Eating, drinking, spending and picking a casino site

Artist's conception of Rivers Casino & Resort at Mohawk Harbor, Schenectady.

A lot of people in Troy and the rest of Rensselaer County did not want a casino built here. And, a lot of people did. Still others were undecided. Now, it doesn't matter because, as we know, a Schenectady proposal got the state's nod.

You may have thought the awarding of Upstate casino licenses was all about the money. It turns out that wasn't the only criterion the state Gaming Facility Location Board used to award the Capital Region OK to a Schenectady development group rather than to similar groups in Rensselaer or East Greenbush, according to a report made public on Friday.

Sure, environmental impact, financial backing, workforce impact, quality of life impact and other such things were huge mitigating factors in the decision. But, some of it came down to dining with a water view. Particular if you wanted to run a steakhouse. Really. Here's how it played out.

The proposed Capital View project for East Greenbush, in Rensselaer County east of Albany, was a joint venture of Churchill Downs Inc., which runs the Kentucky Derby,  and Saratoga Harness Racing Inc., which runs the Saratoga Gaming & Raceway in Saratoga Springs. They proposed development of a 269,600-square-foot complex containing 100 hotel rooms and a 60,000-square-foot casino with 1,506 slot machines and 56 table games, a high-end steakhouse plus multiple casual dining options throughout and multiple bars, a 500-seat special events center and retail space.

But, the proposal did not seem ready to live up to its name, at least for its dining patrons. The board specifically pointed out that, among other shortcomings and some strong community opposition, the plans calling for only one restaurant offering a view of the Albany skyline, and it found that insufficient.

Many longtime local residents have wryly said the best thing about the little, always-struggling city of Rensselaer that sits between the rejected East Greenbush site and the Hudson River is its view of Albany. Perhaps the siting board agreed. So did the developers. The nationally-known Hard Rock Hotel & Casino outfit wanted to build on the riverbank where the city school once stood. According to Hard Rock, the project would have included 1,500 slot machines, 50 table games, an off-track betting outlet, 100 hotel rooms, an indoor-outdoor pool overlooking a riverside boardwalk, with a spa, fitness center, meeting space, a Hard Rock Cafe restaurant, a steakhouse, at least two other casual restaurants, two bars/lounges, a meeting space and a retail outlet.

Planners had made sure at least two of the Rensselaer site restaurants would have had faced the river and include outdoor dining space, and an outdoor gaming space would have been on a riverfront patio. So, dining with a water view was covered and the siting board liked that. What it didn't like, according to its report, was a large number of questions about financing, mitigating the impact of needed services from the City of Rensselaer, and lack of detail to support various claims about efficiency, workforce diversity and other matters.

What did get the board's approval was the Rivers Casino and Resort at Mohawk Harbor in Schenectady, a joint venture of Capital Region Gaming LLC and The Galesi Group. It will be a 60-acre parcel where the American Locomotive manufacturing facility once operated until shuttering it 46 years ago. It would contain a 51,361-square-foot casino with 1,148 slot machines, 66 gaming tables, a "classic steakhouse and other casual and light fare restaurants," an entertainment lounge, banquet facility and spa, plus 150 hotel rooms with another 124 to be added at a later time.

The Rivers planners played it smart when it came to food and drink. Besides the "classic steakhouse" and other venues, it included a pledge to hold vendor fairs and feature local items such as beer from a local brewery, and to partner with local food and beverage venues to operate some or all of the food venues,according to the board's report.

Rivers' plans specifically called for a 125-seat steakhouse with water view, a 10- to 16-seat steakhouse bar area, a sports-themed entertainment and food lounge, and a marketplace food court with three to four outlets, all complemented by three bars/lounges.

So, what it all boils down to for residents of Troy and Rensselaer County seeking new food-and-drink venues is that you'll be able to drive a half-hour to try one more "classic steakhouse," another small food court, and a few more bars/lounges. That and, of course, find another place to get rich/get poor quickly.

If you have some patience, there's a sometimes-balky video available here that talks about the project.

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