Neighbors bet against OTB plans
Posted
Nassau Downs Off-Track Betting President Dino Amoroso did not get a warm welcome at a community meeting held in Inwood's Sons of Italy Hall on Dec. 18. Nearly 50 residents were invited to participate in a question-and-answer session with Amoroso, who is seriously considering a move from the current OTB location, at 320 Rockaway Tpke., to 711 Burnside Avenue, at the corner of Lawrence Lane.
"It is a peaceful neighborhood and they are going to disturb our quality of life there," said Jesse Mistero, a longtime Inwood community leader who set up the public forum with Amoroso. "Everyone knows what OTB brings into the community and we are just not going to tolerate it."
An expired lease at OTB's current North Lawrence location in the Falcaro Shopping Center has forced Amoroso to look elsewhere. At the meeting, Amoroso said he was unable to secure a lease with a shopping center, and settled on the Burnside Avenue property, which previously housed Universal Auto Sales.
Angry residents frequently interrupted Amoroso's opening presentation, expressing concern about OTB's clientele. While loitering outside the current property, OTB patrons have been seen urinating in public, drinking alcohol and bothering pedestrians, some residents said.
Helen Armioia, a mother of two who lives on Bluth Drive, directly across from the proposed new OTB site, said she already has concerns about her 15-year-old daughter, who frequently walks home from Lawrence High School with a female teenage friend. Armioia's daughter was forced to change her walking route after OTB customers have attempted to lure the girls to their cars on several occasions, according to Armioia. The mother fears the prospect of that OTB moving next door to her.
"She can't even walk past it where it is located now," said Armioia, who co-chairs the community opposition group. "She wouldn't even be able to sit on the front porch because [the OTB would be] directly across the street from me."
In a phone interview, Amoroso denied that the OTB at its current location was responsible for an upswing in crime after analyzing police reports on file. According to police, there have been six reported incidents at the OTB within the last two years. A detective said none of the documented incidents were "major" and that the establishment is not viewed as a high-crime area.
At the Dec. 18 meeting, Amoroso defended the clientele and the company and emphasized that all profits from the company go to the county's general fund.
"Nassau Downs is a public benefit corporation, it is a business which profits inure to the benefit of the county," Amoroso said. "We are trying to run it in a professional and competent fashion."
According to the company's Web site, Nassau Downs OTB has generated $217 million in profits for the county since its doors were first opened in 1975. Currently, there are 14 branches in Nassau County and others operating inside bars and restaurants, according to the Web site.
Frank Capone, a 20-year resident whose property on Lawrence Lane adjoins the proposed OTB location, said he would move if the OTB becomes his next-door neighbor.
"These people are going to be here until 11 o'clock at night and most likely [are] going to be drinking inside the neighborhood," Capone said. "What are we supposed to do, get guard dogs out here?"
Nassau Downs OTB locations do not serve alcohol and are adequately staffed with security personnel, Amoroso said. The Nassau Downs president said the hours of operation have yet to be established for the proposed new OTB location. The current North Lawrence OTB is open seven days a week, from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., but other locations are open as late as midnight.
Opponents argued that the OTB attracts an undesirable crowd from outside Inwood and North Lawrence. Mistero described Inwood and North Lawrence as a "crossroads" between Far Rockaway and Rosedale, which is why the area draws a significant transient business.
"It will bring a different element in," Capone said.
Nassau Downs has yet to strike a lease with the property owner on Burnside Avenue. Amoroso said he is waiting to receive a letter from the community group, which would document concerns from the neighbors. For now, Amoroso said, "We are weighing our options."
The unnamed OTB opposition group has tentatively planned another meeting for Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. in the Buccaneer Club, at 275 Lawrence Ave., Inwood.
Comments about this story? Mcaputo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
"It is a peaceful neighborhood and they are going to disturb our quality of life there," said Jesse Mistero, a longtime Inwood community leader who set up the public forum with Amoroso. "Everyone knows what OTB brings into the community and we are just not going to tolerate it."
An expired lease at OTB's current North Lawrence location in the Falcaro Shopping Center has forced Amoroso to look elsewhere. At the meeting, Amoroso said he was unable to secure a lease with a shopping center, and settled on the Burnside Avenue property, which previously housed Universal Auto Sales.
Angry residents frequently interrupted Amoroso's opening presentation, expressing concern about OTB's clientele. While loitering outside the current property, OTB patrons have been seen urinating in public, drinking alcohol and bothering pedestrians, some residents said.
Helen Armioia, a mother of two who lives on Bluth Drive, directly across from the proposed new OTB site, said she already has concerns about her 15-year-old daughter, who frequently walks home from Lawrence High School with a female teenage friend. Armioia's daughter was forced to change her walking route after OTB customers have attempted to lure the girls to their cars on several occasions, according to Armioia. The mother fears the prospect of that OTB moving next door to her.
"She can't even walk past it where it is located now," said Armioia, who co-chairs the community opposition group. "She wouldn't even be able to sit on the front porch because [the OTB would be] directly across the street from me."
In a phone interview, Amoroso denied that the OTB at its current location was responsible for an upswing in crime after analyzing police reports on file. According to police, there have been six reported incidents at the OTB within the last two years. A detective said none of the documented incidents were "major" and that the establishment is not viewed as a high-crime area.
At the Dec. 18 meeting, Amoroso defended the clientele and the company and emphasized that all profits from the company go to the county's general fund.
"Nassau Downs is a public benefit corporation, it is a business which profits inure to the benefit of the county," Amoroso said. "We are trying to run it in a professional and competent fashion."
According to the company's Web site, Nassau Downs OTB has generated $217 million in profits for the county since its doors were first opened in 1975. Currently, there are 14 branches in Nassau County and others operating inside bars and restaurants, according to the Web site.
Frank Capone, a 20-year resident whose property on Lawrence Lane adjoins the proposed OTB location, said he would move if the OTB becomes his next-door neighbor.
"These people are going to be here until 11 o'clock at night and most likely [are] going to be drinking inside the neighborhood," Capone said. "What are we supposed to do, get guard dogs out here?"
Nassau Downs OTB locations do not serve alcohol and are adequately staffed with security personnel, Amoroso said. The Nassau Downs president said the hours of operation have yet to be established for the proposed new OTB location. The current North Lawrence OTB is open seven days a week, from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., but other locations are open as late as midnight.
Opponents argued that the OTB attracts an undesirable crowd from outside Inwood and North Lawrence. Mistero described Inwood and North Lawrence as a "crossroads" between Far Rockaway and Rosedale, which is why the area draws a significant transient business.
"It will bring a different element in," Capone said.
Nassau Downs has yet to strike a lease with the property owner on Burnside Avenue. Amoroso said he is waiting to receive a letter from the community group, which would document concerns from the neighbors. For now, Amoroso said, "We are weighing our options."
The unnamed OTB opposition group has tentatively planned another meeting for Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. in the Buccaneer Club, at 275 Lawrence Ave., Inwood.
Comments about this story? Mcaputo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
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