Cordish-Penn National ditch Albany for Orange
Applications for New York State’s first group of Class III casino license are due in just four weeks. As bidders race to meet that deadline, they must rally support from their proposed host communities. Local support is a nonnegotiable condition of licensure.
According to NorthJersey.com, only three community resolutions out of more the group have been accepted by state gaming regulators. They came from Johnson City; Liberty, site of a proposed Foxwoods Catskills resort at the former Grossinger’s; and Wawarsing, near the Catskills, where a casino is being pitched for the Nevele Resort site.
The town of Cobleskill, New York, is working overtime to re-do its resolution of support for a casino at Howe Caverns, according to the Schoharie County Times-Journal. In a five-paragraph resolution submitted to the siting committee, officials said they “believe” a casino would “further tourism to the area and result in an increase in jobs.” They said they “believe there is sufficient support in favor of a casino being built within the Town of Cobleskill.” Not surprisingly, the half-hearted resolution was rejected as too vague.
The Orange County Chamber of Commerce says it backs any casino proposal in the Hudson Valley/Catskill region. “A casino in Orange County would give our county an incredible boost,” said county chamber President John D’Ambrosio, “but let’s remember that should a casino go to Sullivan or Ulster County, we all stand to gain in the long run.”
In Harriman, Orange County, supporters outnumbered critics at a recent public hearing attended by representatives of Caesars Entertainment and Rochester developer Flaum Management. The partners are pitching a $750 million resort near the Harriman Metro-North station; it’s one of several Orange County proposals, all of which are closer to New York City than other upstate plans.
Greg Miller, executive vice president for development at Caesars, told several hundred people at the local union hall that the company would spend “significant capital” on major road improvements around the proposed casino, and create 3,000 permanent jobs paying an average of $50,000 per year. To sweeten the pot, Miller said Caesars would pay $19 million a year in property taxes, and seek no tax abatements. And if the casino puts too much of a burden on the local sewer treatment plant, Miller said, Caesars will pay to expand the plant.
In Schenectady, Neil Bluhm of Chicago-based Rush Street Gaming joined Galesi Group COO David Buicko to unveil plans for Rivers Casino at Mohawk Harbor, reported the Nassau News.
“Rivers Casino at Mohawk Harbor will greatly enhance the city’s reputation as a destination for entertainment, and boost the current positive momentum by creating new jobs and generating millions of dollars in tax revenue,” said Bluhm.
“We want to take this 60-acre waterfront and turn it into a vibrant, productive destination not only for today, but for future generations,” added Buicko. “Rivers Casino at Mohawk Harbor will bring millions of new visitors to Schenectady by river, road and rail, revitalizing one of our state’s great heritage corridors?the Mohawk River and Erie Canal.”
A casino proposed for East Greenbush in the Capitol region also brought opponents and supporters to a recent hearing, reports CBS 6 Albany. The project, a partnership of Saratoga Gaming and Raceway and Churchill Downs, has won the support of the East Greenbush board, which has passed a resolution in favor of the development. Apparently, however, that endorsement as first submitted was not good enough for gaming regulators.
Nevele Investors is one of the three that got it right. The company, which wants to build in Wawarsing, impressed gaming officials with its pledge to help train future casino, food and beverage and hospitality employees.
The Oneida Dispatch reports that Nevele is collaborating on a hospitality training curriculum with multiple SUNY campuses and the local community college.
“We are proud to be a part of a coalition that has brought together the best education and workforce development experts in the Catskill/Hudson Valley region,” said Kathi Meci, interim CEO of Nevele Investors. “Our job training program will create jobs and spur economic growth for the town, the county and the region. Together, we will work to end the trend of continuing unemployment in the area and make it financially stronger than ever.”
One development team is ending its bid to build a casino near Albany. But the Cordish Companies of Baltimore and Penn National Gaming, based in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, will continue to pursue a license in Orange County proposal, which they say provides the “best opportunity.”
Maybe not. According to the New York Post, the odds are against an Orange County casino. It’s well known that Governor Andrew Cuomo wants to site the first four casinos in more economically hard-hit regions. Developers eying Orange County are clearly hoping the opportunity for more revenue from the New York City market will trump those intentions. But as the Post reported, a source insists Cuomo will stand his ground. “He will try to figure out how to put the casinos farther upstate,” a source said.
Cuomo and civic leaders are concerned that a casino in Orange County would divert any downstate traffic before it can travel to Ulster or Sullivan counties.
