Penn Selects Alternate Site For Ohio Casino
At the request of public officials and others in the Columbus community, Penn National Gaming (PENN: 25.62 +2.85%) has selected an alternative site for its planned development of Hollywood Casino Columbus, and has entered into a purchasing option to buy the site.
Tim Wilmott, President and COO of Penn told local and state officials at a press conference today that after careful consideration of the proposed alternative sites, they believe that the site of the former Delphi Automotive plant on Columbus’ West Side will be suitable for the $250 million-plus casino development.
“Ultimately, we chose the Delphi site because of its excellent highway access, its status as a brownfield site, which fits well with our original vision of urban revitalization, and because it received very strong support from local community and business leaders. In addition, with 123 acres, it provides us with the needed flexibility to develop a comprehensive master plan for the site.” said Wilmott.
Since the alternate site will need to be approved by a three-fifths majority vote by the General Assembly and Ohio voters in May, the gaming company plans to pursue development of both sites in parallel, given the uncertainty of the outcome.
Wilmott also said. “Our goal is to begin development as soon as possible so we begin generating new jobs, as well as gaming taxes earmarked for counties, cities and public schools across the state as well as for Ohio’s horse racing industry.”
Join the forum discussion of this news story - (1) PostsRelated posts:
