Tensions boiled over at a heated public hearing Tuesday on a proposed $3.4 billion casino in Coney Island, as residents and developers made their cases before a six-member community advisory committee, according to CBS News New York.
Residents lined up for hours to testify at the Community Advisory Committee meeting, underscoring deep divisions in the community. Some supporters of the The Coney want to secure construction, casino and retail jobs the project could bring. Others decry the development, noting how it would change the character of the waterfront community known as "The People's Playground."
Developers struggled to deliver their 20-minute presentation amid interruptions from the passionate crowd, but insisted the casino complex would be a major economic engine, CBS reported.
The six-member CAC, which first convened in July, will meet again in the coming weeks before voting on Sept. 30 on whether to advance the project. Residents can submit written statements until that date.
The state will decide by the end of the year which applicants will receive three downstate gaming licenses.
