Leominster Slots Plan Gets ZBA OK

Courtesy A rendering shows what the proposed slots parlor in Leominster would look like.

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The $200-million slots parlor that a Baltimore-based developer is hoping to bring to Leominster took a step forward Wednesday as the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals approved a special permit for the project.

In a 4-0 vote, the board unanimously approved the permit, allowing the 16-acre Jungle Road property to be zoned for indoor recreational use.

The proposal by PPE Casino Resorts MA, a subsidiary of Cordish Cos., will come before voters in a citywide referendum Sept. 24. On that same date, voters in Millbury will also decide whether to approve a slots parlor in their town. The two Central Massachusetts communities are competing for the state’s single slots license allowed under 2011’s expanded gaming legislation. They’re also going up against a plan in Raynham, where voters already approved a slots-only casino proposal by an overwhelming margin. Residents of Tewksbury voted down a similar proposal earlier this week, leaving three communities vying for the license.

Plans approved by voters must be sent to the state’s gaming commission for final approval by Oct. 4 with a final decision expected by the commission in December.

While other communities have seen organized opposition to slots proposals, Leominster has not. In the host community agreement signed by Mayor Dean Mazzarella and PPE officials, the developer will make minimum payments to the city of $3.8 million annually, including property taxes. PPE has said it expects the project to bring about 600 construction jobs and 500 to 700 permanent jobs to the city.

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