Residents of Coney Island are in the process of deciding whether to support a proposed $3 Billion Casino Resort. However, a group of people, many of which are influential government-appointed residents, are wondering if the proposal will benefit the beach town. Instead, many claim it will only reduce the quality of life for residents. Coney Island is a small beach-side town, best known for the Wonder Wheel Ferris Wheel, Cyclone Roller Coaster, and the annual Nathan’s Hot Dog’s hot dog eating competition.
Coney Island Opposition to the Casino
The planned casino is the brainchild of Thor’s Casino Consortium. The proposal is to build a $3 Billion Casino and Resort complex, which will be called ‘The Coney’. The plan is to build it on 5 acres of land the group owns, at Surf and Stillwell Street. However, Community Board 13 voted on a resolution to oppose the project in a recent meeting.
The Community Board cited many common issues when plans for a new casino came up. For starters, they expressed concern about how the community already struggles with high traffic volumes half the year, which would make it even worse. On top of that, they were concerned about the potential for increased crime in the area.
Support for the Casino
However, the developers of the casino proposal as that the resolution is premature. On top of this, they claim to have already canvassed the Coney Island Community and have over 3300 signatures supporting the project. The developers say that if the project goes ahead, its benefits will outweigh any negatives.
These include increased employment available all year, increased economic opportunities, better public safety, revitalizing an iconic community, and bringing in more business for small businesses in the area.
Developers Eager Begin New Projects
Back in 2013, New York commercial gamin law authorized four upstate casinos and three downstate gaming locations. Downstate, in this case, refers to New York, Long Island, and Lower Hudson Valley. However, the downstate casinos were not allowed to begin development for 10 years, to give the upstate locations time to build.
Now that the 10-year period is ending, numerous developers are eagerly eyeing out the three permitted licenses. Caesars Entertainment has proposed a casino in Times Square, and Hard Rock is considering a casino at the Citi Field MLB Ballpark. There are several other proposals from other major casino developers, so it will be interesting to see which projects get the green light.
