January 22, 201114 yr Article from today's Dispatch and an updated article from its website. Below is the original article and then the updated article: Casino township seeks authority to issue permits Friday, January 21, 2011 - 2:51 AM By Elizabeth Gibson, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Franklin Township's decision to create a building department has some wondering whether there is any connection to the casino planned for western Franklin County. The site for Penn National Gaming's casino sits on township land at the former Delphi auto-parts plant. The company originally had said it planned to annex into Columbus to build the casino, but that hasn't happened yet as Columbus and Penn National negotiate over tax incentives and other issues. Columbus officials insist on annexation before the city will provide water and sewer service to the casino. And currently, Franklin County has the authority to issue building permits in the township. If Penn National got a building permit from the township, it presumably could begin construction of the casino - although it still would have the sewer and water-service problems. State board delays action on casino township's request Franklin Township says building department isn't tied to project Updated: Friday, January 21, 2011 - 2:07 PM By Elizabeth Gibson, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The Ohio Board of Building Standards this morning put off a decision on Franklin Township's request to certify its new building department. Board members said they want to slow the process down because of questions that Columbus city officials raised about Franklin Township's request. "This application appears to be a way (for Penn National Gaming) to avoid submitting their building permit to Ohio and Columbus and to further delay annexation," said Mike Reese, chief of staff to Mayor Michael B. Coleman. Penn National Gaming has the right to build a central Ohio casino under the state constitution. It owns land in Franklin Township and has been locked in contentious negotiations for months about annexing the casino site to Columbus. Columbus has told the company that the city won't provide sewer and water unless the site is annexed, but theoretically construction could begin if the township had the power to issue a permit. MORE: http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/01/21/copy/casino-township-seeks-authority-to-issue-permits.html?adsec=politics&sid=101
January 22, 201114 yr Will casino waste go to Marysville? Discussion might be effort to forgo city annexation, or gain leverage Saturday, January 22, 2011 By Elizabeth Gibson and Holly Zachariah THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH First, Penn National Gaming started looking into drilling wells that could provide enough water for its central Ohio casino. Now, Franklin Township wants the ability to issue building permits, and Marysville is talking with someone interested in trucking at least 120,000 gallons a day of raw sewage to its treatment plant. No one will say whether the latest developments indicate that Penn National Gaming wants to build its casino in Franklin Township instead of having the site annexed into Columbus, but negotiations with the city are stalled. Columbus officials say that Penn National is trying to gain leverage in the annexation dispute. Columbus has told Penn National that the city won't provide sewer and water service unless the 123-acre site along W. Broad Street near I-270 is annexed. The casino developer, after agreeing to move the project from its original Columbus location in the Arena District, has asked the city for as much as $10 million in incentives, but Columbus has balked at the request. MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/01/22/will-casino-waste-go-to-marysville.html?sid=101
January 22, 201114 yr Penn National Gaming is really getting ridiculous with their latest gambit. Trucking sewage to Marysville?!? As was said earlier, a casino asking for tax incentives is ballsy enough. But they asked. And the City of Columbus said no. Rightfully so. ---Then Penn National tries to bluff their way with the annexation, the water service, the building department (maybe) and now the sewer service. Which is their right to do so. But at some point the bluff must end. And that time is now. Penn National is looking like a desperate Texas Hold-em player trying to convince everyone they're holding two Aces instead of an off-suit four and five. So they keep raising and re-raising to bluff out the player with the stronger hand. Only the player with the stronger hand isn't buying it and doesn't fold. The only way a business can bluff a city into giving them tax incentives is to legitimately have a threat to move if they don't get those incentives. If they can't legitimately threaten a move, the city won't take them seriously. Now - after all the years of effort Penn National spent to gerrymander the state constitution and force their way into Columbus - does anyone honestly think they're not going to build their casino? Does anyone honestly think that Penn National will actually leave because their state constitutionally mandated monopoly won't receive a city incentive? I don't. And neither does the City of Columbus. The City of Columbus has called your bluff Penn National. Its time to put your cards down. Just admit it. Your bluff got called.
January 22, 201114 yr I was about to say "this is what Cbus gets for moving it to the edge of town" until I remembered that the casino in Cleveland is asking us to move the freaking river. Enough. Just build the things.
