After the initial environmental review of a proposed Finger Lakes casino was tossed by the court in July, the investment firm revealed plans to submit more than 3,000 pages of environmental reports about their project – Lago Resort & Casino.
According to Thomas Wilmot Senior, a Rochester-area mall developer, and his business partner M. Brent Stevens, the casino is expected to “meet or exceed all environmental standards.” In his statement, Wilmot pointed out that they want to be “good neighbours” and that their commitment “has never wavered.” He didn’t fail to mention that even though Lago was about creating jobs and boosting tourism in the area, they would never focus on these things without caring about the environment in that “magnificent region.”
Construction of Lago Resort & Casino, a $425 million investment, has been on hold since the Appellate Division of the state Supreme Court ruled that the environmental review failed to assess the planned site of the establishment. The new application is expected to be reviewed and approved, or rejected, next month.
This latest New York? gaming facility was one of the three casino proposals that were approved by the Gaming Facility Location Board in December, 2014. Since then, the project has been under siege by both local residents and other gaming establishments in the area. For instance, Finger Lakes Racetrack and Turning Stone Casino, which is run by the Oneida Indian Nation, are two casinos that have expressed their disapproval of having a brand new gaming destination built just 30-60 minutes away.