The Yonkers Planning Board voted on July 9 to grant site‑plan approval for MGM Yonkers’ proposed redevelopment of the Empire City site into a destination resort casino, subject to the mitigation measures and conditions spelled out in the board’s SEQRA findings and in memoranda from City engineering, traffic and fire officials.

The site plan covers a multi‑phase redevelopment that, if the applicant obtains a New York State class‑3 gaming license, would renovate existing gaming space and add roughly 340,000 square feet of new construction, a new central utility plant, a roughly 162,000 square‑foot entertainment venue (about 4,000+ seats), and an eight‑level parking structure containing approximately 4,800 spaces. The board’s approval also accepted the applicant’s proposal to provide a substantial on‑site parking supply (about 7,900 total spaces across the property after construction) and to improve stormwater detention and water‑quality facilities on the property.

Why this matters: The redevelopment is a major private investment proposal for Yonkers and was the subject of a months‑long environmental review and a planning process that included rezoning the site to the new Casino Special (CS) District. The board’s approval incorporates dozens of mitigation measures designed to reduce traffic, stormwater and neighborhood impacts, and requires coordination with the Yonkers Police and Fire Departments on construction and event traffic management.

Key conditions and mitigation: The board incorporated the findings statement and required the applicant to: (1) comply with all mitigation in the findings; (2) address outstanding engineering comments (including submission of project water‑demand figures and payment of any authorized infiltration/remediation fee); (3) finalize a construction management plan (CMP) and an event traffic management plan (TMP) with the city traffic engineer, Yonkers Police and Yonkers Fire Departments before permitting and prior to issuance of a final certificate of occupancy; (4) limit certain on‑site lighting and otherwise comply with a tailored lighting plan; and (5) accept timing and extension terms set by the board (site plan validity extended to five years with construction to be completed within eight years, with extensions available under the zoning ordinance).

Board action: The board adopted the site plan resolution with conditions (vote recorded 6–0). The resolution also waived specific zoning lighting provisions as inapplicable to the CS District and approved a limited reduction in parking stall length for about 181 spaces within the new garage because of required structural columns; the board cited that the total provided parking substantially exceeds the ordinance minimum.

Economic and public‑safety provisions: The project record documents an expected increase in jobs (the applicant cited about 2,000 new positions) and projected annual revenues for the city and county if the state gaming license is obtained; the findings also require $2M per year for a 24/7 police presence on the property and an additional private security commitment by MGM. The board required the applicant to submit required reports and to finalize agreements governing mitigation and community benefits with the mayor’s office.

Next steps: MGM must obtain any required state gaming license and satisfy the city’s pre‑permit conditions and interagency coordination before the building permits are issued and construction begins.