The news of the Oneida Indian Nation's plan to build a premium outlet mall at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona is ruffling the feathers of some officials.
Seneca County Board of Supervisors Chairman Bob Hayssen says the planned shopping center could hurt Waterloo Premium Outlets, which is a big source of sales tax revenue for the county. He says not only could the development pull shoppers from Waterloo, tax revenue generated at the Turning Stone's outlets would not help Oneida County taxpayers.
"All the taxes there will stay in the Oneida Indian Nation property, in their nation," Hayssen said. "People haven't thought this out. This is scary. Every dollar of sales tax revenue we lose, it'll hurt us because we're just a small county. I don't know, I hate to think what could happen. I don't want to be a doomsday predictor, but I don't know."
Hayssen says although Turning Stone and Waterloo are 70 miles apart, shoppers coming to the area to spend their money will now have a choice -- turn east or west off I-81. He says the Oneidas will have an advantage with an indoor mall next to a casino.
"We don't know until it's up and running," Hayssen explained. "It is an indoor outlet mall. Ours is an outdoor outlet mall. So in the middle of winter, where would you want to go shopping? I believe in free enterprise and all those things, but if they aren't built on a level playing field, it's not right."
But Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente insists the Turning Stone mall plan would generate benefits for Oneida County and is only adding to upstate New York's growing retail landscape.
"I think when it comes to shopping, there are always plenty of options and people move around," Picente said. "But I think also that the focus of this primarily is to capture the people that go to Turning Stone for those amenities."
Picente says the same concerns rose when Destiny USA recently expanded, and that critics are ignoring the benefits of the project, like job creation.
"I think that everybody has adjusted to the changing market in retail," Picente explained. "You go to drug stores and they're selling food. You go to convenience stores and they get larger each and every day. So I think everybody is adjusting to this change in retail and how it effects each other."
He says the project should create 500 construction jobs and sustain 600 other jobs when completed.
This is not the first disagreement between Seneca and Oneida Counties. The two have sparred in recent months regarding a proposed casino that would be built in the rural Seneca County town of Tyre, as part of New York's. Picente and the Oneida Indian nation both expressed their concern for the project, saying it would pull jobs and revenue from Turning Stone without generating many new jobs.
Hayssen, and the proposed casino's developer, the Wilmorite Corporation, have said the casino is drawing from a wide range of people and will not have the negative impact on Turning Stone that the Oneida Nation says it will.
A decision on the casino announcement is expected to be made Dec. 17. Hayssen says that decision will ultimately determine the fate of Seneca County over the next few years, especially with the Turning Stone outlet mall plan in play.
"We just sit back and wait and see if we get a casino license," Hayssen said. "Depends if we do or if we don't. We'll be going in two different directions."
