Final Anne Arundel slots vote delayed 

Posted: 7:33 pm Mon, December 7, 2009
By Nicholas Sohr
Daily Record Business Writer

A mayoral victory, an undisclosed business relationship and a trip to
the hospital combined Monday night to delay yet again Anne Arundel
County Council’s action on a proposed slots parlor next to the Arundel
Mills shopping mall.

The casino, which would be the largest in the state with 4,750
machines, did gain state approval in the first of two critical
regulatory votes earlier in the night.

“We think this has significant financial benefits for the state of
Maryland,” Donald C. Fry, chairman of the Video Lottery Facility
Location Commission, said after the vote. “It is a tremendous
destination location. The consultants indicate to us that this is one
of the prime locations in the country for this type of facility.

“You certainly would hate to see the state of Maryland turn away this
potential.”

The measure passed, 5-2, and was conditional on county zoning approval.

The proposal submitted by Cordish Cos., a national developer based in
Baltimore, had endured months of delays as council and the commission
both pressed for the other body to act first.

Commissioners signaled last month they were ready to move on the
Maryland Live! Casino, lauding the potential economic benefits of the
plan but ultimately postponing action until Monday, when all seven
members could be present.

But on Monday it was the County Council dealing with a diminished board.

Councilman Joshua J. Cohen left his seat to be sworn in as mayor of
Annapolis earlier in the day, and Vice Chairman C. Edward Middlebrooks
had recused himself last week, citing unspecified connections to
parties tied to the proposal, leaving only five members to cast votes.

Council appeared poised to move ahead with five until it was
announced Councilwoman Tricia L. Johnson would not attend due to an
urgent health issue.

The zoning matters concerning the casino plan require four votes to
pass. Ultimately, after wading through a testimony list 99 speakers
long and debating the measures amongst themselves, council decided to
push the vote until its next meeting. A replacement for Cohen will be
seated Dec. 17.

“At this moment, about half of Anne Arundel County is not
represented,” said Councilman Jamie Benoit in explaining his motion to
table the zoning legislation.

There are two gaming-related zoning bills council will take up on
Dec. 21, one that would allow for a casino at Arundel Mills and
another that would require the county’s one allotted gaming facility
be built south of Route 32, eliminating the Arundel Mills plan.

The second bill, which included provisions for slots parlors located
at horse racing tracks, reflects the push by some on council and many
in the community to put the county’s one gaming facility allowed by
state law at Laurel Park.

The Laurel Racing Association submitted a bid for the Anne Arundel
slots license but the commission threw out that bid because neither
Laurel nor its parent company, Magna Entertainment Corp., submitted a
required $28.5 million application fee. The company has been fighting
the commission’s decision in court, and challenging the portion of
state law upon which the rejection was based.

Cordish’s 200,000-square-foot casino would be built outside the west
entrance of Arundel Mills, on what is now a parking lot. It would open
in 2011, Cordish officials have said. Plans also include a 4,500-car
garage next to the casino and four or five “white tablecloth”
restaurants between the mall and the casino.

The casino, once it hit stable operation in 2016, would inject more
than $630 million in direct and indirect economic impact, according to
analysts from PricewaterhouseCoopers. It would employ 1,660 and pay
$337 million to state and local governments, the analysts found.

Cordish officials expect the $320 million project to create about
2,500 construction jobs. The company held a job fair in November at
the mall to showcase 4,000 temporary and permanent positions, from
concrete pourers to cocktail waitresses.