Developer tries to sell Albany casino before anxious crowd

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By Matthew McKibben

A public forum last week on developer David Flaum's plan to bring a Las Vegas-style casino to the southern part of Albany proved that Capital Region residents are not yet sold on the proposal.

During a 20 minute presentation Flaum informed the crowd of his plans to "revitalize" Albany with his project simply dubbed "Project E23" by bringing what he says will be 1,800 permanent and 1,500 construction jobs to the region and paying almost $12 million per year in property taxes to local municipalities. The Rochester developer claims he will work with the distressed communities in Albany and hire local union employees to perform jobs such as plumbing and painting.

"Our plan not only represents the most transformative development Albany has seen in more than 40 years, it's something all residents of Albany and the Capital Region can be proud of," Flaum said to a group that struggled to fill the Giffen Elementary school auditorium on Pearl Street in Albany. "We know local support is critical to a successful bid, and we are going to earn that support."

Flaum, who told the crowd he is concerned with addressing the problems facing many communities in Albany, is rumored to have his hands in four other casino projects. According to a New York Times article published last month, Flaum purchased a 120-acre parcel next to the Harriman station on the Metro-North Railroad and just over three miles from the Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in Orange County. The article also says that Flaum purchased 345 acres of land 15 years ago in Sullivan County where he had hoped to build an Indian-run casino. Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy, who represents the city of Albany, said she had read the article and is concerned that Flaum is "just hedging his bets here."

http://www.legislativegazette.com/Articles-Top-Stories-c-2014-04-21-87631.113122-Developer-tries-to-sell-Albany-casino-before-anxious-crowd.html

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1. JUNIUS: Town Board remains neutral on prospective casino

DAVID L. SHAW

JUNIUS — The Town Board decided Wednesday to remain neutral on the issue of a casino targeted for the neighboring town of Tyre.

The board heard a presentation from representatives of the Wilmorite Corp. of Rochester, the developer interesting in building the $350 million resort east of Route 414, just north of the Thruway.

Board members decided against supporting the project by way of a resolution, instead opting to stay neutral.

http://www.fltimes.com/news/article_2dd9ad16-c823-11e3-a594-0019bb2963f4.html?mode=jqm

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2. Proposed Catskills casino opens headquarters in Liberty

By Matthew McKibben

A small town in Sullivan County has been named as the Foxwoods Catskills Resort Casino's new headquarters, with a ribbon cutting ceremony being held on Wednesday to celebrate the opening of the building.

The location in Liberty will serve as the base of operations for Foxwoods Resort Casino and Muss Development. The two firms that have teamed together on the project to build a Las Vegas-style casino in the Catskill region and will compete for one of the four casino licenses that will be granted by the siting board sometime this fall.

http://www.legislativegazette.com/Articles-Top-Stories-c-2014-04-21-87645.113122-Proposed-Catskills-casino-opens-headquarters-in-Liberty.html

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3. Its becoming a feeding frenzy......

so far there are at least 5 and maybe 6 proposal for casinos in Orange County. His in HARRIMAN would utterly make that area a virtual parking lot as the t-way , Rt 17, Rt 32 all come together and then the pressing developments of the Village or Kiryas Joel & Woodbury Commons....

Another in South Blooming Grove, and then the wonder plan for Stewart in New Windsor.

So far only one has paid the entrance fee of 1 million, due tomorrow in Sullivan County.

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4. Harriman would be a horribls place for a casino.

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5. Racino owners drop Saratoga casino plan, place chips on East Greenbush

Jordan Carleo-Evangelist, Staff Writer

The owners of the Saratoga Casino & Raceway have begun telling local officials that they are abandoning plans to bid for a full-blown casino at the 10-year-old racino in favor of a new site in East Greenbush, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.

The about-face comes less than a week after the Rensselaer County town quietly passed a generic resolution supporting “any reasonable” casino development in town, and after months of rancor in the Spa City between factions supporting and opposing a gambling expansion at the racino.

While East Greenbush had been among the locations included in early speculation about where a Capital Region casino might be sited by the state, Supervisor Keith Langley told the Times Union on Friday that he had not seen “any formal presentations at this point.”

The news also comes just two days before would-be casino licensees must submit their $1 million application fees to the state Gaming Commission ahead of a mandatory applicants’ conference scheduled for April 30.

http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/211072/racino-owners-drop-saratoga-casino-plan-place-chips-on-east-greenbush/

[Historic NY]

7. Really they just bid up the T/Newburgh site off the thurway & Rt. 84 interchanges.

TOWN OF NEWBURGH - Gaming company Saratoga Casino and Raceway has emerged at the eleventh hour as another contender for a casino license in Orange County, targeting a site on Route 17K in the Town of Newburgh.

The company, which owns and operates a racino in Saratoga, will present its plans for a casino complex to the Newburgh Town Board at a special meeting 7 p.m. Thursday at the town courthouse, located at 311 Route 32, said Acting Town Supervisor Gil Piaquadio.

Saratoga Casino and Raceway will disclose the full details of its proposal then, including how much it will invest in the property and the scope of the project, such as the size of the casino and related developments like a hotel. The casino complex is proposed for a 70-acre swath of land owned by the Matrix Development Group. The site is bordered by Route 17K to the south, Interstate 84 to the north and the New York State Thruway to the east.
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140422/BIZ/140429941

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6. County supports neighbor’s casino plan

MICHAEL ANICH

JOHNSTOWN - The Fulton County Board of Supervisors recently supported a casino development project proposed in Montgomery County.

Montgomery County, which recently passed a resolution supporting location of a commercial casino in that county, asked Fulton County on March 5 to do the same.

The Fulton County resolution passed last week at the County Office Building said the proposed casino location in Montgomery County is "superior to others that have been proposed in the Capital Region."

"The siting of a multi-recreational casino gaming resort in Montgomery County will result in new jobs and provide a boost to area tax bases within the region."

http://www.leaderherald.com/page/content.detail/id/563646/County-supports-neighbor-s-casino-plan.html?nav=5011