The Connecticut Airport Authority is proposing a casino at Bradley International Airport, as developers of a competing casino in Springfield have scaled back their plan.
Kevin Dillon, the authority's executive director, said the authority is looking to host a casino that the operators of Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun want to open in the capital region, under a state-sanctioned process that also requires the backing of the town of Windsor Locks, where the airport is located.
"We have approached Windsor Locks to move this forward with us," said Dillon. "This would be a nice amenity for travelers and another source of non-aeronautical revenue for the airport."
Discussions are underway with the town, Dillon said, but local officials have not made any commitments for what could be the only airport-based casino in the country.
The airport joins a growing list of potential casino locations in the Hartford area as Connecticut looks to protect its gambling industry from the new mega-casino in Springfield.The Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribes have required that bids contain sign-offs by both the developer and the town or city where the proposed casino would be built. But formal zoning and other local approvals are not yet necessary.Windsor Locks had been mentioned as a potential site for the casino previously, but this is the first indication of a plan that might come together. Other possible host cities include East Hartford, Enfield, Hartford and East Windsor.The MGM project in Springfield is scheduled to open in fall 2018, and the tribes hope to beat that date by a year or more.On Tuesday, Springfield officials bristled at the latest news about downsizing their casino development, expressing frustration that MGM did not tell them it was cutting the size of the project by 14 percent. The reduction was disclosed in a state environmental filing.The project has been scaled back — retail and restaurant space, a bowling alley and movie theater, have all been made smaller than initially planned; 387 parking spaces were eliminated; and a 25-story hotel tower has been reduced to six stories, but with the same number of rooms.At Bradley, Dillon said there are two potential sites at the airport for the casino: on the site of the old Murphy Terminal, now being demolished, or in a new transportation center planned nearby for car rentals and to add parking options for travelers.The Murphy Terminal is expected to be torn down by the end of March, and a casino could be built on the lower floors, with a planned new terminal above the gaming space, Dillon said.If the transportation center was selected, it is likely the casino would be placed on the top of the structure. Construction of the transportation center was expected in 2017, but the airport, Dillon said, is flexible about when the work could begin. Eventually, the transportation center would be connected to the new terminal.Of the two options, Dillon said building on the site of the old Murphy Terminal "makes sense if you are looking to take advantage of passenger dwell time.""Dwell time" is the amount of time that can be spent shopping and dining before a flight departs. Airports are increasingly looking to add opportunities for travelers to spend more time and money at the airport.Dillon said there are no cost estimates for the envisioned casino and a revenue-sharing agreement would have to be worked out with the tribes.Windsor Locks First Selectman Steven N. Wawruck Jr. said Tuesday the town's board of selectmen expects to get a formal presentation on the airport authority's vision for the casino at a meeting Oct. 27. The selectmen could decide to give the necessary backing so the airport could submit a proposal to the tribes, but the town would still need to conduct hearings and seek a public vote later, if the tribes select the airport location."It's worthy of exploration," Wawruck said. "We need to learn more about it. We need to know what the benefits and disadvantages, if any, to the town of Windsor Locks."He added: "To just brush it aside, is not the proper attitude to take."State Rep. Peggy Sayers, D-Windsor Locks and Windsor, said Tuesday the proposal is worth a closer look."Obviously, it brings jobs to the area and, for the town, it expands the tax base," Sayers said.One plus, Sayers said, is traffic generated by the casino would travel on the Route 20 connector and would not clog local roads.This fall, with authorization from the state to start the process, the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes are moving quickly to build a midsize casino in north central Connecticut to compete against the $800 million MGM Springfield development. Proposals are due Nov. 6, and the tribes said they expect to pick a location by Dec. 15, in time for approval in the 2016 state legislative session.The tribes envision a casino with 2,000 slot machines and 100 to 150 tables, with an estimated development cost of $200 million to $300 million. The goal is to keep casino-goers in Connecticut.In their request for proposals, the tribes — competitors that have joined together to respond to Springfield — make it clear they are looking for visibility and proximity to large population areas, with highway access, balanced with what will be easiest and the least expensive to develop.Developers in two locations — the former Showcase Cinemas in East Hartford and the Enfield Square Mall — have presented detailed proposals, but the plan in Enfield has run into opposition from local residents.Among other locations, East Windsor has been mentioned, perhaps at the location of another closed Showcase Cinemas, off I-91. Hartford has also said it is exploring a possible bid. And elsewhere in Windsor Locks, Sportech Ventures, owner of the Bradley Teletheater and Bobby V's restaurant and bar, have said that location should be considered if a venue is to be built nearby, which would draw customers away from an established business.| < Prev | Next > |
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