01LU 0297-2025C 250108 MMKCity MapLaid over
Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises · Thursday, June 12, 2025
The one where Coney Island spent a whole hearing telling the Council that a $200M casino can't buy back its boardwalk
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land-use item
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CEQR: Other
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Coney Island's casino reckoning finally hit the zoning subcommittee. The applicant pitched a 1.3-million-square-foot, 40-story casino resort as a 'year-round destination' with a $200M community trust, rooftop public space and a remade Surf Avenue , backed by 'one of the biggest casino operators in the country' and Legends Hospitality, the Yankees-founded firm. But the room belonged to the opposition: tour guides, parents, small-business owners and history-keepers warned of crime, foreclosure, displaced affordable housing, and an Atlantic City-style decline, while a smaller faith-and-labor cont
From the room
“a lot of community concern tends to raise concerns about casinos in general uh when it comes to crime, uh addiction and other negative secondary effects”
— Kevin C. Riley
“there are 4500 union construction jobs and 4,000 permanent gaming and hospitality un hospitality union jobs with a local hiring preference”
— Robert Cornegy
“I voted in favor of a home rule message that would open the door to a casino in the Bronx. I also voted yes on a casino that will be built in Queens”
— Inna Vernikov
“over two years getting the buy-in in partnership with colleges in the immediate area and in the borough and with schools to provide training programs”
— Robert Cornegy
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The decisions
1Also in the record
Records not linked to a specific agenda item
Conditions
- Supports the casino conditionally: the casino must be held accountable and kept in the community, and the money must go to the community not the wrong/private people
- Asks that Thor Equities stop letting properties decay, stop raising rent, and put a cap on what small businesses can be charged so they can thrive in Coney Island
- Coney Trust adhering to Public Authorities Accountability Standards Act for transparency/oversight
Land-use review
CEQR: Other
CB Community Board 13 Disapprove
CB community board
CB community board
CB community board Disapprove
CB community board Disapprove
CB Community Board 13 Disapprove
CB Community Board 13 Disapprove
Questions & answers
Kevin C. Riley: What happens at the site if the project does not receive one of the three downstate gaming licenses?
Kevin C. Riley: If the land use action is approved, what is the immediate next step?
Kevin C. Riley: Given Coney Island's vulnerability to flooding and climate events, how is the proposal designed to improve local infrastructure and neighborhood resilience?
Kevin C. Riley: Given community concerns about casinos and crime, addiction, and negative secondary effects near families, what specific initiatives or investments are proposed for prevention and public safety?
Kevin C. Riley: What are the anticipated impacts of the proposal on existing small businesses in the surrounding area?
+12 more exchanges
Citations & precedent
New York Times editorial board editorial, October 24, 2013 · Steve Ralston
Illinois Law Review (and other interest-group studies) · Steve Ralston
Institute of American Values study · Steve Ralston
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM-5 · Matt McGlade
Procedure
- Sergeant-at-arms opens the Committee/Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises hearing; instructs that no one may approach, testimony slips via sergeants, silence electronics. — Sergeant at Arms
- Zoom webinar host signals the chair may begin; hybrid meeting webinar started. — Webinar Host
- Public hearing on applications related to a proposal to develop a casino complex in Coney Island. — Kevin C. Riley
- State initiative to issue up to three downstate gaming facility licenses, which includes New York City. — Kevin C. Riley
+47 more procedural steps
Where it standsCB Community Board 13 ✓→Committee→Full Council
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The people
Public testimony: 8 in favor · 7 opposed
Practitioners & applicants
Jody Stein · Sarah Davis · Julia Danley · Melissa Gliata · Erica Orsonet · Donna McCammon · unidentified resident/teacher (S12) · Camille Hastick · unidentified executive director (S11) · Dominic Recchia · +29 more
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The intelligence
Every parcel, owner, and applicant in this meeting, cross-referenced against Zonable’s NYC ownership, enforcement & legislative graph — the record behind the record.
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Owner portfolios, open OATH/ECB violations, 311 & DOB permits across every parcel discussed, developer track records, and an “ask this meeting” chat.
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