January 24, 201114 yr HA!! Love the comments from 327 and natininja. FWIW, I totally agree. BTW, you would think that this news item would bring out comments from Columbus posters too. :-P
January 24, 201114 yr Meh. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
January 25, 201114 yr More like MEEEHHH!! and EEEEEHHHHHHH!!! I did like dmerkow's thoughts. :wink: However, these responses have me concerned that some are thinking Cousin Eddie was on the cutting edge of urban sewage disposal in Christmas Vacation!
January 25, 201114 yr It'll get built. It'll be (much) less than spectacular. I'm hoping anything positive will rub off eastward on W Broad, but there are plenty other things that will have a much greater impact on our urban neighborhoods. Unless they build a rail line from Downtown to the casino; that would perk my interest.
January 25, 201114 yr It'll get built. That's my point. Penn National does not hold the leverage here. They eventually need to build. This PR battle Penn is waging to try to pressure the City into giving them tax breaks was doomed from the beginning. First, the Columbus taxpapers/voters have never sided with the casino monopoly. Second, the Dispatch has never sided with the casino monopoly. Third, Penn's constant "raising the stakes" game has now lapsed into lunacy with this "sewage solution"! Penn will eventually build - and without any tax breaks. So, until Penn decides to drop this nonsense, we're going to get a parade of articles from the Dispatch like the one below: Trucking out sewage a costly fix Casino may haul 24 hours, pay $300,000 a year Tuesday, January 25, 2011 - 2:51 AM By Elizabeth Gibson and Holly Zachariah THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH It could take 20 to 24 trips each day from western Franklin County to Marysville to haul 120,000 gallons of human waste to a sewage-treatment plant - if casino officials are actually considering giving that a try. Penn National Gaming officials won't confirm whether they're the mysterious client that approached Marysville about sewage treatment, but a project manager for the casino was the person representing the unnamed client at the meeting. With Columbus withholding sewer service until casino officials agree to annexation of the site of the former Delphi auto-parts plant, it's possible that Penn National Gaming has been looking into ways to dispose of sewage without relying on the city. But is it practical to truck that much human excrement out of the county? MORE: http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/01/25/copy/trucking-out-sewage-a-costly-fix.html?adsec=politics&sid=101
January 26, 201114 yr If they want to spend a big chunk of change on it, go on right ahead. I'm just a lot less outraged at this than the city leadership trying to kill off any chance of the dense Highland West business district on W Broad from ever coming back (between Wheatland and Eureka). They were somewhat successful by removing parking on one side of the street. What they wanted to do was put in bike lanes on both sides and remove all parking; even as a cyclist this is absolutely absurd. I and many others have no problem riding through the Short North which has heavy traffic, on-street parking, and no bike-only lanes. Can you imagine if the city had, back in the mid-eighties, clumsily attempted to show how "progressive" they were by removing all parking on N High in the Short North and what it would instead look like today? The fact that they were doing that to a similar street today, now that is outrageous. And it's just more evidence that their main objective when it comes to urban revitalization is to oppose it, while throwing a few crumbs here and there merely to appear to support it. This whole Hilltop debacle, plus stepping all over OTE/KL residents, holding up downtown restaurants from opening with their barrage of bureaucracy (thereby dissuading many others), ignoring neighborhood organizations, etc.
February 21, 201114 yr Casinos' reduced size may cut tax revenue Local officials say they're not counting cash until it's in hand Thursday, February 17, 2011 By Doug Caruso, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH In 2009, as casino developers sought voter approval to build in four Ohio cities, they pointed to a report they had commissioned from casino analysts at the Innovation Group. That report estimated that the casinos would bring in nearly $2 billion in their first full year of operation, 2013, based on 18,960 seats at slot machines and gambling tables. One third of that - about $666 million - would go to the state's counties, school districts and eight largest cities. But as plans gel, developers are expecting to open with fewer gambling stations. They're now scheduled to start with about 11,500 seats at slot machines and table games at the four casinos, according to Penn National Gaming, which is developing casinos in central Ohio and Toledo, and Rock Ohio Caesars, which is building casinos in Cleveland and Cincinnati. That's about 40 percent fewer seats than the Innovation Group used in its model. In the worst case, other casino analysts told the Cincinnati Enquirer in a story published this week, that could mean a similar reduction in revenue, leaving local governments to split $400 million in casino taxes. Casino developers dispute that analysis, maintaining that a reduction in gambling seats doesn't directly cut revenue: The seats they have will just be busier. MORE: http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/02/17/copy/casinos-reduced-size-may-cut-profit.html?adsec=politics&sid=101
February 21, 201114 yr Does this mean that our casino isn't going to fund a streetcar from the convention center down W Broad like the casino-funded streetcar in Cincinnati? Why are they helping Cincinnati out, while all we get is a temper tantrum?
