Jake’s 58 Casino Hotel has received a 4-0 approval from the Islandia, New York village board of its preliminary site plan, part of a potential $200m expansion. This is the first of two votes on the project, with the final vote scheduled as a part of a public hearing on August 1.
The casino, owned by Suffolk OTB, had to provide details of how its officials would manage parking during construction. Suffolk OTB President and Chief Executive, Phil Boyle, called this vote a “very important step” and stated construction would begin in November after “one more hurdle on August 1.”
Mayor Allan M. Dorman said of the parking situation during the expansion, “My concern is you're going to start parking cars there before you're done...that's going to lead to a lot of problems." OTB engineer Eric Jeter said valet parking would be offered.
Officials from OTB have also stated that a 10-foot-high wall would be erected to mitigate sound concerns from local residents during casino construction.
Jake’s 58 will double in size if the plan is approved, with its video lottery terminals also doubling from 1,000 to 2,000 machines and parking lot growing from 600 stalls to 2,000. There will also be 210 refurbished hotel rooms, as well as added pubs and bistros.
The Islandia casino will eventually have competition from three additional New York casino licenses to be awarded later this year. Times Square, Nassau Coliseum, Willets Point, Coney Island and Midtown are all proposed locations for future Vegas-style gaming in New York City.
The newly expanded Jake’s 58 is planned to open in early 2025, pending August’s final approval vote.
