ALBANY – Legislation to establish a video lottery terminal facility in Orange County has received a three-way agreement between the Senate, Assembly and governor. It is set to pass in the legislature tonight.
The VLT license, owned by Resorts World, will be transferred from the now-closed Monticello operation to a new site in Woodbury/Harriman.
During negotiations with Resorts World, Senator James Skoufis (D, Woodbury) outlined a number of conditions that he said must be met in order to earn his support: 1) site the facility at the former Nepera Chemical Plant property that is contaminated and, for the better part of a decade, has been reduced to rubble; and 2) no tax breaks. Skoufis was adamant that the company must clean up the property and pay full taxes.
Resorts World agreed to both conditions. There is also an agreement to a number of other conditions.
- Remediating a blighted, contaminated property in the community
- Substantial and full payment of property taxes to the Monroe-Woodbury Central School District, Town of Woodbury, and Villages of Harriman and Woodbury
- Approximately 400 good-paying, union jobs
- Over $1.2 million in VLT impact aid to fully offset – and then some – the cost of municipal services associated with the project such as fire and police
The project will be subject to the local planning board process just as any other construction would, and be required to mitigate any additional traffic.
“I’m not particularly pro- or anti-gambling so I used this opportunity to deliver real, substantive economic benefits to the constituents I represent,” said Skoufis. “The former Nepera Chemical Plant property has been a contaminated blight in our community for years; as a result of this project, it will now be cleaned, put back on the tax rolls, and employ approximately 400 local residents. It was also important to me that the facility be kept out of a residential neighborhood to avoid any disturbances. This agreement was always about bringing benefits to the community I’m proud to represent.”
Woodbury Town Supervisor Frank Palermo said the VLT operation “will create a new economic driver to our community, provide new annual tax revenue and protect taxpayers from subsidizing the project.”
He said the project will “bring lasting jobs to our community and clean up a contaminated, blighted property.”
