for locations in Queens and Yonkers, bringing them one step closer to getting a commercial casino license.
The Queens Advisory Committee voted unanimously to approve the expansion plan at Resorts World Casino New York City. The casino's $5.5 billion proposal includes plans for thousands of slot machines and new hotel rooms, hundreds of gaming tables and dozens of green spaces.
A Yonkers committee similarly approved plans for expansion at MGM Empire City. Their proposal includes plans for a new sports book and high-limit lounge, and a full renovation of the gaming floor.
Both facilities are currently operating as partial casinos. Commercial casino licenses would allow the locations to include live dealer games.
Steve Cohen’s Citi Field plan
What's next:
The New York State Gaming Commission will award three downstate licenses by the end of the year. In all, eight casinos have put in their bids. The Queens and Yonkers locations are the first to get approval so far. Bally’s Bronx, with a proposed site in Ferry Point, passed on Monday.
The other proposal in Queens will face votes on Tuesday at 11 a.m., a pivotal vote that could decide Steve Cohen’s Citi Field plan. If it passes, the project would head to state-level review as one of the strongest contenders for a license.