Briefing: Foxwoods 2 In Milford?
This rendering provided by Foxwoods shows the entrance to its proposed Milford casino.
Officials of the Foxwoods resort casino in Connecticut unveiled plans last week for a casino in Milford near the junction of Route 16 and Interstate 495. President and CEO Scott Butera gave an energetic overview of a design he called “unlike any other that's out there in the gaming business.” The site would compete with similar proposals in Everett and at Boston's Suffolk Downs for the one resort casino license that would cover Worcester, Middlesex, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex counties.
What’s so unique about it?
Butera said the property would feature a number of low-rise hotel buildings (renderings presented at the meeting showed seven-story structures) centered around a town green and would be the first “indoor-outdoor” gaming facilities, featuring walking trails, outdoor performance spaces, an extensive roof garden and a sculpture park.
What’s the development plan?
The project would be built in two phases. The first would include 4,250 slot machines, 175 gaming tables, 350 rooms, 25,000 square feet of retail space and a 2,800-car parking garage. Phase two would add 1,200 slots, 65 tables, 350 more rooms, three restaurants, two lounges, 15,000 additional square feet of retail and parking for 1,400 more cars.
What would be the traffic impact?
An engineer for Foxwoods said the facility would generate 16,000 vehicles coming and going during the week, which would increase to 23,000 on Fridays and 28,000 on Saturdays. The company anticipates more than 90 percent of visitors would arrive by way of I-495.
What about the economic impact?
Butera said the facility would employ 3,500 full- and part-time employees. Each permanent job would have an average annual salary of more than $50,000. The casino would also purchase more than $50 million in local goods and services each year. Meanwhile, the town would receive an annual payment in lieu of taxes of between $15 million and $20 million, as well as a $2.5 million community impact fee.
Who’s lined up to oppose it?
Members of one group, Casino-Free Milford, gathered outside Milford High School, the site of last week's meeting. Also, according to published reports, 12 group members won open Town Meeting seats. In addition, The MetroWest Anti-Casino Coalition has also reportedly lined up in opposition.
Read more
Foxwoods Partners With Milford Casino Developer
Study: Gambling Among New Englanders Down
Foxwoods Touts 'Revolutionary' Milford Design
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments