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Members of the state Gaming Facility Location Board, who will soon decide on the fate of Bally\u2019s and two other casino bidders, visit Ferry Point Park on Nov. 17 with Christopher Jewett, senior VP of corporate development (left, pointing), and Brian Crowell (right), PGA general manager. <\/p>\n
Photo by Emily Swanson <\/p>\n
Members of the state Gaming Facility Location Board, which holds the power to award up to three New York City area casino licenses, visited the sites of all remaining bids on Nov. 17 for a firsthand glimpse into each project\u2019s potential impact on the neighborhood.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The 10-member group started their day at Bally\u2019s Links in Ferry Point Park before proceeding to the proposed sites for Metropolitan Park<\/a> in Flushing and Resorts World<\/a> in Ozone Park, Queens.\u00a0<\/p>\n In just weeks, the board is expected to announce a decision about which of these projects \u2014if any\u2014 will receive a highly sought-after casino license.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Bally\u2019s proposal to develop a casino and 500-room hotel in Ferry Point Park is one of just three New York City-area bids approved<\/a> by their respective Community Advisory Councils (CACs)\u2014 a key final step that allowed them to proceed under state consideration.\u00a0<\/p>\n Inside Bally\u2019s River House at 450 Hutchinson River Parkway, board members heard a brief presentation from the development team, then hopped aboard golf carts to see the course and where the planned hotel-casino-entertainment complex would be located. They also boarded their charter bus for a loop around the site to get a sense of affected roadways and planned mitigation measures.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the presentation, Christopher Jewett, Bally\u2019s senior vice president of corporate development, noted that the meeting would likely provide many board members\u2019 first opportunity to see the site in depth and visualize the planned development.\u00a0<\/p>\n Jewett said the location was \u201cideal for multiple reasons,\u201d including its proximity to major highways, bridges and LaGuardia airport and distance from neighboring homes.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou intentionally have to come to this site, in terms of getting here from the local neighborhoods or from the highway, and we\u2019re not in anyone\u2019s backyard,\u201d Jewett said.\u00a0<\/p>\n He and others on the development team outlined planned improvements to Ferry Point Park, including a new pathway under the Whitestone Bridge to connect pedestrians and cyclists to the east and west sides of the park.\u00a0<\/p>\n The parkland improvements \u2014 which focused solely on Ferry Point Park, at the request of the Bronx CAC \u2014 were finalized last week, Jewett said. The company plans to invest $100 million in such improvements, according to Bally\u2019s application<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Developers also briefed the board on plans for a bridge over Hutchinson River Parkway designed to mitigate traffic volume. They showed several diagrams to orient board members as to where the parking garage, casino, hotel entrance and other parts of the $4 billion complex would be located and where guests would enter off the highway via car or public transit.\u00a0<\/p>\n Two new MTA stops are in the works, but exact locations have not yet been finalized and Bally\u2019s plans to offer shuttles for employees and guests using public transit, Jewett said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Brian Crowell, PGA general manager, led the golf cart tour amid blustering winds, stopping at high points that show off the course\u2019s expansive views of the East River, Manhattan skyline and Whitestone and Throggs Neck Bridges.<\/p>\n Crowell said Bally\u2019s Links already attracts the biggest names in golf and that a casino complex would further improve its visibility and boost the economy.\u00a0<\/p>\n Having onsite accommodations and parking would open up Bally\u2019s to hosting major golf tours, Crowell told the group. \u201cWhere we could accommodate players for a major tour was always a factor in the past. So to have that ability to have rooms on the property would set us apart.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The company projects<\/a> that the Bally\u2019s resort-casino, if approved, would attract 9.3 million visitors per year, with the vast majority coming from outside the Bronx.<\/p>\n The economic impact of gaming, sales and hotel taxes, employment and other aspects of the development\u2019s creation and operation would likely be significant. Bally\u2019s projects an annual economic impact of $1.5 billion for the Bronx and $1.9 billion for New York State, plus committed to a $765 million benefits package for the East Bronx community that would provide long-term investment in schools, sports teams, organizations, infrastructure and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, the surrounding community appears divided on whether Bally\u2019s is a good bet. The project\u2019s land use application was rejected<\/a> by Community Board 10 last spring, and Council Member Kristy Marmorato has remained staunchly opposed throughout the long approvals process but she was recently voted out<\/a> of office.\u00a0<\/p>\n Local opposition in the Bronx has not reached the level of the Metropolitan Park project, in which Mets owner Steve Cohen has proposed to a casino and retail complex on a 50-acre Citi Field parking lot. On Nov. 16, nearly 1,000 residents protested<\/a> the bid outside the Queens Public Library in Flushing, marking a larger anti-casino presence than has been seen thus far in the Bronx.\u00a0<\/p>\n Despite some local opposition, Bally\u2019s has received strong support from many key elected officials, from the East Bronx Assembly and Senate to Borough President Vanessa Gibson to Mayor Eric Adams. But since the licensing power lies solely with the state, all eyes are on the Gaming Facility Location Board, and a decision is expected before the end of 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n Reach Emily Swanson at\u00a0eswanson@schnepsmedia.com<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0(646) 717-0015<\/a>. For more coverage, subscribe to our\u00a0newsletter<\/a>\u00a0and follow us on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>!<\/p>\n \t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20251117_101615-rotated.jpg\")
The Gaming Facility Location board toured all three potential casino sites on Nov. 17, starting at Bally\u2019s at Ferry Point Park. Photo by Emily Swanson<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20251117_103735-rotated.jpg\")
Members of the Gaming Facility Location Board toured the golf course to envision how the potential Bally\u2019s casino complex would be situated on the parkland. Photo by Emily Swanson<\/p>\n