Suffolk OTB agrees to sound buffer as Islandia vote on Jake's 58 expansion approaches

Suffolk OTB has agreed to build a 10-foot-high sound wall to address noise concerns from residents who live near Jake's 58 before a vote next week by Islandia officials on preliminary site plan approval for a $200 million expansion of the casino.

Suffolk OTB, the casino's owner and operator, is in the process of bidding for contractors and financing, with a goal of starting construction by early November and finishing in early 2025, officials said.

In October, OTB officials unveiled the plan to transform Jake's 58 that includes adding a second building and a parking garage, opening new taverns, lounges and conference rooms, restoring a swimming pool and upgrading the hotel's 210 guest rooms.

In January, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation that will double the casino’s video lottery terminals from 1,000 to 2,000, a plan that got bipartisan backing in the state legislature.

The Islandia Village Board is expected to vote July 11 on preliminary site approval for the proposed casino expansion, before a potential vote on final approval on July 27, according to OTB managing director Phil Boyle.

 He said Wednesday he was "cautiously optimistic" about getting the green light.  

Preliminary work on a parking expansion that is slated to be part of the project started early.

Katelyn Kaim, a senior environmental planner for the project, said Wednesday the village granted a clearing permit so the developers could cut trees in February during the hibernation period of the northern long-eared bat — a federally threatened species — in accordance with county and state guidelines.

But then progress stalled a few months ago while developers worked with nearby homeowners to limit potential quality of life impacts, according to a discussion last week at an Islandia village meeting.

Boyle said the sound wall Suffolk OTB officials will build as a buffer is "very high tech" and will be constructed of sound-absorbing material and include vegetation on both sides.

The developers also have added green space to create a greater buffer between the casino and residential areas at the cost of some parking, Eric Jeter of Hayduk Engineering LLC said at last week's meeting.

Islandia Mayor Allan Dorman, who previously said he supports the expansion, expressed frustration at the meeting about what he described as slow progress after contractors cleared trees.

“It looks like crap,” Dorman told the developers. “On your end of it, it’s construction. On my end of it, it’s about the neighborhood … That looks like somebody started something they couldn’t finish.”

Jeter attributed the delay to concerns about potential impacts to the bat population and efforts to “establish a relationship with the neighborhood.” 

Several residents who live near the casino declined to comment about the sound wall and the proposed expansion.