The vote Monday night came after opponents of the proposed casino told the board that developers had told only half the story about the project's impact. Steve Trettel and John Seaver, co-chairmen of Casino-Free Milford, identified for the board gaps and misleading information they said Foxwoods had presented. "It was biased," Mr. Trettel said about Foxwoods Massachusetts' weekly impact presentations in July. The four presentations covered traffic, water and sewer capacity, public safety and social impacts, and environmental issues.
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Milford selectmen to negotiate casino pact
MILFORD — Selectmen will negotiate a host community agreement for a $1 billion resort casino with Foxwoods Massachusetts.
Selectmen Dino B. DeBartolomeis and Brian W. Murray voted in favor of negotiating, while Selectman William D. Buckley, who chairs the board, opposed the move.
"If this thing is viable, it's got to be done in the next month or so," Mr. Murray said afterward.
If selectmen vote to approve the host community agreement, a townwide referendum would be scheduled within 60 to 90 days. Voters would then have to approve, at a special town meeting, zoning changes for the casino, which would be situated on 187 acres off of Route 16 and Interstate 495.
The vote Monday night came after opponents of the proposed 660,000-square-foot casino told the board that developers had told only half the story about the project's impact.
Steve Trettel and John Seaver, co-chairmen of Casino-Free Milford, identified for the board gaps and misleading information they said Foxwoods had presented.
"It was biased," Mr. Trettel said about Foxwoods Massachusetts' weekly impact presentations in July. The four presentations covered traffic, water and sewer capacity, public safety and social impacts, and environmental issues.
In an interview before the meeting, Mr. Trettel, a civil engineer, said Foxwoods' traffic projections, one problematic example, were flawed. He said the developers' report ignored the current stop-and-go traffic on Interstate 495 and key intersections, which a casino would make worse with an additional 25,000 to 35,000 cars a day.
"That increase in traffic is going to look like Boston in the morning," he said, comparing Milford-area highway traffic to the Southeast Expressway.
Mr. Trettel argued that selectmen shouldn't negotiate a host community agreement with Foxwoods until a complete analysis of impacts is completed.
At the selectmen's meeting, Mr. Seaver said the presentations were more about marketing than critical analysis. "We have not seen all the bad stuff; as we've heard from many Milford residents at these presentations, 'Where's all the bad stuff?' he said. "We don't think both sides have been presented thus far, both the pro and the negative."
Mr. Seaver and Mr. Trettel said the developers' analyses on water supply, property values, environmental impacts, crime, housing, schools and social problems were inadequate.
The casino opponents recommended that if selectmen negotiate a host community agreement, the agreement should include the following mitigation terms, at a minimum:
◼?The casino could not open until the proposed collector-distributor access ramp from I-495 is open and appropriate road improvements are made to Route 16;
◼?The town should strictly limit the casino's water intake, because of tenuous reserve capacity, and any additional water needed by the casino should be brought in from elsewhere;
◼?Payments to the town should be based on the commercial property tax rate, not a payment in lieu of taxes;
◼?Mitigation payments should be above and beyond the required property tax;
◼?Mitigation payments to the town should not be tied to casino profitability.
◼?Escrow accounts should be established to protect property values and to address potential impacts on air quality, housing, schools, health care facilities and crime;
◼?A sound barrier should be required along both sides of the proposed I-495 collector-distributor road system;
◼? Performance guarantees should be required for sight and sound screens to shield residents near Route 16 from the casino and for improvements to the intersection of Route 16 and the proposed new highway ramp.
In a prepared statement released after the meeting, Scott Butera, Foxwoods president and CEO, said: "We are very pleased with the decision of the Milford Board of Selectmen to begin host community agreement negotiations. We have been working hard with the town's officials and consultants to bring Milford a resort casino that reflects the unique nature of the community, and look forward to building on our discussions as we enter this next phase of the process."
Foxwoods is competing with proposals in Everett and East Boston for the sole resort casino license in Eastern Massachusetts.
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