Mohegan Tribe Signs Deal for Former Hospital Site

The Town of Preston officials pulled out their pens on Wednesday to approve the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority's plan to redevelop the former Norwich Hospital site, following overwhelming support from residents. 

Mohegan Tribe Chairman Kevin Brown said the redevelopment is a way to ensure southeastern Connecticut a tourist destination and it will bring hundreds of jobs to the area.

It’s a $200 to $600 million project. The 393-acre site could house several attractions including an amusement park, Brown said, and could create up to 1,000 jobs.

“Our reservation will be right there on the other side of the river forever. We aren’t going anywhere. And we recognize that this land, if it should be developed by anybody, it should be us,” Brown said.

“Ultimately we will sell it to the tribe and then they will develop it. But then we will tax it like any other commercial business,” said Preston First Selectman Bob Congdon.

The land has been sitting unused for decades. The state will finish cleaning up the site – which is a brownfield. Brown expects that to take a little over a year to complete.

As for developers for the project, Brown said a company did walk the property Wednesday but would not elaborate on details.

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