Less than a year after state lawmakers legalized casino gambling in Massachusetts, one of the world's largest casino operators — MGM Resorts International — has unveiled its plans for an $800 million dining, retail and entertainment district in downtown Springfield, Mass., it announced last month.
Designed for three city blocks comprising approximately 10 acres of land that was heavily damaged by a June 2011 tornado, MGM's plan calls for a "revived Main Street area" that includes tree-lined streets "overflowing" with restaurants, shopping and entertainment venues.
At the center of the project is a mixed-used development project totaling more than 500,000 square feet, which would include a 25-story, 250-room hotel with a spa, pool and roof deck; 89,000 square feet of gaming space; about 70,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space that would accommodate 15 shops and restaurants; and a multi-level parking garage.
Outside the MGM development, plans call for an approximately 130,000-square-foot dining, retail and entertainment district, tentatively named Armory Square, that would encompass approximately 25 dining and retail venues, including a 12-screen movie theater, a bowling alley and an outdoor stage.
The project does not include plans for indoor event space. Instead, MGM plans to partner with existing venues — including MassMutual Center, Springfield's 100,000-square-foot arena and convention center, which would connect to MGM Springfield via pedestrian bridge.
"Ours is a vision rooted in partnerships that would increase tourism by elevating the level of dining, retail and entertainment not only within the MGM project area but hopefully opening onto Main Street, throughout Downtown Springfield and into the rest of this great city," said MGM Resorts International Chairman and CEO Jim Murren.
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick signed the state's new gaming law, H. 3807 — "An Act Establishing Expanded Gaming in the Commonwealth" — on Nov. 22, 2011, after it was passed by both houses of the Massachusetts Legislature. The law creates a five-member Massachusetts Gaming Commission responsible for awarding and overseeing gaming licenses. The independent, bi-partisan commission will grant licenses for up to three casino resorts in three different regions of the state — including Springfield, in western Massachusetts.
MGM is one of four companies pursuing bids for a casino license in Springfield. Its competitors include Ameristar, Penn National Gaming and Hard Rock International. The city planned to initiate the process of selecting a winning bid this week, with hopes of selecting a developer by mid-December. The competition has been temporarily delayed, however, due to concerns about a potential conflict of interest involving Springfield's casino consultant, Chicago-based Shefsky & Froelich, which is the registered lobbyist in Illinois for MGM and Penn National.
"A conflict of interest, or a perceived conflict of interest, raises concerns about the full transparency of the process," James Ferrera, president of Springfield's City Council, told The Boston Globe. "We want to ensure pure transparency."