It wouldn’t be a stretch to refer to the town of Tyre in Yates County as Amish country. That’s because nearly 70% of the town’s population are members of the Amish and Mennonite religious communities. According to 13 WHAM News, they still pay taxes but won’t get involved in local politics because of the tenets of their beliefs.

However, the threat of a brand-new casino was enough to draw them to a court in Yates County earlier this week.

Commercial real estate giant Wilmorite Properties currently has plans to erect a $350 million casino in Seneca Country, just off of Interstate 90 (the New York State Thruway). The front entrance to the state-of-the-art facility would sit directly across the street from a farm owned by the leader of the local Amish community. Inside would house more than 2,000 slot machines 100 gambling tables and a 200-room hotel. This is all still just a proposed plan, however, as the Chili-based Wilmorite has only just recently applied for the license to build. That means any real construction is still a long way from happening.

Still, the threat has members of the local farming communities worried, and understandably so. Currently, the state-approved means of transportation for the Amish and Mennonites is the horse-and-buggy. If plans for the new Wilmorite casino materialize, the rural roads could see traffic up to 9,000 cars per day. “They fear for their lives; they fear for their livestock,” spokeswoman Lynn Barbuto told 13 WHAM.

The town board is expected to vote later this month on whether or not the farmland will be opened up to allow for a floating commercial district. Critics of the casino argue Wilmorite had wined and dined the officials in order to grease the wheels in favor of their development. Desiree Dawley views it that way.

“There are a lot of questions about fairness and how big developers can come into an area like this, and think we’re just a bunch of country people that are not even highly educated and they can come in and run the show,” she said.
The Amish in America live primarily in New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana, though smaller communities have existed in New York for decades. Modern technologies are shunned, including cars, telephones and even kitchen appliances like refrigerators, and the families live together in close-knit farming communities aloof from the rest of society.

W. Patrick Falvey, the acting State Supreme Court Judge, is set to issue a ruling on the matter, likely before the town board’s May 15 vote.