Bally’s quest for a casino in the Bronx has been fraught with obstacles, the latest of which comes from Bronx Community Board 10. Local officials soundly rejected a rezoning proposal necessary for the casino’s development.
The community board’s decision not to endorse the rezoning plan doesn’t doom Bally’s plans, as the New York City Council could proceed with the rezoning regardless. However, the lack of support could make it more difficult to persuade Councilmembers not to axe the project. Time is also drawing short for Bally’s to build positive momentum in New York.
Board refuses to endorse rezoning proposal
According to Emily Swanson of the BronxTimes, tensions were high at Friday’s meeting of Bronx Community Board 10 as locals voiced opinions both in support of and opposition to the potential rezoning of land at Ferry Point for a Bally’s casino. Bally’s is one of multiple entities working toward submitting a bid for a license to operate a casino in the downstate part of New York.
Swanson reports that after clearing the room, the board voted 29-5 against endorsing the rezoning proposal. Bally’s Chairman Soo Kim had attended and spoke at the meeting, touting the investment that the company plans to make in the area per Swanson.
This rejection is non-binding. The New York City Council can still enact the zoning change that Bally’s wants but a lack of a recommendation from the appropriate community board should carry weight in that decision.
This is just the latest in what has become a series of disappointing results for Bally’s. The community board’s rejection might become a moot point.
Obstacles increase for Bally’s in New York
The refusal of Bronx Community Board 10 to endorse the rezoning plan isn’t the only local obstacle for Bally’s. In November, voters in the Bronx also elected a candidate to the New York City Council that has publicly voiced opposition to the idea of a casino in the borough, Kristy Marmorato.
To date, things in Albany have not been going much better for Bally’s. Under New York law, only the state legislature can change the designation of parkland for commercial purposes.
Assemblyman Michael Benedetto, who represents the area, has shared that he has not introduced legislation to alienate the parkland necessary for the Bally’s casino plans. However, Benedetto has not stated that he would not do so.
Bally’s has acquired the golf course near the Whitestone Bridge at Ferry Point, giving it control over the site that it would like to develop a casino on. However, without the alienation from the legislature, approval of rezoning from the city, and a license from the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC), those ambitions will remain mere dreams.
Barring any deadline extensions, the time for Bally’s to rewrite this narrative is running short.
Deadlines approaching for downstate casino bidders
The NYSCG has established a deadline of June 27, 2025, for interested parties to submit their bids and pay initial fees for as many as three downstate casino licenses. The commission currently plans to issue that/those license(s) by the end of 2025 but retains the privilege to extend those deadlines at its discretion.
The submission of the bids will set off a flurry of activity on both the local and state levels. Community Advisory Committees (CACs) will assess the proposals and those committees will consist of city council members along with borough presidents.
For Bally’s, Marmorato could occupy that spot on the CAC while the lack of support from the community board might sway Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson. If they choose not to support the bid, only one other member of the six-person CAC would have to join them to deny advancement of the Bally’s bid.
The continued lack of parkland alienation or the New York City Council failing to rezone the site would give CAC members all the rationale they need to vote “no” on the plans. Although none of the obstacles that Bally’s currently faces in New York is sufficient to dissuade the company on its own, the sum of these parts is growing greater than the whole.
