The City Council is likely to sign off Thursday on a measure that would clear the way for casinos to open in New York City, although a fair number of lawmakers may vote against it.
The vote will only matter if casinos are approved through a state-level process.
Since the city’s zoning laws currently do not allow casinos, Mayor Eric Adams has proposed changes that would legalize the gambling centers in commercial districts and manufacturing areas while barring them in residential neighborhoods. Supporters say the change would ensure that the city’s nine known casino contenders are not at a competitive disadvantage compared to other projects on Long Island or upstate that are also in the running for three downstate licenses that the state plans to award next year.
The zoning changes passed two council committees unanimously on Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s expected passage by the full council. But some opposition was brewing among both left-wing lawmakers and more conservative council members as of Wednesday afternoon, multiple council sources said, suggesting that Thursday’s margin will be narrower than most council votes.
“Anything that gives up control, especially of zoning, scares me,” said Bob Holden, a conservative Queens Democrat. Holden said Wednesday that he planned to vote no, and heard similar concerns from colleagues. Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who supports the measure, was shoring up votes Wednesday afternoon, and the influential Hotel and Gaming Trades Council union, which represents casino workers, was also placing calls to lawmakers, a source close to the union confirmed.
Deep-pocketed casino contenders like SL Green, the Related Cos. and New York Mets owner Steve Cohen will have one less thing to worry about if the 51-member council votes yes, although the lobbying bonanza surrounding the high-stakes process is likely to continue as each bidder tries to secure the local support they need to advance.
The vote on Thursday could serve as a test of the council’s willingness to defy the community boards that wield symbolic power at the neighborhood level. Nineteen boards voted against the casino changes in recent months while just four voted in favor, although more than 30 others opted against voting at all. A similar dynamic could be in play when the council is asked to vote on Mayor Adams’ City of Yes zoning packages in the coming months, which also face local resistance.
The zoning change would amount to the city relinquishing control over the casino process, but supporters say the state-led process already has local feedback built in through the six-member community advisory councils that will hold veto power over every casino proposal. Without the citywide change, all city-based casino proposals would need to pass through their own monthslong zoning reviews, jeopardizing their chances of winning a license and likely overburdening the City Planning Department.
The city’s plan would put no limit on casinos’ size and also allow developers to tack on “related” facilities like hotels — which are typically tightly regulated outside the casino process.
Responding to concerns that the zoning changes could open the floodgates to more casinos in future years, the City Planning Commission last month added a June 2025 “sunset” date ensuring that the changes apply only to the nine known contenders for the three licenses now up for grabs — not any proposals that could arise if the state awards fewer than the maximum three licenses next year and reopens the process in the future.
Staten Island councilman David Carr, a Republican, said during a Wednesday committee vote that sunset provision was “crucial” in convincing him to vote for the zoning changes; he said it eliminates the slim chance that any casino could be approved in his district during the current cycle.
No-votes cast on Thursday are likely to come from progressives who view gambling as a regressive tax on the poor, as well as right-leaning lawmakers who object to the large and potentially disruptive casino developments.
There are four casino proposals that still need to overcome their own specific local zoning hurdles on top of winning a state license. Cohen’s Queens proposal and Bally’s on the former Trump Golf Links in the Bronx need approval from the city and state to build on what is technically parkland. Related in Hudson Yards and Thor Equities at Coney Island also need to secure zoning changes at their sites to be able to build.
State regulators announced last month that applications for downstate casino licenses will not open until 2025, finally putting a firm timeline on what had been a sluggish run-up to the eagerly awaited process.
That pushed-back timeline was meant to give all applicants time to finish environmental reviews and land-use hurdles, state Gaming Commission officials said.
Nick Garber , 2024-04-17 22:39:41
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