Schenectady mayor says casino announcement coming soonSchenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy said an announcement will be made soon about the possibility of bringing a casino to the city.
McCarthy did not divulge the details, but it is known that commercial real estate developer Galesi Group wants to include a casino in its plans for Mohawk Harbor, a $150 million mixed-use development on old industrial land along the Mohawk River.
McCarthy told me he supports a casino, and an announcement will be made “shortly.”
“I believe we’ll be doing a project that is complementary to the development that has happened downtown and in the rest of the community,” McCarthy said.
Asked if he expects opposition to surface as it has in Saratoga Springs and Albany, two cities where a casino has been proposed or debated, McCarthy said, “It’s local government. If I propose motherhood, apple pie, and baseball, there will be pushback.”
McCarthy’s comments come at a time when the process for applying for a casino license upstate is moving quickly.
A $1 million license application fee is due April 23 -- just 12 days away. The fee must be paid to gain entry to a mandatory “applicant conference” that will be held April 30 at the Empire State Plaza in Albany.
License applications are due June 30, and must include a resolution of support from the host municipality along with a long list of supporting materials.
James Featherstonhaugh, a minority owner of Saratoga Casino and Raceway, a video slot machine parlor and harness race track, said Thursday that the ownership in Saratoga will be paying the $1 million application fee.
But Featherstonhaugh said the owners haven’t decided whether to seek a license to convert the racino into a full-scale casino with live table games such as poker and roulette.
The New York State Gaming Commission will refund the $1 million to any group that doesn’t wind up submitting an application.
Up to four commercial casino licenses will be awarded upstate this fall in the Capital Region, Southern Tier and Catskills/Hudson Valley region.
http://www.bizjournals.com/alb.....coming.html?page=all