After months of community members expressing concern over the impact of a proposed casino project in Ferry Point Park—including rejections from Community Board 10 and the NY City Council—the Community Advisory Committee voted 5-1 Monday to allow the Bally’s Corp. application to advance to the final step in the approval process.
Throughout the application process, Save the Sound testified that Bally’s hasn’t provided sufficient information to decision-makers and the general public regarding the project’s environmental impact.
“We are disappointed that the Community Advisory Committee disregarded the concerns consistently expressed by community members throughout the process,” said David Ansel, vice president of Save the Sound’s Center for Water Protection. “Save the Sound was not alone in sharing our concern that Bally’s did not provide sufficient information about how it will protect water quality in Westchester Creek and the upper East River—two impaired waterways in the Western Narrows of Long Island Sound—from the increased volume of stormwater this proposed 3 million-square foot complex would produce.”
The Community Advisory Committee (CAC) was made up of appointees of elected officials representing the proposed project site: Governor Hochul, Mayor Adams, Bronx Borough President Gibson, State Senator Fernandez, State Assemblymember Benedetto, and City Councilmember Marmorato. The CAC was charged with gathering information to understand and represent the community’s interests.
“The community has said loud and clear from the start that they did not want to forfeit public parkland for a casino in Ferry Point Park. We are disappointed that the CAC voted in a way that does not reflect the local community’s opposition,” said David Abreu, clean water advocacy specialist for Save the Sound.
“Bally’s application needed an 11th hour reprieve from Mayor Adams, who vetoed the City Council’s clear rejection of this plan, just to make it to the CAC stage. Today’s decision allows a project to advance that area residents and City Council both voted decisively to stop,” said Dara Illowsky, New York staff attorney for Save the Sound.
Bally’s is the third applicant to advance to the last round in the process, joining the Resort’s World project in Queens and MGM Empire City in Yonkers. The CAC vote on the Metropolitan Park application in Queens will be held on Tuesday morning. The New York State Gaming Facility Location Board will recommend the approval of up to three licenses by the end of the year.