ToCasino.net Online Casino

SPRINGFIELD – The first two hearings on the MGM Springfield casino site plan ended Wednesday night with the City Council deciding to expand opportunities for public comment and to extend its deliberations regarding conditions for the $950 million project.

By a 9-4 vote, the council decided to extend public testimony for an additional 30 minutes on Monday, at 5:30 p.m., at City Hall, limiting each speaker to 90 seconds. More than 30 people spoke at the first two hearings this week including MGM officials, city consultants, abutters and residents.

At-large Councilor Bud Williams, citing the many who spoke, said he is also hearing concerns from "the average Joe 6-pack" about design changes to the project. He said he is hearing concerns from average people you meet on the street and in places such as supermarkets, churches, banks and gas stations.

All the public input and hundreds of pages of documents must be weighed by councilors in evaluating the site plans and recent design changes including MGM's proposal to eliminate a 25-story hotel. Under the proposal, the hotel tower on State Street would become a six-story hotel on Main Street, with no reduction in the number of rooms.

Council President Michael Fenton said that his earlier suggestion that final votes on the site plans and other casino issues could occur as soon as next Tuesday is clearly not the case.

There will be deliberations both next Monday and Tuesday focused just on the casino site plans, with the issues of road closures and changes to the host community agreement coming at additional meeting dates to be scheduled, he said. Fenton had scheduled the four meetings this week and next, but with the caveat that more could be needed.

Fenton proposed that public testimony end this week, as scheduled, stressing that the council would still accept written testimony and could address questions to MGM, consultants, city officials, abutters and the public.

Several councilors said the magnitude of the project – a 14.5 acre, three-block, $950 million casino -- will require extended, complicated discussions. The review includes the many comments pro and con, numerous documents, and issues raised by the owners of abutting properties regarding traffic safety, congestion, parking and related concerns.

The project is already approved by the city and state, but the council can set numerous conditions in approving the site plan, officials said.

Fenton was among four councilors who wanted to close public testimony after Wednesday night's meeting, saying the public could still submit written comment, and the council could and would continue to ask questions of MGM, city consultants, abutters and the public. Councilor Melvin Edwards, while voting to extend public testimony, stressed that the public is always free to call and write their councilors.

Councilors voting against the extended public testimony were E. Henry Twiggs, Timothy J. Rooke, Thomas M. Ashe and Fenton.

Councilor Orlando Ramos made the motion to extend the public hearing testimony to Monday's meeting, saying the casino project is the largest project in the region's history "and there is a lot at stake here."

A suggestion that people who have already spoken at the public hearings this week not be allowed to speak again was opposed, and dropped, with Councilor Kateri Walsh saying it would "violate free speech."

MGM Springfield President Michael Mathis said the company is "more than happy to work with the abutters on their issues," He added that with prior negotiations to buy some of the adjacent properties, "frankly, we bring a little bit of skepticism to any negotiations"

MGM agrees the city can arbitrate some of the raised issues, Mathis said.

"I think the key question is should those discussions get in the way of a $950 million project," Mathis said.

Williams and Walsh both said there are people who voted in favor of the casino project and now see a hotel tower missing from those plans.

Williams said there are people who see that as removing a "wow" factor from the project.

A representative of Chicago Consultants Studio, a city consultant, said the company believes the change in the hotel plans is better for the city and will bring more vitality to Main Street. The company feels the wow factor is the design of the project itself, not the height of the hotel, he said.