Following a setback in court this past July, a Finger Lake casino proposal is clearing local hurdles.

Developers of the Lago Resort & Casino said they are pleased with the decision on Thursday night by town officials to approve their plan. In addition, the town adopted a local law which creates a special district for the project. Additional considerations include a community mitigation plan and the casino’s site plan.

Construction on the Lago site located near the Thruway between Rochester and Syracuse was suspended this summer when a panel form the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court voided a lower court’s decision when it found that the Tyre board’s “negative declaration” was not provided in a clear, written record. Having thrown out the board’s initial review, last year’s environmental work was repeated by the Town Board by way of a 3,000 plus page do-over, and the same determination was reached. On October 1st,  the Town of Tyre announced that it had determined that the casino in upstate New York would not have a significant adverse impact on the environment.

Casino proposals for Lago, along with the Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady and Montreign Resort Casino in the Catskills were approved by the Gaming Facility Location Board in December, 2014 and since then has been plagued by opponents including community members and other gaming establishments in the area such as the Oneida Indian Nation’s Turning Stone Casino and Finger Lakes Gaming and Racetrack. Opponents disapprove of a new gaming destination that will be within an hour’s drive, and according to them, will cannibalize their businesses, harm local economies and create significant environmental impacts.

It’s been close to a year since the three counties in upstate New York were selected by the New York State Gaming Location Board as sites for Las Vegas-style casinos, and the battle rages on for the $425 million Lago Resort & Casino proposal, and more lawsuits are possible.