East Greenbush

The Town Board voted unanimously Thursday to endorse the construction of a $300 million commercial casino on Thompson Hill Road.

The board's decision gives Saratoga Casino and Gaming and its partner, Churchill Downs Inc., the needed local support for their application to compete for the state license to operate a casino in the Capital Region.

"Economic development is key to the growth of our town," Supervisor Keith Langley said after the meeting about the need to support the Casino at East Greenbush.

Other board members also supported the casino for the positive economic impact it could have on the town's troubled finances. If the Thompson Hill Road site is selected by the state, the town can expect an annual payment $5.7 million as the host community plus property tax revenue.

Councilwoman Sue Mangold described the debate in town as passionate. She said a casino has to go somewhere in the region, and this proposal would benefit East Greenbush.

"We're probably not getting elected again, any one of us," Mangold said bluntly about the reaction to the board's decision.

The 5-0 vote was not welcomed by members of Save East Greenbush, which has campaigned vigorously against the project since it became public.

"We cannot, absolutely allow the casino to be here. It will not be what you think they're promising," said Cara Benson, one of the group's members.

Jeff Meyer, the attorney for Save East Greenbush, gave the board a letter outlining the lack of information available for the project, the community opposition and the casino proposal's conflicts with various town zoning laws and comprehensive plans.

Casino opponents also took issue with the Town Board holding a special meeting for the casino vote. Some compared it to the board meeting in April when there was 5-0 vote to support the town hosting a casino.

Langley said the special meeting Thursday to vote on the resolution for the specific site and casino operator was made with the state's June 30 deadline for filing an application in mind. The supervisor said the earlier vote would assist the partnership completing the application.

The meeting room had about 150 people packed in and another 100 flowing out into the hallway.

James Featherstonhaugh, head of Saratoga Harness Racing Inc., which owns Saratoga Casino and Raceway, watched from the back of the room.

He praised the often-contentious debate on the casino proposal.

On Wednesday night, the proposed Casino at East Greenbush was presented to the town Planning Board. A preliminary plan now calls for the number of hotel rooms to be cut in half to 150 from 300.

However, it remains a $300 million project, Featherstonhaugh said.

The change in the hotel proposal was made to avoid issue with wetlands on the Thompson Hill Road site and to cut a year off the schedule to build and open the casino, he said.

Featherstonhaugh said the application would be completed in time to meet the state deadline.

It is one of five proposals in play in the Capital Region. The others are in the city of Rensselaer on the Hudson River, in the city of Schenectady on the Mohawk River, near the Thruway exit a mile from downtown Amsterdam and Howe Caverns in Schoharie County.

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