February 21, 201114 yr I believe its because cincinnati is being developed by Ceasers where as columbus and toledo,for that matter is being developed by penn national.
February 21, 201114 yr Even so, how can they be so out of the loop as to not know to look at the approach in Cincinnati vs. Columbus? Have they ever heard of the internet, let alone newspapers or PR?
February 22, 201114 yr Honestly, Penn National has been shady from the beginning. It was a good idea to keep it out of the arena district, but I no longer think that it will do much for the West Broad/Georgesville corridor in terms of overall improvement. They seem to be more interested in playing games and trying to weasel out of past promises.
March 1, 201114 yr City moves ahead on development rules for casino area Council likely to OK regulations to make area appealing Tuesday, March 1, 2011 By Doug Caruso, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Columbus is moving ahead with development rules for W. Broad Street that neighborhood leaders say will help make the business district near a planned casino more attractive as it grows. Mayor Michael B. Coleman's administration sent the rules, called a zoning overlay, to the City Council in early February and the council is to vote on them on Monday. Council members heard a first reading of the overlay last night. The rules specify a neighborhood business district that would look more like N. High Street in Clintonville than Morse Road in the Northland area. New or significantly renovated buildings would have to be close to the street, have screened parking lots in the rear or at the sides, and meet limitations on signs. "This is kind of a pre-emptive strike for what is hopefully to come," said Chuck Patterson, chairman of the Hilltop Area Commission, which supports the overlay. "We want to recruit and encourage new business along that corridor, but we want it to have a look and an appeal that fits with the neighborhood." MAP OF THE "CASINO DISTRICT" OVERLAY AREA READ MORE: http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/03/01/copy/city-moves-ahead-on-development-rules-for-casino-area.html?adsec=politics&sid=101
March 2, 201114 yr More about the West Broad Street/Casino District zoning overlay legislation that will be heard by Columbus City Council next week, via press release from the Mayor's Office. This might end up getting cross-posted in the Hilltop thread but I thought it could go here first, since the casino is the impetus for the overlay proposal. Press Release: Mayor Thanks Council for Considering West Broad Street Redevelopment Plans Mayor Michael B. Coleman will forward legislation to City Council on Monday (March 7) for the West Broad Street Overlays, which will expand an earlier overlay that was placed on West Broad in the Hilltop as a part of an economic initiative. The goal of this new overlay fulfills a major recommendation of the Greater Hilltop Area Plan, which was adopted by Council in late 2010. It also ensures that new development is consistent with a more walkable built environment with improved aesthetics consistent with community goals. The new overlays cover the city portions of W. Broad from Hague Avenue to I-270. “I thank City Council for working with us to keep our promises to help create a revitalized West Broad Street Corridor,” Mayor Coleman said. “I also appreciate the valuable input we have received from West Side residents and businesses who are passionate about improving their neighborhood.” The City of Columbus Planning Division worked with the Greater Hilltop community leadership, including the Hilltop Area Commission, Westgate Neighbors Association, Hilltop businesses and residents to update their 2001 plan for all of the Hilltop including the West Broad Street corridor. The principal focus was land use, urban design and development standards. “The Broad Street Overlays will help drive economic development in a highly populated area of Columbus that has been identified as having the resources to sustain strong retail growth in the years to come,” said Councilmember Zachary M. Klein, chair of the Development Committee. The plan amendment recommends commercial and mixed use development along the West Broad corridor consistent with the proposed casino development, as well as to encourage new investment between Wilson Road and Hague Avenue consistent with a walkable, urban environment. Franklin County recently adopted the Westland Area Interim Development Framework as