New York Council approves critical land rezoning for Bally’s Bronx casino bid
Bally’s Corporation’s plans to develop a $4bn casino at the Bally’s Links golf course in the Bronx moved forward with the New York City Council greenlighting a rezoning change by a vote of 32 to 12, due in part to an 11th hour intervention by Mayor Eric Adams.
William Fowler, a spokesperson for the Mayor, said: “Mayor Adams supports a fair process with as many competitive casino bids in New York City as possible, each of which would bring good-paying union jobs and an economic boost to the community.”
“We appreciate the City Council, including the Speaker and Bronx Delegation in particular, for recognizing the opportunity that this project can afford to the Bronx and the City as a whole. Their actions today allow us to move forward to the next step of making this happen for NYC,” said Christopher Jewett, Bally’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Development.
Bally’s wants to build a resort casino at the Ferry Point golf course site it bought from the Trump Organization in 2023. If it succeeds, it would have to pay $115m to Trump’s company as part of the deal.
This prompted Bally’s Chairman Soo Kim to comment to the New York Post: “They’re saying, ‘If Bally’s wins, Trump benefits.’ That’s crazy. They’re moving the goalpost. If we don’t get a vote in the City Council, we can’t advance our bid.”
Council Member Kristy Marmorato voted against the measure, calling it ‘disgraceful.’
“Voting in favor of this sets the precedent that we reward lobbyists and special interest groups when they go around the local representation in local communities,” she said. “I will not stop until this harmful proposal is defeated for good
“This was never about jobs or fairness,” she added. “It was about political favors and special interest power plays. We were elected to represent our communities, not to sell them out. This fight is not over. This project must still go through the ULURP process — and I will use every tool available to oppose it. Our community will not be steamrolled by special interests.
The project would include a 500,000-square-foot casino, 500-room hotel, 2,000-seat entertainment center, spa, rooftop restaurant, retail space, and two parking garages with capacity for 4,660 vehicles. It would create over 15,000 construction jobs and more than 3,500 permanent jobs
Bally’s stated: “We are incredibly excited at the prospect of bringing Bally’s community centered approach to gaming and entertainment to The Bronx. At Bally’s, we start with the proposition that the leaders in the community know what is best for their community.”
“With that guiding principle in mind, we have been engaged in an ongoing series of conversations with local elected officials, community groups and key civic leaders to hear directly from them about what they would like to see from a potential new project. Our vision, which includes transforming a former waste disposal site and a high-end golf course into a world class entertainment destination, with a focus on workforce housing and new and improved public green space at the center of the project.”
