Trump Golf Links in the Bronx is seen on Saturday, March 4, 2023.
Photo Max Bless
Who proves victorious in tonight’s Council District 13 election race between Republican candidate Kristy Marmorato and Democratic incumbent Marjorie Velázquez could well depend on each candidate’s opinion of the proposed casino at Ferry Point Park.
Currently, the future of the site adjacent to the Whitestone Bridge with views of the Manhattan skyline remains uncertain, following the closure of the Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point. sold to Bally’s Corporation for $60 million in September. Bally’s, a gaming, betting and entertainment company, is expected to open a casino at the current location of the golf course in the park.
Bally’s will take over the Trump Golf Links property through 2035, after acquiring the Trump Organization’s 20-year lease from the city Parks Department that began in 2015.
Velázquez, 42, while emphasizing that the application to open the casino has not yet been approved by the state, said she defends it and is excited about the prospect.
“This project goes way beyond just a golf course,” Velázquez said during a recent BronxNet debate, adding that she is working with Bally’s to ensure it invests not only in the area of Trump Golf Links, but also in the community surrounding Ferry Point. Park.
“We have families and children playing soccer in the park, literally on rocks,” Velázquez added. She said the development could bring resources to the area.
Marmorato, 45, on the other hand, is not in favor of the casino proposal and said during the debate on BronxNet that the project would be an “environmental disaster.”
Additionally, Marmorato said the Bronx would see virtually none of the tax revenue generated by the project, with most of the local taxes generated going to New York state and only a small portion going to the city, according to Marmorato. She said the Bronx would receive no direct revenue from the casino.
She also added that the project would lead to increased traffic congestion, noting that 11,000 vehicles already cross the Whitestone Bridge daily to get from Queens to the Bronx.
“This location will bring hundreds of thousands of additional people to an area that already has no parking and near highways that have not been developed to accommodate a casino in the area,” Marmorato said.
Marmorato added that she would like to see Bally’s redevelop and transform the former golf course owned by the Trump Organization into a family-friendly environment with a beautiful boardwalk and restaurants.
“We need something that can be used by families, not players,” Marmorato said. “This (casino) is not what the Bronx needs.”
Velázquez and Marmorato faced off in three public debates last month, including on Oct. 4 at a Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance candidate forum and a debate organized by the City Island Civic Association on October 24. The most controversial debate, organized by BronxNet on October 31, was particularly notable as both candidates took shots at each other during and after the 30-minute show.
Debate host Gary Axelbank, who has moderated 95 debates over the past three decades, said he had “never seen two candidates, right at the end of the show, go head-to-head in this way.” .
Amidst the beatings that took place between the two during the BronxNet Debate, Velázquez and Marmorato seemed to agree on most issues relating to the East Bronx, such as the proposed ferry terminal in Orchard Beach instead of City Island; more NYPD patrol cars throughout the borough; and stricter enforcement of smoke shops selling marijuana illegally.
They also both stated that they did not support the Just at my house initiative, announced by NYC Health + Hospitals and the city Department of Housing Preservation and Development in August 2022, which aims to develop housing and address the medical needs of formerly incarcerated New Yorkers. The proposal was controversial from the start.
The Just Home proposal, which hinges on a City Council vote that would ultimately decide the project’s fate, calls for building 70 residential units on the Jacobi Medical Center campus in the Morris Park section of the Bronx.
However, opinions differ in other areas. In addition to not supporting the casino proposal, Marmorato also criticized Velázquez for supporting the proposed 348-unit rezoning of Bruckner Boulevard, saying the neighborhood’s streets are too small and not able to accommodate increased needs parking.
Velázquez was also criticized by Marmorato for her alleged “about-face” regarding the rezoning of Bruckner Boulevard, after changing her mind at the eleventh hour about changing the zoning of Bruckner Boulevard. project, which will also bring commercial space and units dedicated to seniors and veterans along a strip of Bruckner Boulevard near East Tremont Avenue.
However, Velázquez maintained that the project’s initial and final proposals were completely different, leading her to ultimately support it.
Velàzquez and Marmorato are expected to compete in the Bronx’s only close contest, where most other City Council incumbents are almost guaranteed to win.
However, no Republican candidate has been elected to public office in the Bronx since 2004.
Stay with the Bronx Times throughout Election Day for the latest updates.
Contact Steven Goodstein at (email protected) or (718) 260-8326. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
