Foxwoods MA Casino Lobbies Milford Town Meeting Members

The Foxwoods Massachusetts casino leaders have begun lobbying Milford Town Meeting members, who will be required to approve zoning changes for the development if it is endorsed by a majority of town voters.

Letters mailed to more than 200 elected Town Meeting members this week describe the project in general terms and invite the members to meet with Allan Kronberg, the general manager. 

Town Meeting approval will be required for the project to move ahead, because although the property is zoned for commercial uses, a casino is not included in the list of permitted uses. A two-thirds vote of the attending Town Meeting members will be required. The town has 240 positions.

In the last town elections, casino opponents were elected to most of the write-in slots that were open in 2013. Casino Free Milford at that time said 15 of its members were elected.

Foxwoods Massachusetts is now directly lobbying the members, using language in the letters that emphasizes the attributes of the development.

"Assuming that our negotiations with the town are successful, and that the voters approve the host community agreement, the project will then be required to go before Town Meeting later this year," the letter states. "At Town Meeting, you will be asked to approve zoning changes for the proposed casino property in east Milford abutting Route 495."

The letters describe the proposed mitigation spending for the $1 billion development as "improvements" and "upgrades." The letters also describe the location of the project as abutting I-495, and do not cite the additional access on to Route 16.

The $100 million expected to be spent on creating a new highway access to the casino site, for example, is described as "traffic improvements at a cost of $100 million a year."

The $2.5 million a year to provide for the equipment, salaries, benefits and pensions of uniformed police officers to be assigned to the new casino sector in town is described as "public safety upgrades."

The letter is signed by Scott Butera, president and CEO, David Nunes, chief development officer, and Kronberg, the general manager of Foxwoods Massachusetts.