Bethlehem

Yoo-hoo! Over here! Don't forget about us!

That's the message coming out of Bethlehem now that a casino, waterpark and hotel have been proposed for Albany, yes, but just inside the city's border.

As you've likely heard, that casino project — dubbed E23, for the Thruway exit it would be near — is being considered for land owned by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's family, mostly wooded acreage accessible by narrow, hard-to-find Noonan Lane.

Mayor Kathy Sheehan and members of the Albany Common Council may have reservations about a casino, but they generally like the location. And why not? The project by Rochester developer David Flaum would expand the city's tax base but be isolated from its neighborhoods.

The casino would be in Albany, but not of Albany.

"If it were proposed anywhere else within city limits, there would be problems," Common Council member Leah Golby told me. "The location makes it palatable."

"It's a great location," said Ronald Bailey, also on the council, who described the casino as "an opportunity for the city to grow."

But what's great for Albany might not be so good for Bethlehem.

The town could get traffic and other casino-associated headaches — without the $10.7 million annual revenue benefit Albany is being promised. As currently configured, Noonan Lane is accessible only from Route 9W, a major Bethlehem corridor that's already congested at rush hours.

A casino, said Bethlehem Supervisor John Clarkson, could "affect everyone who commutes to work daily on 9W. That's a big impact, and it's not a good one."

Here's Clarkson's response when I asked what he's heard from constituents since the casino announcement. "Concern. Not joy."

Under the state legislation for judging casino bids, 20 percent of the decision depends on "local support," and Flaum is asking the city Common Council to demonstrate that support by passing a resolution in favor of his project.

But what about Bethlehem? Does the opinion of a neighboring town matter?

On that, the law isn't clear.

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What is clear is that town residents were not keen on casinos last November, when the constitutional amendment authorizing their expansion got just 39 percent of the vote.

Is there anything in Flaum's proposal that will change minds in Bethlehem?

Will the prospect of sun-filled days at the waterpark sway opinion?

I doubt it.

The casino site is separated from Albany by the Thruway, and from Bethlehem by the Normans Kill. No neighborhoods in either municipality would abut the project.

Still, Bethlehem board member Bill Reinhardt worried that development on the land could affect the Normans Kill, the creek that serves as the Albany border — and also serves as a nice little kayaking spot. Reinhardt also wonders if the casino will impact a town bike path that runs nearby.

"We do expect that there will be some issues that spill over into the community," he said, later adding that town officials "really don't understand the implications yet."

Flaum couldn't be reached for comment, but he's apparently ready to start building Bethlehem support. The developer is expected to meet with town officials early next week, Clarkson said.

Flaum met with the Albany Common Council last week, and many of the 14 members I've spoken to since admit being impressed by what they heard.

For sure, Flaum's proposal seems well designed to blunt opposition. He didn't include a performance hall that would have generated competition fears, for example, while the waterpark would seems designed to counter suggestions that casinos are inherently seedy.

Other possibilities: A petting zoo, perhaps, or the Albany Museum of Adorable Kitten Art.

One suggestion: Leave space for the Kirsten Gillibrand Presidential Library, which should come online in 2030, plus or minus a few years.

The statewide casino vote more narrowly lost in Albany, where 52 percent voted no. But that was when casinos were a hypothetical, when there wasn't a very real proposal that could impact the city's budget.

Casinos had more support in poorer areas of the city. In Ward 2, for example, which includes the South End, the referendum won 359 to 234.

And with Flaum predicting 1,800 permanent and 1,300 construction jobs, it seems unlikely that support will wane in neighborhoods where unemployment is endemic.

"You just don't know that an opportunity like this will come along again," said Kelly Kimbrough, who represents North Albany.

Economic issues, of course, aren't quite so pressing for many living just south of the city.

Opportunity?

In Bethlehem, they aren't so sure.

cchurchill@timesunion.com • 518-454-5700 • @chris_churchill