their policy direction for managing development. Concurrently, Franklin County has initiated a Smart Growth Overlay for Franklin Township parcels along Georgesville Road, Phillipi Road and West Broad Street, establishing similar standards and thereby ensuring seamless development as new investment occurs in the future. The county’s overlay should be adopted by the County Commissioners in March. The Columbus Planning Division and the County’s Economic Development and Planning Department has worked jointly on the overlay effort. This effort was also one of the first Department projects in which Facebook was used to engage the community. At the same time, the city is working with Franklin County and the Weston Partnership, representing a number of key stakeholders, to under a market study and economic development strategy for the area west of Wilson Road. The intent is to build upon the investment represented by the proposed Penn National casino and to facilitate reinvestment of nearby properties. The city and county are jointly funding the market study. More information can be found on the Planning Division’s Hilltop Commercial Overlay project website at: http://development.columbus.gov/planning/content.aspx?id=32969
March 5, 201114 yr Casino developer files for state building permit Subsidiary has judge halt release of plan's security details Saturday, March 5, 2011 By John Futty and Mark Ferenchik THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The developer of a Franklin County casino has filed an application for a building permit with the state, as negotiations with Columbus officials over annexation remain stalled. "They're scheduled to break ground this spring. It's very important they remain on schedule to get this casino open by the second half of next year," said Bob Tenenbaum, a spokesman for Penn National Gaming. The application includes plans for the 300,000-square-foot Hollywood Casino and a 2,123-space parking garage, Tenenbaum said. The plan also calls for two surface parking lots with 1,307 spaces and a 907-space lot for employees, he said. It also shows a drawing for a large RV park. The casino would employ 2,000 and have 3,000 slot machines, 70 gambling tables and a 30-table poker room, he said. The developer filed the application with the state because the new building department in Franklin Township, where the casino site is, has no enforcement powers yet. READ MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/03/05/casino-developer-files-for-state-building-permit.html?sid=101 SITE PLAN AND RENDERING RELEASED BY PENN NATIONAL IN NOVEMBER 2010
March 6, 201114 yr Just when you thought that casino developer Penn National had reached the outer limits of ridiculousness, there's this... Casino ponders sewage 'well' Memo to state EPA shows Penn National may choose to inject waste underground Sunday, March 6, 2011 02:59 AM By Mark Ferenchik, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Penn National Gaming is considering injecting casino sewage into deep underground wells on its Franklin County site at the same time it is looking to drill other wells there to provide water for the casino. A memo the company sent to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency last month says that Penn National also still is considering the option of trucking sewage from the casino to an off-site treatment plant. The memo was sent by lawyer Stephen P. Samuels to Ohio EPA Director Scott Nally on Feb. 22. It spells out how the company thinks it can dispose of waste without annexing to the city of Columbus or using sewer lines. Penn National is locked in a stalemate with the city over annexation. The plan had been that the city would annex the site, the former Delphi auto-parts plant, from Franklin Township and then would run sewer and water lines to serve it. But Penn National has balked at going ahead with the plan until Columbus agrees to tax breaks and other incentives. READ MORE: http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/03/06/copy/casino-ponders-sewage-well.html?adsec=politics&sid=101 MY TAKE: I agree with the eminently sensible former Franklin County Environmental Judge and current City Attorney Richard Pfeiffer. I think he hit the bull-eye with this comment in the article: "City Attorney Richard C. Pfeiffer Jr. said the consideration of other options is unnecessary. "They have to annex, and it's taken care of. There's available water and sewer," he said. "That resolves these issues."
