New York City mayor vetoes zoning decision on Bally’s casino project
Mayor Eric Adams decision has revived the company’s hopes of a New York casino licence.
US.- New York City mayor Eric Adams has vetoed the City Council’s disapproval of Bally’s Bronx casino plan. The decision renews the chances that it could win one of the three casino licences going in the state. The veto was announced two weeks after the council rejected a zoning change that the company needed to advance in the process.
Bally’s is one of eight casino applications for three licences, which are expected to be awarded by the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) by the end of 2025. It proposed a complex that would include a 500,000-square-foot gaming floor, a 500-room hotel with a spa and meeting space, shops and a 2,000-seat event centre. It would be located next to the Trump Organization’s public golf course at Ferry Point in the East Bronx.
Mayor Adams said: “A casino in New York City would bring good-paying union jobs and an economic boost to the surrounding community, which is why I have long advocated for a fair process with as many competitive bids as possible. In stark contrast, the City Council’s disapproval of the Bally’s Bronx bid deprives the Bronx of the ability to even compete for a $4bn private investment that would deliver 15,000 union construction jobs, 4,000 permanent union jobs, and more than $625m in community benefits — including millions in funding for schools, parks, youth programs, nonprofits, and public safety — if selected by the state.
“The City Council’s decision to treat the Bronx differently than other boroughs goes against the publicly stated, in-favor positions of the Bronx borough president and other councilmembers representing working-class neighborhoods across the Bronx. By rejecting the land use application for this casino bid while approving three others in Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn, the City Council is putting its finger on the scale — and this is precisely the type of action that leads New Yorkers to lose faith in their elected leaders.
“For all of these reasons, and at the direct request of both chairs of the City Council Land Use Committee and Subcommittee on Zoning — both of whom represent districts in the Bronx — I have decided to veto the City Council’s land use decision, which will re-level the playing field and allow the Bronx to have a seat at the table, rather than give an unfair advantage to the other bidders and boroughs.”
Council spokesperson Mara Davis commented: “Despite the self-serving claims about housing and land use by Mayor Adams and his second Charter Revision Commission in less than two years, Mayor Adams has issued the first and only land use veto during his tenure for a casino applicant, not housing.
“This administration’s hypocrisy and unethical conduct is well documented and has been witnessed by all New Yorkers, so the mayor’s words have no credibility. The Council will consider its next steps on this land use application.”
