New Bedford officials agreed for a citywide referendum to be held on June 23. Thus, residents will be able to cast their vote on the potential construction of a $650-million hotel and casino on the city’s waterfront.
Ten city councilors voted in favor of the aforementioned election, with some of them urging residents to be active during the public talks that are to be held in upcoming weeks. Councilor-at-large Linda Morad explained that the more people cast their vote on June 23, the bigger chances New Bedford would have for winning the only Southeastern Massachusetts casino license. She also pointed out that she approves of the multimillion waterfront project, as it would create new jobs.
Council President Brian K. Gomes added that city officials support the casino, due to the fact that the contaminated waterfront will imminently be cleaned up as part of the construction process.
Opponents of the gambling venue, however, pointed out that its launch might turn out to be devastating to New Bedford.
Before the June 23 referendum takes place, however, KG Urban Enterprises, the New York-based developer in charge of the casino project, needs to make sure that there will be enough equity investment for the construction of the property. This is one of the issues that need to be settled before the company files its application to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. As previously reported, the state gambling regulator had set a May 4 deadline.
Jon Mitchell, Mayor of New Bedford, said that once the company applies for a casino license, city officials will start reaching citizens for their comments on the potential construction of the gambling venue.
A language in the Massachusetts Gaming Act suggests that city residents are to be asked a simple “yes” or “no” question in order to state their approval or disapproval. The election will be paid by KG Urban.
If the project is rejected by New Bedford residents, the developer would have to wait for 180 days before asking the city for a new referendum.
New Bedford is one of the three cities in Southeastern Massachusetts that are currently competing for the sole casino license for the region.
Residents of Brockton will be able to cast their vote on the construction of a $650-million casino, proposed by Rush Street Gaming subsidiary Mass Gaming & Entertainment on May 12.
The third proposal comes from Somerset. Developer Somerset on the Move, however, is facing the same challenge as its competitor KG Urban, as it needs to secure sufficient equity investment for its project before May 4.