March 9, 201114 yr More casino sewage fun :lol: Columbus casino's proposed sewage well would be Ohio's first Tuesday, March 8, 2011 By Spencer Hunt, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Penn National Gaming's idea to pump sewage from its planned Franklin Township casino into a deep well would be a first in Ohio. Locked in a stalemate with Columbus officials over annexation, the Pennsylvania-based company advanced the idea of "deep-well injection" for its casino sewage in a Feb. 22 memo sent to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. The company argues in the memo that an injection well is an option that would circumvent a demand by Columbus officials that the casino allow its property to be annexed into the city before it can get sewer services. Another option is trucking sewage to a treatment plant. The company also is looking at obtaining drinking water by drilling wells rather than tapping into Columbus water mains. Penn National has balked at annexation unless Columbus agrees to provide tax breaks and other incentives. READ MORE: http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/03/08/copy/sewage-well-would-be-ohios-first.html?adsec=politics&sid=101
March 10, 201114 yr Suit asks court to force casino-site annexation Thursday, March 10, 2011 - 04:21 AM By Doug Caruso, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The Dispatch Printing Company has asked a judge to force Penn National Gaming to annex its casino site to Columbus, saying that Penn National has reneged on promises it made last year. Dispatch Printing, which publishes this newspaper, also asked Franklin County Common Pleas Judge David W. Fais to declare trucking sewage from the casino or burying it onsite a nuisance and to halt construction until Penn National agrees to annex and hook up to city sewer and water lines. . . . Michael F. Curtin, associate publisher emeritus of the newspaper, said Dispatch Printing wants to ensure that Penn National makes good on the promises it made to the community as well as to Dispatch Printing. The company donated more than $400,000 and provided other support to a campaign in May for Issue 2, a state constitutional amendment that moved the casino to the site of the former Delphi auto-parts plant near W. Broad Street and I-270 from a site in the Arena District. In offering its support, " The Dispatch reasonably relied to its detriment on Penn's representation that it intended to annex the casino property to the city of Columbus," the court filing says. "Penn is now taking the position that it will not annex the property unless the city of Columbus agrees to provide Penn with tax incentives and infrastructure improvements that will cost Columbus taxpayers millions of dollars." READ MORE: http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/03/10/copy/suit-asks-court-to-force-casino-site-annexation.html?adsec=politics&sid=101
March 10, 201114 yr This is great. I love the drama. And with the added benefit of keeping lawyers fully employed. :lol:
March 12, 201114 yr This is great. I love the drama. And with the added benefit of keeping lawyers fully employed. :lol: You ain't kidding. Now the casino developer, Penn National Gaming, wants to make a federal case of it. Literally! Casino sues local governments to get water, sewer service Penn National accuses city, county of rights violations by blocking water, sewer access Saturday, March 12, 2011 02:53 AM By Doug Caruso, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Penn National Gaming went to federal court yesterday to try to force Columbus to provide sewer and water service to its casino site. The company's lawsuit says the city and Franklin County violated its rights under the U.S. and Ohio constitutions when the governments agreed in December to remove the casino site from a 2003 contract in which the city agreed to provide sewer service there. The suit says the amendment to the Ohio Constitution that permitted casinos exempts the companies from "the types of municipal delay and brinksmanship that often accompanies zoning and land-use decisions (except for those related to health and building codes)." Penn National notes in its lawsuit that the site, a former Delphi auto-parts plant in Franklin Township, had been linked to city sewer and water lines since at least 1953. By withholding water service and changing the sewer contract, the lawsuit says, Columbus and Franklin County treated Penn National differently from other developers and violated the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment guarantee of equal protection. READ MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/03/12/casino-sues-local-governments-to-get-water-sewer-service.html?sid=101
March 15, 201114 yr Penn National wants casino dispute heard in federal court Tuesday, March 15, 2011 By Kathy Lynn Gray, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Penn National Gaming filed paperwork yesterday to move a counterclaim against (the Dispatch Printing Company) to federal court. The Dispatch Printing Company, which publishes this newspaper (The Columbus Dispatch), filed the counterclaim last week in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, asking the court to force Penn National to annex its Franklin Township casino site to Columbus. The heart of the dispute is the promise that Columbus city and Dispatch Printing officials say Penn National made to them: to annex the casino property in western Franklin County to Columbus. Penn National has instead sought ways to build the casino in the township without using Columbus sewer and water service. READ MORE: http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/03/15/copy/penn-wants-dispute-heard-in-federal-court.html?adsec=politics&sid=101
