Despite Thor’s 11th-hour promises, CAC members maintained opposition
Ahead of rejecting Thor’s proposal for a casino in Coney Island, the community advisory committee gave the development team a bit of hope.
In a five-to-one vote, the CAC approved 10 proposed amendments to the Coney, including a $10 million commitment to infrastructure improvements and $100 million for public safety-related investments, up from a previous $15 million commitment. The team also promised to ensure that 30 percent of permanent jobs created by the project were reserved for Coney Island residents, 15 percent from Brooklyn and 95 percent from New York state.
The approval of the amendments was somewhat surprising. CACs that voted down three Manhattan proposals this month also rejected amendments proposed by the development teams.
Before voting against the project, Borough President Antonio Reynoso indicated that the proposed changes to the Coney came too late.
“I really feel that if they had put forward an effort a lot earlier in convincing the community or putting forward a lot of these amendments, maybe the conversation could have been different,” he said. “But this last minute effort and inability to truly change minds in the community made it so that I’m voting, ‘nay.’”
He also acknowledged that some of the public hearings on the casino turned ugly, with meetings turning into screaming matches. Reynoso said he hoped the “disruptions and uncomfortable moments” didn’t cause “irreparable harm to our community.”
Assembly member Marissa Solomon echoed concerns that a casino would draw business away from Luna Park and other existing attractions in Coney Island.
“I hope that we continue to recognize what a unique and valuable place that Coney Island is and that Coney Island can both receive the investments the people in the community really need and that we could also protect, preserve and grow the Coney Island amusement area, and make sure Coney Island always remains what it should be, the people’s playground,” she said before voting against the project.
A representative for the casino team declined to comment on Monday.
Alex Sommer, one of the two votes in favor of advancing Thor’s proposal, repeated a general line given by CAC members appointed by the mayor: Casinos can serve as “major economic development initiatives” that create jobs and deliver benefits to the community, as well as the city and region.
The Coney joins three other proposals rejected by their respective CACs, though it is the first outside Manhattan to be eliminated from the state’s casino licensing competition. Three others are heading to be reviewed by the state’s Gaming Facility Location Board, which will ultimately award up to three licenses.
A committee will vote on Tuesday on the final casino proposal, one put forward by billionaire Steve Cohen.