HIGHLAND MILLS, N.Y. – The prospects of a Las Vegas-style Hard Rock Casino with a 400-room hotel, conference center and high-end restaurant wedged between Route 17 and the Thruway near the Harriman train station could be a financial boon for Woodbury and nearby communities, proponents say.
Among the benefits: Ten percent of the casino’s “off-the-top” revenues would be split between Orange County and Woodbury, with the village of Woodbury receiving 3.25 percent of the cut, generating enough money to significantly lower residential property taxes.
The casino developer would finance off-site infrastructure enhancements, including water and sewer capacity expansions, as well as extensive road improvements. In addition, the casino would create jobs with an average annual salary of $45,000 while also funneling property, hotel and sales tax revenues into local municipalities’ coffers.
But it would all come with a price, critics contend: Woodbury would never be the same again.
And if the initial smattering of opinion at Thursday’s village of Woodbury Board of Trustees meeting is an indication of the broader public view, that is a price too high.
All seven public-comment speakers opposed the prospective casino, citing concerns about traffic, crime, grime and an “earth-shaking” transformation of the village and surrounding communities.
Woodbury Mayor Michael Queenan told a “disappointing” turnout of about 30 people at the meeting that he has been contacted in the last 10 days by Cordish Companies of Baltimore and Penn National Gaming of Wyomissing, Pa. Both, he said, are interested in building a casino on a 130-acre undeveloped tract just north of the Harriman Metro-North train station, east of Route 17 and west of the Thruway.
The adjacent 132-acre former Nepera plant in Harriman is also being considered as a potential casino site, although Queenan could not say if Cordish Cos., Penn National or “a third casino (developer) that is out there” is the interested party.
Queenan said Cordish and Penn National need the village to issue letters indicating the board is willing to consider a casino proposal. The developers must submit the letters to the New York Gaming Commission’s newly created five-member Casino Selection Board by April 1, which will select four new casino sites in the Capital District, Catskills and Southern Tier.
The board must make its decision at its March 13 meeting, Queenan said, noting there are still many questions that need answers.
Casino developers make pitch in Woodbury; residents say, ‘No dice’
By Mid-Hudson News Network
HIGHLAND MILLS, N.Y. – The prospects of a Las Vegas-style Hard Rock Casino with a 400-room hotel, conference center and high-end restaurant wedged between Route 17 and the Thruway near the Harriman train station could be a financial boon for Woodbury and nearby communities, proponents say.
Among the benefits: Ten percent of the casino’s “off-the-top” revenues would be split between Orange County and Woodbury, with the village of Woodbury receiving 3.25 percent of the cut, generating enough money to significantly lower residential property taxes.
The casino developer would finance off-site infrastructure enhancements, including water and sewer capacity expansions, as well as extensive road improvements. In addition, the casino would create jobs with an average annual salary of $45,000 while also funneling property, hotel and sales tax revenues into local municipalities’ coffers.
But it would all come with a price, critics contend: Woodbury would never be the same again.
And if the initial smattering of opinion at Thursday’s village of Woodbury Board of Trustees meeting is an indication of the broader public view, that is a price too high.
All seven public-comment speakers opposed the prospective casino, citing concerns about traffic, crime, grime and an “earth-shaking” transformation of the village and surrounding communities.
Woodbury Mayor Michael Queenan told a “disappointing” turnout of about 30 people at the meeting that he has been contacted in the last 10 days by Cordish Companies of Baltimore and Penn National Gaming of Wyomissing, Pa. Both, he said, are interested in building a casino on a 130-acre undeveloped tract just north of the Harriman Metro-North train station, east of Route 17 and west of the Thruway.
The adjacent 132-acre former Nepera plant in Harriman is also being considered as a potential casino site, although Queenan could not say if Cordish Cos., Penn National or “a third casino (developer) that is out there” is the interested party.
Queenan said Cordish and Penn National need the village to issue letters indicating the board is willing to consider a casino proposal. The developers must submit the letters to the New York Gaming Commission’s newly created five-member Casino Selection Board by April 1, which will select four new casino sites in the Capital District, Catskills and Southern Tier.
The board must make its decision at its March 13 meeting, Queenan said, noting there are still many questions that need answers.
Queenan said his “No. 1 concern” is traffic.
Woodbury is already ensnarled in traffic generated by the 220-store Woodbury Commons Premium Outlets, clogging the nearby confluence of routes 32, 17, 6 and the Thruway.
A $72 million redesign of routes 17 and 32, including building a southbound loop to the Thruway from Route 32, scheduled to begin this spring, has been delayed until 2017 for lack of money.
But, as village Trustee Timothy Egan said, “Money doesn’t buy everything. I have a feeling that any improvements (casino developers) make would be offset by the improvements we have to make” to accommodate the impacts, noting his neighbors and constituents “didn’t move here because they thought it would be a casino town.”
“I’m just trying to have a positive discussion,” Queenan said. “I don’t want to deal with what people see in the movies, with urban myths, I want to deal with facts – and we don’t have all the facts yet.”
Central Valley resident John Baranowski said the board’s decision really shouldn’t be difficult.
“If you send that letter, you’re saying, ‘We’re willing to consider changing this community forever’,” Baranowski said. “Don’t send the letter. Let
A casino project “might get it pushed up,” Queenan said. “If (a casino) was approved, the state might see the wisdom in picking this up; they want the revenues.”
Other potential benefits include adding a second Metro-North rail line, building a new fire department substation and having the money to continue battling the village of Kiryas Joel in court over its plan to build a pipeline through Woodbury and, Queenan said, challenge an annexation request from the Hasidic community that he fears “we’ll be hearing about soon.”
The bottom line, he said, is the money Woodbury could reap from a casino deal would be hard to turn down.
“If they want to come and play here, they’d have to foot the bill,” Queenan said. “We could be in a position where we never have to go to bond again. We could have a year, depending on the year they have, that we have no taxes at all.”
But, as village Trustee Timothy Egan said, “Money doesn’t buy everything. I have a feeling that any improvements (casino developers) make would be offset by the improvements we have to make” to accommodate the impacts, noting his neighbors and constituents “didn’t move here because they thought it would be a casino town.”
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