March 20, 201114 yr City finds good news in EPA memo to casino builder Sunday, March 20, 2011 - 07:30 AM By Mark Ferenchik, The Columbus Dispatch Columbus officials say Penn National Gaming will have to use city sewer service, based on a letter the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency sent the casino developer this week. The Ohio EPA sent the letter in response to a Feb. 22 memo a Penn National lawyer wrote that said the area's regional sewage plan does not prevent the company from injecting raw sewage into the ground through deep wells or trucking it away. In a letter dated Wednesday, Brian C. Cook, the Ohio EPA's chief legal counsel, wrote that those options would require Penn National to get approval from the agency. "Included in the approval criteria is a requirement that the disposal system employ the best available technology," Cook wrote. He also wrote that Penn National's plans need to be consistent with the regional sewage plan. Does that mean Penn National has to tie into a sewer system? "That is our opinion and our interpretation," said Dan Williamson, spokesman for Mayor Michael B. Coleman. Susan Ashbrook, an assistant city attorney who represents the public utilities department, said the city believes that "best available technology" means municipal sewer service. READ MORE: http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/03/20/copy/20-city.html?adsec=politics&sid=101
March 20, 201114 yr ^This probably explains why Penn National Gaming filed that federal lawsuit to force the city to provide sewer service at the casino site. If Penn National knew that their "trucking sewage" and their "mega-outhouse hole-in-the-ground" concepts were getting shot down by the EPA, then they also knew they absolutely needed city sewer service. Hence, the new strategy to shift to federal court. With all this raising and re-raising and bluffing and folding - it's like watching the World Series of Poker!
March 22, 201114 yr I have to say, I am amazed at that suit by the Dispatch company. Keeping in mind that I did not read the article--just the blurb you posted there--it sounds like they are saying that they donated to a political campaign on the basis that the developers (that is, the people behind the campaign) would agree to the annexation. Is it to the point where people and/or companies that contribute to a political campaign can bring a suit if the election winner doesn't follow through on promises? Or am I missing something here?
March 22, 201114 yr its a little more complicated than that...from my limited understanding of legal issues, therea re two parts: they donated to a campaign and are treating that as a contract for annexation...i don't really get that part. but secondly, and i think more plausible, they are suing on the basis that the casino's injection of sewage or the transporation of sewage would be a nuisance per se. therefore, because they are a citizen of franklin county, they have standing to claim that it would be a nuisance and could be stopped.
March 22, 201114 yr ^The nuisance thing I can understand (though I'm not sure that any and all citizens of a county would have standing in such a scenario, but that's neither here nor there). The piece related to the annexation promise was where I was confused, and the language of detrimental reliance certainly sound like they were basing it on that promise (and not a claim of nuisance).
March 24, 201114 yr It's about to hit the fan now! Kasich cancels check to casino Transportation bill rider prevents Penn National from getting $2.5 million Thursday, March 24, 2011 03:07 AM By Joe Hallett THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The Kasich administration has blocked Penn National Gaming from getting about $2.5 million from the state that it was counting on to help clean up the site of the West Side casino it plans to open late in 2012. A two-year, $7 billion state transportation budget sent to Gov. John Kasich yesterday thwarts Penn National's attempt to use Clean Ohio money in cleaning up the site of the former Delphi auto-parts plant near W. Broad Street and I-270. An amendment prohibiting the Ohio Department of Development or other entities from using state assistance for casinos, or other gambling sites such as racetracks, was included in the transportation budget approved by the Senate on Tuesday and ratified by the House yesterday. READ MORE: http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/03/24/copy/kasich-cancels-check-to-casino.html?adsec=politics&sid=101
March 24, 201114 yr ^As if there wasn't enough players in this already with Penn National, the City, the County, the Dispatch and now the State! Surprising that the State would block the clean-up funds that both Penn and the City already processed though the system. But that's becoming classic Kasich: Rules? We make our own rules! This may be one of the few times I'm in agreement with the Kasich administration. From the article: "Rob Nichols, spokesman for Gov. John Kasich, said the administration requested the amendment because it thinks casinos have sufficient resources and don't need help from the state's taxpayers. "The administration believes that the casinos do not need any additional development incentives in order to build these facilities," Nichols said." That's the same reason the City of Columbus is refusing Penn's request for city development incentives.
