The village has retained rePLACE Urban Studios, a Manhattan-based architectural and design firm, to explore a mixed-use overlay zone incorporating essential flood mitigation measures, a top priority of the Village. These zoning changes are also part of the cornerstone of the grant application in highlighting how it will draw private investment and strengthen its small business community.

At its meeting at the CUNY Graduate Center in Manhattan on Dec. 1, the State Gaming Facility Location Board approved by a 5-0 vote the proposals by Hard Rock Metropolitan Park at Willets Point, Queens, Resorts World New York City at the Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens and the Bally’s Bronx project in the Throggs Neck section of the borough. According to Gaming Commission estimates, the three projects total nearly $11 billion in new capital investment.

The Bally’s Bronx project is projected to involve a $2.3-billion investment; the Resorts World New York City development is expected to be a $3.3-billion project; the Hard Rock Metropolitan Park proposal calls for $5.3 billion in investment if approved by the Gaming Commission. Location Board consultants project incremental annual gaming tax revenue of nearly $1 billion in 2036—totaling approximately $7 billion between 2027 and 2036—plus $1.5 billion in licensing fees.

Additional state and local taxes—property, sales, hotel occupancy, and others—are projected to generate approximately $5.9 billion over 10 years. Problem gambling programs are projected to receive approximately $10.7 million annually.

The Bally’s Bronx facility is projected to open in mid 2030; Hard Rock Metropolitan Park by June 2030; and Resorts World New York City expects the converted facility to open in March 2026, with completion of the expansion in 2029 and full project completion in 2031.

In response to the Gaming Facility Location Board vote, Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano released a statement pleading with state officials to work with the city to reinvent Empire City Casino. “I am deeply disappointed in New York’s decision to move forward with the award of three casino licenses, all within New York City,” the Mayor stated. “But the decision has been made and now my focus is singular: protecting our city’s number one taxpayer and largest employer.”

He stressed, “I am asking the governor and the state to recognize the new realities before us and work collaboratively with Yonkers and MGM on a meaningful plan to strengthen this facility. We need to expand its potential, transforming it into a true entertainment destination. Failure is not an option for our residents, our workforce or our city’s future.”

Westchester County’s hopes to land more than $2 billion in casino gaming investment were dashed on Oct. 14 when MGM Yonkers Inc. announced it was withdrawing its application for a full commercial casino license at its Empire City property in Yonkers. MGM Empire Casino in Yonkers won a unanimous 5-0 vote on Sept. 25 from its Community Advisory Committee.

When recently asked for comment on its future in light of its impending competition, MGM Empire City pointed to its steadfast commitment to Yonkers in its Oct. 14 announcement of its decision to not pursue the full casino license: “We know our decision will impact many individuals; we remain committed to operating the property in its current format and believe it will continue to enjoy success serving customers in Yonkers and the surrounding communities.” 

In its Oct. 14 letter to the Gaming Commission, MGM cited a recent Gaming Decision policy change that prevented it from obtaining the full 30-year gaming license as one of the chief reasons behind its decision to withdraw. “The newly defined competitive landscape—with four proposals clustered in a small geographic area—challenges the returns we initially anticipated from this project. Also, our proposal to renovate and expand Empire City Casino was predicated on the receipt of a 30-year commercial casino license but based on newly issued guidance from the State of New York we now expect to qualify for only a 15-year license. Taken together, these events result in a proposition that no longer aligns with our commitment to capital stewardship, nor to that of our real estate partner in Yonkers, VICI,” MGM stated.

Under a proposed rule issued in August by New York State Gaming Commission General Counsel Edmund Burns, the term of a casino license would be based on the amount of investment. The rule, which was published in the State Register on Oct. 8 and is now under a 60-day comment period that ends on Dec. 7, establishes four tiers in terms of licensing term—10 years for investments up to $1.5 billion, 15 years for investments for up to $5 billion; 20 years for investments up to $10 billion and 30 years for investments of more than $10 billion.

On Oct. 14, in a harsh initial response to MGM’s decision to withdraw, Yonkers Mayor Spano said, “MGM has publicly acknowledged that Empire City cannot survive without a full gaming license, so why are they signing their own death warrant.”

Previously, supporters of the MGM Empire City Casino plan in testimony before the Community Advisory Committee in late September, also questioned its viability if not approved for a full casino license and noted that the future of MGM Empire City would be in serious peril since it would be competing with as many as three full casino gaming facilities in nearby Queens and the Bronx.

In fact, in MGM Empire City’s presentation in August to the Community Advisory Committee it included a support letter from the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 137, which stated: “Failing to take advantage of MGM Resorts’ role to become a substantial economic driver for New York and build upon its trusted reputation would have severe unintended consequences for the region. If the three available casino licenses were to be issued and exclude MGM Resorts’ Empire City Casino, it is clear that Empire City would no longer be viable. The casino’s closure would be an extraordinary blow to the region with substantial economic losses to the region, the loss of thousands of union jobs, a significant loss of revenue to the state…The state should not overlook these adverse impacts, particularly as recession fears continue.”

John Cooney, Jr., executive director of the Construction Industry Council of Westchester & Hudson Valley, Inc., in a viewpoint published in the Journal News, warned of what he termed would be an “economic catastrophe” if the Empire City Casino project did not move forward to full licensure.

“Awarding full casino licenses to three other downstate entities would seal Empire City’s fate,” Mr. Cooney wrote. “Without its own license, the property would be forced to compete against full-scale casinos in its market while facing additional pressure from an anticipated mega-casino at the Meadowlands, just 20 miles away. There is no viable future for Empire City under those conditions.”

“Failing to award his license would not simply be a missed opportunity, it would be an economic catastrophe,” Mr. Cooney warned.

MGM Empire City Casino officials touted in its application its speed to market over most of its competition. In its application to the Gaming Commission, MGM noted that if awarded a commercial gaming license by year-end 2025, limited commercial gaming operations were estimated to begin in June 2027 and full commercial operations by November 2027. By the end of 2029, all envisioned components were to be operational. 

With the exception of Genting Inc.’s Resorts World New York City, which will open its conversion of its racino into a full gaming facility next year, if approved, competition from the other two casinos, if approved by the Gaming Commission, will not commence for about four years, giving MGM, the state and City of Yonkers time to determine next steps for Empire City.