At Tuesday night's East Hartford Town Council meeting, council members voted 7 to 1 to allow Mayor Marcia Leclerc to respond to the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Tribes' Request for Proposals regarding where a good site would be for a casino.
Many council members argue the Showcase Cinema on Silver Lane, which has been vacant for ten years, is the perfect spot for revitalization in the form of a casino, adding that its visibility from I-84 makes it ideal.
"I don't think there's any site up 91 or any other sites that compare to this," said Tony Ravosa, developer and managing member of Silver Lane Partners.
Those for an East Hartford casino say it'll bring life to an "urban wasteland," spur further development in the area, and bring in much-needed tax revenue.
At the town council meeting, not everyone agreed with that assessment.
"I've been broken in twice before a casino came in there, and I know what crime is like in East Hartford. It's not getting better, and a casino is not going to make things better," said John Finn, who lives a couple miles from the proposed site.
Others argue that those who go to a casino stay within the walls of a casino and don't venture out into the surrounding area, so there wouldn't be much economic impact.
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While Council Chair Rich Kehoe expressed frustration with the lack of details regarding the casino, he emphasized that the council's vote is in no way binding and that the council will need to approve any final proposal.
The mayor will now need to act on the request for proposal by November 6th, and the tribes have said they're looking to make a decision on a site sometime in December.