April 6, 201114 yr Smoot named casino construction manager by Penn National Business First - by Jeff Bell Date: Friday, April 1, 2011, 11:43am EDT Smoot Construction Co. will be construction manager for Penn National Gaming Inc.’s $400 million Columbus casino project, which is scheduled for a groundbreaking this spring. . . . Columbus-based Smoot has a long track record of overseeing large construction projects in Central Ohio, including at Ohio State University, Columbus State Community College, the Ohio Statehouse renovation and Mount Carmel Medical Center. Penn National hopes to break ground on its Hollywood Casino Columbus this spring and have it open by late 2012. It will be built on the former Delphi Automotive Systems site off West Broad Street at Georgesville Road. Contractors for Penn have been doing environmental cleanup work and site preparation there since May after Ohio voters approved moving the Columbus casino from the Arena District to the Delphi property. READ MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2011/04/01/smoot-named-casino-construction.html
April 8, 201114 yr State close to OK'ing casino building permits Thursday, April 7, 2011 By Doug Caruso, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Penn National Gaming is close to receiving state permission to begin building the foundation of its casino and a parking garage. The Ohio Department of Commerce has issued conditional permits for the garage and foundation at the casino site in Franklin Township near W. Broad Street and I-270. The condition: Before construction can begin, state officials also must sign off on the inspectors for the project who will be hired by Penn National. Penn National intends to start work soon after receiving the permits, said Bob Tenenbaum, a spokesman for the company. That construction would keep the $400 million casino project on schedule while Penn pursues a federal lawsuit against Columbus in which it is seeking access to city sewer and water service without annexing to the city, Tenenbaum said. READ MORE: http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/04/07/copy/state-close-to-oking-casino-building-permits.html?adsec=politics&sid=101
April 21, 201114 yr State OKs permits for foundation of casino Court hearing for water, sewer issue isn't until May 23 Thursday, April 21, 2011 - 03:10 AM By Doug Caruso, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Penn National Gaming expects to announce soon the start of work on its Hollywood Casino now that the state has signed off on permits for foundation and structural work on the main building and a parking garage. "We will be announcing a groundbreaking really quickly," said Bob Tenenbaum, spokesman for Penn National. An announcement could come today, he said. The Ohio Department of Commerce approved the list of inspectors that Penn National submitted for the project on Friday, clearing the way for construction to begin on the Franklin Township site at W. Broad Street and Georgesville Road. READ MORE: http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/04/21/copy/state-oks-permits-for-foundation-of-casino.html?adsec=politics&sid=101
April 21, 201114 yr Workers To Break Ground On Casino Site Monday By Denise Yost, NBC4 Published: April 21, 2011 COLUMBUS -- Workers are scheduled to break ground on Columbus' much-talked about casino Monday morning. The groundbreaking will be held with elected officials, Penn National Gaming and the construction team Monday at 11 a.m. at West Broad Street and Georgesville Road. READ MORE: http://www2.nbc4i.com/news/2011/apr/21/workers-break-ground-casino-site-monday-ar-461088/
April 22, 201114 yr Casino's sewer zoning disputed 'Dispatch' company says certificate shouldn't be issued Friday, April 22, 2011 By Doug Caruso, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH A subsidiary of The Dispatch Printing Company is objecting to Penn National Gaming's request that Franklin County issue a zoning certificate for the company's casino site. The county shouldn't issue the zoning certificate because Penn National can't show that it has sewer service for the casino, an attorney for the subsidiary wrote in objection. That's a violation of the county's health and plumbing codes, the objection says. . . . Attorneys for Penn National said in their application for the zoning certificate that the Ohio Constitution says that zoning issues can't be used to stop casinos. The constitutional amendment that allowed for four Ohio casinos does, however, allow communities to enforce health and building codes. READ MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/04/22/casinos-sewer-zoning-disputed.html?sid=101
April 26, 201114 yr Casino project gets started Updated: Monday, April 25, 2011 - 01:19 PM By Mark Ferenchik, The Columbus Dispatch Penn National Gaming broke ground this morning on the foundation of its $400 million Hollywood Casino and a parking garage, promising jobs and a revitalization of a long-declining area. "It's a symbol of the coming rebirth of the West Side community," said Tim Wilmott, the company's president and chief operating officer. Around 200 people packed a tent for the ceremony at an old parking lot at the site along W. Broad Street and Georgesville Road. Notably absent were Columbus city officials and Franklin County commissioners as Penn National and the city continue to battle over annexation, water and sewer service, and tax breaks. READ MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/04/25/casino-project-to-break-ground.html?sid=101
