Permits were filed last Friday for Bally’s Bronx, an expansive casino project selected for the Ferry Point peninsula in the Bronx. The filing at 538 Hutchinson River Parkway calls for a 19-story, 256-foot-tall complex with nearly 700,000 square feet of total zoning area. The project is planned for a portion of Bally’s Golf Links at Ferry Point, just east of the Whitestone Bridge. Gensler Architectsis listed as the architect of record, and the complex's uses will include a gaming casino, a hotel, restaurants, entertainment spaces, and an event hall. Additional permits to begin excavation and foundation work were also filed.
The filing follows a long and highly competitive downstate casino selection process. Bally’s Bronx advanced through the Community Advisory Committee in September 2025 with a 5-1 vote, was selected by the Gaming Facility Location Board on December 1, 2025, and was approved for a commercial casino license by the New York State Gaming Commission on December 15, 2025. The proposal was one of three selected for downstate casino licenses, alongside Hard Rock Metropolitan Park in Flushing, Queens and Resorts World New York City in Ozone Park, Queens.
Bally’s has pitched the project as the largest privately funded development in Bronx history, with project materials calling for a 500-room hotel, more than 150,000 square feet of gaming amenities, 10-plus food and beverage options, a 2,000-person event center, and roughly 4,600 parking spaces. The materials on the official website also promise major transportation upgrades, including a new overpass south of Lafayette Avenue, Ring Road widening, sidewalks, bike lanes, drainage improvements, and pedestrian safety upgrades.
In expected New York fashion, thee project has drawn sharp concerns over parkland, traffic, environmental impacts, and the social costs of casino development. The project would occupy an approximately 16-acre parcel within the 222-acre public golf course, including the existing parking lot, clubhouse, part of the practice area, and landscaped areas, and would require parkland alienation approvals tied to the use of public parkland. Bally’s says the rest of the golf course and Ferry Point Park would remain essentially unchanged, and that the existing clubhouse, parking lot, and part of the practice area would be replaced by the developer.
The project underwent an environmental review across 19 technical areas, including transportation, air quality, noise, public health, natural resources, and socioeconomic impacts. Opponents have raised concerns about the loss of parkland and neighborhood impacts, while Bally’s has emphasized job creation, community benefits, transportation improvements, park upgrades, and a planned police substation as part of its pitch to bringing its casino resort to the Bronx waterfront.
Bally’s Bronx would bring a massive casino resort to the East River waterfront at Ferry Point. The proposed complex would sit near the Whitestone Bridge, with the Manhattan skyline visible across the water.
The project is planned for a portion of Bally’s Golf Links at Ferry Point in the Bronx. The site sits within a larger waterfront park and golf course property near the Whitestone Bridge.
The proposal includes a casino, hotel, event space, dining, parking, and landscaped areas. The complex is designed as a full resort destination rather than a standalone gaming hall.
The project would occupy a portion of the golf course property. Its curved design is intended to connect the resort program with the surrounding waterfront and golf course setting.
The complex would be highly visible from the Whitestone Bridge, one of the Bronx’s major gateways, and a vital artery between Long Island and the mainland. The hotel tower and resort podium would create a new waterfront presence for drivers entering or leaving the borough.
Bally’s has proposed major access improvements around the site, including upgrades to Ring Road. Planned changes include sidewalks, bike lanes, drainage improvements, and pedestrian safety enhancements.
Renderings show the main arrival for for hotel guests, casino visitors, and event attendees would be a covered drop-off area with prominent Bally’s signage.
Bally’s says the Jack Nicklaus Signature-designed public golf course would remain in place, with portions of the clubhouse, parking lot, and practice area replaced.
The hotel lobby would introduce the hospitality side of Bally’s Bronx. Permits do not show exactly how many keys the hotel will have, but Bally's website says there will be approximately 500 rooms.
The casino would include more than 150,000 square feet of gaming amenities.
The project also calls for more than 10 food and beverage options, ranging from casual dining to fine dining. The food hall is to give the complex a more public-facing dining component beyond the casino floor.
Bally’s Bronx is planned with a 2,000-person mixed-use event center. The space would allow the resort to host meetings, performances, private events, and larger gatherings.
The hotel program includes a rooftop bar and restaurant overlooking the East River, Whitestone Bridge, and Manhattan skyline. Its waterfront location will also be ideal for watching flight land and take off from LaGuardia Airport.
Higher-floor hotel rooms and suites would be oriented toward views of the East River, Whitestone Bridge, and Manhattan skyline.
The project’s design emphasizes a curved, organic form meant to echo the rolling character of the golf course.
The proposal includes approximately 4,600 parking spaces within the complex. Rendered green walls and landscaping are intended to soften the severity of the window-less parking and podium elements.
Bally’s says the existing golf clubhouse, parking lot, and part of the practice area would be replaced by the developer.
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