Lawsuit Planned In Effort To Stop Westbury, Long Island Gambling Hall

WESTBURY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Three municipal governments and a number of residents said Thursday that they plan to ask a judge to issue a restraining order to try to stop a proposed gambling hall in Westbury, Long Island.

As WCBS 880's Sophia Hall reported, thousands of people have been protesting against the proposed gambling hall planned for the old Fortunoff's building. The lawsuit to stop the plan was announced Thursday by the towns of Hempstead and North Hempstead, the Village of Westbury, and several residents.

"Throughout the past month, we have been reminded by OTB that it's their way or the highway," said North Hempstead town supervisor Judi Bosworth. "They've asserted there's nothing we can do about this. It's a done deal; they say – 'go away.' Well, we're not stepping aside."

Bosworth, a Democrat, is also one of the attorneys representing the residents in the lawsuit. She and others involved said Nassau Regional Off-Track Betting would be violating the law in two ways.

Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray said one argument is that it is not legal to have a gambling facility within 500 feet of a residence, and zoning approval would be required for an exception.

Further, Bosworth argued, OTB never did the required environmental and traffic studies to open a casino. The lawsuit will demand that OTB conduct those studies before finalizing a lease with the owners of the Fortunoff building.

As TV 10/55 Long Island Bureau Chief Richard Rose reported, the bipartisan group plans to go to court tomorrow in the effort to obtain the restraining order.

Hundreds packed into a meeting earlier this month to speak out against the proposal by Nassau Regional Off-Track Betting, which would turn the vacant building into a video gaming parlor with 1,000 slot machines.

Civic leaders say the issue has galvanized the community against the plan. Opponents fear added traffic, drunken driving, crime and falling property values.

"If most people going there will be locals, why are we all protesting it?" Anna Economou of Westbury said Thursday. "They're not hearing us."

Winthrop University Hospital in neighboring Mineola also came out in opposition of the gambling parlor Thursday. The hospital said it is worried that increased traffic could make it harder for ambulances to get through.

Nassau OTB officials would not speak on camera Thursday, but said they are going ahead with their plans at the Fortunoff site. The agency said state law exempts them from needing local approval.

OTB has said just 15 percent of the building would be used for video lottery terminals. The rest would be first-class restaurants and a food court.

It could open sometime in 2015.