May 5, 201114 yr County holds up casino permit Application to start building is lacking, Penn National told Friday, April 29, 2011 By Doug Caruso, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Franklin County officials say they can't approve a certificate that Penn National Gaming needs to begin construction on its casino because the application is incomplete. The company's application for a certificate of zoning appropriateness needs more information, county Planning Administrator Lee Brown wrote in a letter to the casino developer's attorneys yesterday. His letter identifies 11 deficiencies, including conflicting information about how much area the buildings and parking lots will cover, the height of fences and an unpaid $5,000 fee for a storm-water discharge permit. "We'll respond to the county as quickly as possible to keep the project moving," said Bob Tenenbaum, a spokesman for Penn National. READ MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/04/29/county-holds-up-casino-permit.html?sid=101 "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
May 5, 201114 yr Penn National’s casino zoning request kicked back for more info Business First - by Jeff Bell Date: Thursday, April 28, 2011, 4:11pm EDT Last Modified: Saturday, April 30, 2011, 1:00pm EDT Franklin County has sent Penn National Gaming back to the drawing board for approval of a zoning certificate needed to allow construction to proceed at the company’s Columbus casino site. County Planning Administrator Lee Brown sent attorneys for Penn National a letter Thursday that said Penn’s application for the permit is incomplete and additional information is required for approval. The Ohio Department of Commerce has approved a building permit for the $400 million casino project, which is to be constructed on the former Delphi Automotive Systems plant site at West Broad Street and Georgesville Road in Franklin Township. But the company also needs the zoning certificate from the county to begin work on the casino building and a parking garage. READ MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2011/04/28/penn-nationals-casino-zoning-request.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
May 5, 201114 yr Firm will write plan for area near casino Saturday, April 30, 2011 By Mark Ferenchik, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH A Maryland company will draw up a plan to develop the area near the Hollywood Casino site in western Franklin County. The Central Ohio Community Improvement Corp. board chose RCLCO of Bethesda from four finalists yesterday. The company will be paid $100,000, with $60,000 coming from the city of Columbus and $40,000 from Franklin County. Officials are hoping that RCLCO will put together a plan that persuades investors, large retailers, mom-and-pop operators and others to take chances, said Joel Teaford, the improvement corporation’s executive director. The 2.4-square-mile area is plagued with vacant storefronts and deteriorating buildings along W. Broad Street and Georgesville Road next to the casino site. Westland Mall remains mostly empty, as does Oakbrook Manor Apartments, formerly Wingate Villages. READ MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/04/30/firm-will-write-plan-for-area-near-casino.html?sid=101 "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
May 11, 201114 yr Another casino update. Another casino lawsuit. :roll: Penn National sues Dispatch arm in latest round of casino battle Business First - by Matt Burns Date: Tuesday, May 10, 2011, 1:16pm EDT Casino developer Penn National Gaming Inc. is firing back at an arm of the Columbus Dispatch’s publisher, alleging in a federal lawsuit that its clashes with the company over the project have risen to the level of “ unfair competition and deceptive trade practices.” READ MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2011/05/10/penn-national-sues-dispatch-arm-in.html
May 19, 201114 yr Casino gets OK to begin construction Franklin County issues certificate for foundation work Thursday, May 19, 2011 By Doug Caruso, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Penn National Gaming received a certificate from Franklin County yesterday that will allow construction to begin on its Hollywood Casino. The Certificate of Zoning Compliance means that Penn National Gaming can start on the foundation and steelwork of the casino and on a parking garage. The company also has permits from the state to do that work, but not for other construction, such as plumbing, electrical and air-handling systems. READ MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/05/19/casino-gets-ok-to-begin-construction.html?sid=101
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