The casino endgame draws near as the Gaming Facility Location Board has set Wednesday, December 17, as the for its last official meeting — and the day it may announce publicly one or more casino locations.
The winding road of New York’s casino process is nearing an end as December appears to be the month the NY Gaming Commission will announce locations for at least one of the available licenses.
The Sterling Forest Partnership will host a review of the Sterling Forest Resort and Casino DEIS Monday, December 1, at 7 p.m. at the Tuxedo Train Station. The event is open to the public.
With the Sterling Forest Resort and Casino DEIS submitted to the Town of Tuxedo, Sterling Forest Partnership will host a review of the enormous document Monday, December 1, at the Tuxedo Train Station, beginning at 7 p.m. The DEIS review will help prepare interested residents for the Thursday, December 4 DEIS Public Hearing, scheduled for the Tuxedo High School, where residents can make comments and recommendations on the study itself and its environmental impact on the area.
Former NY Gov. George Pataki recently came out publicly in opposition to Sterling Forest Resort and Casino. As governor, Pataki was part of a broad coalition that put together $55 million that created Sterling Forest State Park. Here Gov. Pataki greets local watershed advocate Geoff Welch at a Sterling Park ceremony after the park first opened to the public.
The Town of Tuxedo has announced that after the December 4 Public Hearing the board will make a determination on extending the DEIS hearing to give the public additional days to review and digest the casino DEIS, which involves a whole host of resort and casino impact assessments and supplemental information.
With the Gaming Facility Location Board set to make an announcement Wednesday, December 17, on possible site selections at its last meeting in Albany, the Tuxedo Town Board has nothing to lose by accommodating public interest in extending study of the DEIS. The board had set a December 19 deadline for written comments and at this time the December 4 Public Hearing is the only scheduled hearing.
The Facility Location Board essentially is doing due diligence for the Gaming Commission by evaluating the financial and employment histories of the various applicants.
Three regions are in play for one of the commission’s four casino licenses, with a total of 16 applicant proposals, including the Hudson Valley and Catskills region (9 bids), Southern Tier and Finger Lakes region (3 bids) and Capital/Albany region (4 bids).
Genting Americas’ Sterling Forest Resort and Casino proposal for Tuxedo, NY is one of nine proposals in the Orange County/Catskills region — with six of those in Orange County itself.
Whichever regions are selected by the Gaming Facility Location Board, there will be a general outcry and a Gaming Commission selection review process that takes place before any licenses are granted.
Members of Sterling Forest Partnership met before a recent Palisades Interstate Parks Commission meeting at Bear Mountain to discuss the proposed Sterling Forest Resort and Casino Exit 15B Thruway Exit.
The Sterling Forest Resort and Casino proposed site location, nestled as it is on a swath of private property in Sterling Forest State Park, has had the most vocal and sophisticated range of opposition scrutinizing Genting’s ambitious casino plans — from the Palisades Interstate Parks Commission (PIPC) and Sterling Forest Partnership to Sierra Club North Jersey, The Friends of Sterling Forest, Highlands Coalition, Appalachian Mountain Club, Rockland County Water Coalition, and local advocates concerned about the impact of development on the area’s watersheds and drinking water supplies.
