Golf and gambling have never been high on New York City’s long list of attractions.
Now these two pursuits are destined to draw visitors to the same Big Apple property.
On Monday, the New York Gaming Commission said promised a gambling license to Bally’s to build a casino hotel at Ferry Point Park in the Bronx, a city-owned site that is home to a Jack Nicklaus-designed links-style golf course previously operated by President Donald Trump’s company. (The committee also approved two other casino project proposals, both in Queens: Metropolitan Park next to Citi Field and the further development of Resorts World at South Ozone Park.)
The Bally’s development will be of particular interest to golfers as the now approved $4 billion gaming and hospitality complex will loom on the south side of the course. The plans call for a casino, a 23-story hotel with 500 rooms, a convention and events center and retail space.
“At the intersection of the structure’s three wings is a curvilinear skybridge topped by an expansive landscaped terrace, and additional green roofs are shown covering the remainder of the stepped setbacks,” YIMBY from New York reported in July. “Meandering walkways and a redesigned vehicular entrance on the north side of the property are also visible.”
Located in the shadow of the Whitestone Bridge, Ferry Point is known for its views of the New York City skyline and the rolling, fescue-lined fairways you’d be more likely to expect in Bandon than the Bronx. In 2022, the property hosted the Aramco Team Series, a Saudi Arabia-funded Ladies European Tour event, which was won by Lexi Thompson.
The track was first given the green light by then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani in 2000, with the goal of opening the track in 2003. But environmental problems and an ever-increasing budget hampered development. After years of mismanagement, the city granted the Trump Organization a 20-year operating permit in 2012. The course opened three years later.
In 2021, in the wake of the January 6 insurrection, Trump’s connection to Ferry Point became a flashpoint for many New Yorkers, leading then-Mayor Bill DeBlasio to terminate the Trump Organization’s contract — a decision that a judge overturned and returned the contract to Trump. In September 2023, Bally’s paid the Trump Organization $60 million to take over the license for the location, a deal that runs until 2035. By January 2024, the property had been renamed Bally’s Golf Links at Ferry Point.
“This is another step in making the Bronx a global destination,” Borough Vice President Janet Peguero said at the time.
The approval of the casino license unlocks a new payout for the Trump Organization. According to the New York TimesThe original purchase agreement between Bally’s and the Trump Organization stated that if a gambling license was approved after the sale date, Bally’s would have to pay Trump’s company an additional $115 million.
“When they first proposed [the agreement]I thought, ‘What the hell is going on?’” Bally’s chairman Soo Kim told the Times. “They already get paid a lot of money for a golf course. What do they think it’s worth? But they know what it’s worth to me, to us and to the Bronx.”
#York #City #muni #approved #billion #addition