Westfield being eyed by casino developers for possible facility at former Pavilion Mall site
Published: Friday, April 13, 2012
By Lori Stabile, The Republican The Republican
WESTFIELD - Casino developers have shown interest in the former Pavilion Mall site, and while city officials are not revealing who they are yet, if a formal proposal is made the mayor supports having a referendum on the issue so the residents can have their say.
Jeffrey R. Daley, city advancement officer, said the 200-acre property in question - between Barnes Regional Airport and East Mountain Road - has attracted the interest of three to four casino developers, who have reached out to the landowner. Only one of them, however, has met with city officials and "talked about what they envision doing there if they pursue the site," Daley said. He declined to name them.
"Until we know more, we're not really going to go into details," Daley said on Friday. "No one has signed on the dotted line."
Right now, Daley said there is no access to the site, except for a road through the airport. Infrastructure improvements were what caused the $140 million mall project's failure four years ago. At the time, then-Mayor Michael R. Boulanger said the city could not afford the infrastructure, and was canceling its terms of agreement for the project. The city's cost had ballooned to $25 million. There was a plan to construct a road and bridge over the Massachusetts Turnpike to get to the site.
To get to the site, Daley said access would have to be either off the turnpike, or across the turnpike via a bridge.
Daley said Mayor Daniel M. Knapik does not want "a slots in a box" facility in the city, and would want to see a resort casino with entertainment that would be beneficial to the entire city.
The property is owned by Westfield 1 LLC, Owens Road LLC and Billerica Realty Associates Limited Partnership of Needham. Three individuals affiliated with the company, Deborah E. Shalom, Richard D. Gass and Jon R. Levine, each did not return a call for comment.
Which casino operators that are interested in the property remain to be seen.
MGM Resorts International of Las Vegas recently backed out of its proposal for a resort casino on 150 acres in Brimfield, citing infrastructure issues. A spokesperson for MGM said the company is continuing to look for a new site in Western Massachusetts, but is not ready to announce anything.
Hard Rock International of Florida, in partnership with Paper City Development, have targeted Wyckoff Country Club in Holyoke for a resort casino, but Mayor Alex B. Morse has been blunt in opposing a gaming resort. Anthony Cignoli, a partner with Paper City Development, said they still have an option on the Wyckoff property. Cignoli had no comment regarding the Westfield site.
Another player in the mix is Penn National Gaming of Pennsylvania. Eric Schippers, spokesman for Penn National, said the company continues to focus on Springfield for a resort casino, and will select a final site soon.
"We're looking at a lot of potential sites in the city . . . We're kicking a lot of tires and want to get this right. It's going to be a site that has community support," Schippers said.
Only one casino license will be awarded in Western Massachusetts.
Mohegan Sun of Connecticut [The financially insolvent CT Tribe]wants to build a resort casino across from Massachusetts Turnpike exit 8 in Palmer, and Ameristar Casinos of Las Vegas in January closed on the purchase of the former Westinghouse site off Page Boulevard in Springfield for $16 million for a casino.
Published: Friday, April 13, 2012
By Lori Stabile, The Republican The Republican
WESTFIELD - Casino developers have shown interest in the former Pavilion Mall site, and while city officials are not revealing who they are yet, if a formal proposal is made the mayor supports having a referendum on the issue so the residents can have their say.
Jeffrey R. Daley, city advancement officer, said the 200-acre property in question - between Barnes Regional Airport and East Mountain Road - has attracted the interest of three to four casino developers, who have reached out to the landowner. Only one of them, however, has met with city officials and "talked about what they envision doing there if they pursue the site," Daley said. He declined to name them.
"Until we know more, we're not really going to go into details," Daley said on Friday. "No one has signed on the dotted line."
Right now, Daley said there is no access to the site, except for a road through the airport. Infrastructure improvements were what caused the $140 million mall project's failure four years ago. At the time, then-Mayor Michael R. Boulanger said the city could not afford the infrastructure, and was canceling its terms of agreement for the project. The city's cost had ballooned to $25 million. There was a plan to construct a road and bridge over the Massachusetts Turnpike to get to the site.
To get to the site, Daley said access would have to be either off the turnpike, or across the turnpike via a bridge.
Daley said Mayor Daniel M. Knapik does not want "a slots in a box" facility in the city, and would want to see a resort casino with entertainment that would be beneficial to the entire city.
The property is owned by Westfield 1 LLC, Owens Road LLC and Billerica Realty Associates Limited Partnership of Needham. Three individuals affiliated with the company, Deborah E. Shalom, Richard D. Gass and Jon R. Levine, each did not return a call for comment.
Which casino operators that are interested in the property remain to be seen.
MGM Resorts International of Las Vegas recently backed out of its proposal for a resort casino on 150 acres in Brimfield, citing infrastructure issues. A spokesperson for MGM said the company is continuing to look for a new site in Western Massachusetts, but is not ready to announce anything.
Hard Rock International of Florida, in partnership with Paper City Development, have targeted Wyckoff Country Club in Holyoke for a resort casino, but Mayor Alex B. Morse has been blunt in opposing a gaming resort. Anthony Cignoli, a partner with Paper City Development, said they still have an option on the Wyckoff property. Cignoli had no comment regarding the Westfield site.
Another player in the mix is Penn National Gaming of Pennsylvania. Eric Schippers, spokesman for Penn National, said the company continues to focus on Springfield for a resort casino, and will select a final site soon.
"We're looking at a lot of potential sites in the city . . . We're kicking a lot of tires and want to get this right. It's going to be a site that has community support," Schippers said.
Only one casino license will be awarded in Western Massachusetts.
Mohegan Sun of Connecticut [The financially insolvent CT Tribe]wants to build a resort casino across from Massachusetts Turnpike exit 8 in Palmer, and Ameristar Casinos of Las Vegas in January closed on the purchase of the former Westinghouse site off Page Boulevard in Springfield for $16 million for a casino.
Also:
Casino firms eye Westfield
By BEN STORROW
Staff Writer
Daily Hampshire Gazette
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