Habitat Concerns Could Move Foxwoods Casino Site Closer to Homes
In a community meeting on the Foxwoods Massachusetts casino project, officials discussed some potential changes to the plan.
Posted by Mary MacDonald (Editor),
Casino officials expect to meet with the Corps Tuesday, said Sean Reardon, the project engineer. "We will have a recommended direction," he said.
The alternate location would not mean a change in the planned offerings at the $1 billion resort: the style of the buildings would be the same, and the casino would have the same number of hotel rooms, restaurants and gaming machines, officials said.
But the new site would shift the development to within 600 to 700 feet of the homes off Wildwood Drive in Milford, and will require a re-drawing of design and site plans.
"It is a definite possibility we will have to change our plans from the upper portion of the site to the lower portion of the site," Reardon said, speaking to town residents assembled Monday for an information meeting on the casino, at the Portuguese Club in Milford.
More than 60 people attended the information session, asking questions for almost an hour. Another information session, open to the public as well, will be held at the Doubletree Hotel in Milford on Tuesday, beginning at 6:30 p.m.
The disclosure Monday that an alternate development site might be required comes days after Milford Selectmen visited neighborhoods near the proposed casino site. At that time, development officials assured residents that the casino would not be visible from their homes, and would be placed close to I-495.
Bill Buckley and Brian Murray, two of the three Milford Selectmen, attended the information session Monday. After the meeting, Buckley said the plans have changed for the casino at every public meeting.
"They came into this process late. They're just now beginning to hear what the site concerns are, from a range of people, from residents, the federal government."
The proposal is one of three under consideration for a state license for a resort casino in the greater Boston region. Milford Selectmen have not yet negotiated with the developers on a community host agreement, because Foxwoods Massachusetts has not finalized a plan.
"We need to know what they're going to do," Buckley said.
Among other comments made Monday:
If the development site is moved to the alternate location, the developer would no longer have to move the electrical power transmission lines.
The planned access to the site also will not change if the development is pushed closer to Route 16. That access is two-fold:
Traffic coming to the casino off I-495 would use something called a "collector-distributor" road, placed on either side of the highway. A flyover bridge crossing the interstate would carry the southbound traffic across the highway, merging with the north-bound casino traffic on an access road into the site.
In addition, another casino entrance would connect to Route 16, at the site of the current gravel company property. Route 16 would be widened at the juncture, and a light installed. This new access would allow cars to use the entrance road to the casino to reach northbound 495, an impact that the project engineer said Monday could result in 300 more cars going through that area a day, as people realize they now have a direct way on to the highway from Route 16.
"The one place we're going to see a lot more traffic, that's Route 16," Reardon said.
The cars, however, would not be using other intersections in Milford to access the highway, he said, so the Route 16 access to the site, and by connector road the highway, would reduce traffic in other parts of town at highway interchanges.
In all, the developers say the casino will result in a peak of 23,0000 to 28,000 average daily trips, with the peak days being Fridays and Saturdays. That's up to 14,000 additional cars a day.
Development officials told the audience Monday that the vast majority of those visitors would come in via I-495. The projection is 61 percent will use 495 South; another 30 percent will use 495 North. Less than 2 percent of the trips would come from Route 16, Route 109, or Route 85, Reardon said.
"We need to know what they're going to do," Buckley said.
Among other comments made Monday:
If the development site is moved to the alternate location, the developer would no longer have to move the electrical power transmission lines.
The planned access to the site also will not change if the development is pushed closer to Route 16. That access is two-fold:
Traffic coming to the casino off I-495 would use something called a "collector-distributor" road, placed on either side of the highway. A flyover bridge crossing the interstate would carry the southbound traffic across the highway, merging with the north-bound casino traffic on an access road into the site.
In addition, another casino entrance would connect to Route 16, at the site of the current gravel company property. Route 16 would be widened at the juncture, and a light installed. This new access would allow cars to use the entrance road to the casino to reach northbound 495, an impact that the project engineer said Monday could result in 300 more cars going through that area a day, as people realize they now have a direct way on to the highway from Route 16.
"The one place we're going to see a lot more traffic, that's Route 16," Reardon said.
The cars, however, would not be using other intersections in Milford to access the highway, he said, so the Route 16 access to the site, and by connector road the highway, would reduce traffic in other parts of town at highway interchanges.
In all, the developers say the casino will result in a peak of 23,0000 to 28,000 average daily trips, with the peak days being Fridays and Saturdays. That's up to 14,000 additional cars a day.
Development officials told the audience Monday that the vast majority of those visitors would come in via I-495. The projection is 61 percent will use 495 South; another 30 percent will use 495 North. Less than 2 percent of the trips would come from Route 16, Route 109, or Route 85, Reardon said.
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