Casino Proposals Keep Rolling Along On Beacon Hill
Colorado developer David Nunes, who wants to build Crossroads, a massive resort-style casino and hotel in Milford, said he’s more excited now than ever about his proposal.
Beacon Hill lawmakers took one step closer toward approving expanded gaming when the state Senate released a draft version of gaming legislation (the final version was expected to be released June 18, after this publication’s deadline). The bill allows for up to three casinos in the state, including one owned by a Native American group and follows legislation already passed by the House chamber.
Land Divided
The Senate bill also splits the state up into three regions — eastern, southeast and western — and calls for potential developers to bid on one of the two non-Native American licenses that would be up for grabs.
Nunes said these are all good signs for his proposal and he’s getting ready to prove why his proposal is one of the best in the state, he said.
“We’re 100 percent confident in our location and our plans,” Nunes said. “No other proposal in the state can match what we have in being able to capture visitors from the north, south, east and west and bring them to the crossroads of the state.”
Nunes said he’s finalizing financing and site specifications for the project. Nunes has said in the past that the $850-million development would include 3,000 slot machines and 100 table games.
Competing Proposals
The draft Senate legislation is different from the House legislation in several significant ways. Namely, it allows for one more casino license in the state, but reserves it for use by a Native American group.
Also, the Senate bill does not specifically allow for “racinos,” or slot machines being installed at racetracks, or even slot parlors in general. The Senate bill is basically an all-or-nothing plan that embraced either large, resort-style casinos or no gaming expansion at all.
So, what do these proposals mean for the economic future of Central Massachusetts? That depends on whom you ask.
“It’s all still up in the air,” said State Rep. John Fernandes, D-Milford.
Despite the bill breaking the state up into regions, Fernandes said the casinos will be judged on their merit and which is the best choice for the state. It’s unclear if Milford would be in the eastern or western portion of the state.
The Senate bill calls for creating an independent gaming commission, which would be appointed by the governor and the legislature, to vet proposals. Developers would then bid on a license.
“To the extent the Milford developer has a good proposal, it will remain in the mix,” Fernandes said.
State Sen. Karen Spilka, D-Ashland, has been skeptical of expanded gaming in recent months, but with the release of a draft Senate bill, Spilka said she’s getting “more and more comfortable with the direction” of the legislation.
But she said there is still a ways to go. Already the Senate has held one full day of hearings and Spilka said she expects to make some changes to the bill.
One unresolved issue, she said, is determining at what rate casinos would be taxed. The more casino owners are taxed, the less likely they are to make investments in improvements to the area in years to come, Spilka said.
And while she’s more comfortable about expanded gaming in the state, that doesn’t mean she wants it in her backyard. Spilka is much more hesitant about plans for a casino in Milford than elsewhere in the state.
One of the selling points of the Crossroads proposal, according to Nunes, is that the proposed site is about 10 miles south of the Massachusetts Turnpike and just east of Interstate 495.
Spilka said the lack of proper infrastructure to handle a massive increase in traffic in the area is one of the major concerns she has about a Milford proposal. She said the roads leading to the site, including Routes 85 and 16, are already overburdened with traffic.
Other state leaders are all-out opposed to expanded gaming anywhere in the state.
“Casinos are just not the right answer for Massachusetts,” said state Rep. Carolyn Dykema, D-Holliston, who represents a community abutting Milford. Dykema said she’s “passionately” opposed to casinos in MetroWest.
“We’ve been trying hard to protect and prosper this strong quality of life in MetroWest,” she said. “A casino is just a step backward.”
Nunes, the developer, has heard all the criticisms against casinos. The traffic, the impact on the housing market, the public works and emergency services, the water and sewer lines — these are not new issues for any major development.
“I just ask people to wait and see what the details are,” he said. “What if there’s a proposal out there that will handle the traffic issues, will mitigate the water and sewer issues, is on a great piece of land that will have little impact on the surrounding community?”
Spilka said she expects a final bill to be passed by both chambers before the legislature’s recess at the end of July.
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