By Michael V. Cusenza
South Queens residents soon will have a couple of opportunities to voice their opinions on the proposed sweeping expansion of Resorts World Casino New York City in Ozone Park.
Borough Hall, located at 120-55 Queens Blvd., will host both public hearings. The first will be on Wednesday, Aug. 20 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. There is no need to register to speak at the hearing, but it is a first come first serve basis. In addition to testifying in person, people are invited to send their written testimony by email to ResortsWorldNYCPublicComment@nystec.com or by mail to Resorts World NYC Community Advisory Committee c/o NYSTEC, Attn: CAC Consultant Team , 540 Broadway 3rd Floor , Albany, NY 12207. There will be another public hearing on Monday, Sept. 14 starting at 4 p.m.
File Rendering
The massive RWNYC expansion is projected to cost $5.5 billion.
Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-Howard Beach), chairwoman of the RWNYC Community Advisory Committee, has encouraged her constituents to turn out for both events.
“During this process, the Community Advisory Committee will have the ability to listen to the opinions of the entire community. It is important to me, as chair, to hear from everyone. By listening to all the participants, we will be able to advocate to the NYS Gaming Commission about the desires of the neighborhood and the interest in potentially expanding the opportunities at Resorts World,” Pheffer Amato said. The assemblywoman also noted that the panel serves in an advisory capacity and does not make the final approval for a full gaming license; yet they are in the position to express the overall desire of the community which will play a factor in the final decision-making process.
Last month, RWNYC applied for one of three downstate full gaming licenses. The $5.5 billion, 5.6 million-square-foot proposal reimagines the city’s only casino as an integrated resort for entertainment, gaming, dining, recreation, and expansive public amenities. According to RWNYC, table game and full-casino slot machine operations could launch within six months of receiving a Gaming Facility License. An estimated 5,000 union construction jobs would be created to realize an integrated resort with a total of a 500,000-square-foot gaming floor with 6,000 slots and 800 table games; 2,000 hotel rooms; a 7,000-seat entertainment venue; more than 7,000 car spaces, over 30 food and beverage outlets, large-scale meeting space; other resort amenities and more than 10 acres of community greenspace.
RWNYC has sent more than $4.5 billion to the State public education system since opening its doors in 2011. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is expected to receive more than $1 billion from RWNYC fees and revenues in the first five years of receiving a license, beginning as soon as next year.
“Fifteen years ago, Resorts World made a promise to turn this site into an economic engine for Southeast Queens, New York City, and New York State,” said Robert DeSalvio, president, Genting Americas East, RWNYC’s parent company. “And we succeeded, now generating more casino revenues and taxes each year than any other commercial casino in the U.S. Today is a major milestone for us to propose the world-class Resorts World Integrated Resort and further commit to this partnership and provide new career opportunities and tax revenue almost immediately, as soon as July 2026.”
