Elmont Chamber endorses VLTs

Board votes 8-2 in favor of gambling facility

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On Feb. 3, the Elmont Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors voted in favor of Nassau Off Track Betting’s decision to house video lottery terminals in the north parking lot of Belmont Park.

In a closed vote before the public meeting, eight board members voted in favor, and two were opposed. There was one abstention. The board’s decision to approve of the plan comes after months of protests and rallies on both sides, and debates on the pluses and minuses of a gambling facility.

“Any kind of development there, I would be in favor of,” said Paul Sapienza, the chamber’s president and the owner of Sapienza Bakery, on Hempstead Turnpike. “If there isn’t any kind of development happening there, eventually something’s going to have to be done, because it’s just too large a piece of property and too valuable a location for nothing to take place there.”

The proposed 100,000-square-foot facility could house up to 1,000 video lottery terminals, and cost $75 million to construct. A temporary structure would cost $10 million and would be funded by bonds, OTB officials said. It could be operational within four to six months. After 18 months of operation, the permanent facility would be constructed, pending approval from the state.

“If [that location] is empty and downtrodden and closed up … I think that would be horrible for the community,” Sapienza said. “I think that would do more damage than whatever we could put there.”

Business development
Development in the area surrounding Belmont Park is a prime concern for many chamber members. It is their hope that with the installation of VLTs at the racetrack, visitors would frequent stores in the area.

Many businesses, as well as Nassau County, are grappling with a slowdown in sales tax revenue. Sales taxes go to the state, and are eventually shared with every county. Given the popularity of shopping on the Internet, however, people can purchase items in states without sales tax, which hurts both local business and New York state.

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