Business & Tech

Foxwoods MA Responds to Criticism, Says it Will Not Compete with Local Business

Executives of the proposed Milford casino say they are preparing a list of jobs, with salary ranges and benefits, that would be associated with the project.

The chief executive of Foxwoods Resort Casino, the primary partner in the proposed Foxwoods Massachusetts casino, said Monday the nearly $1 billion development will not compete with local, established businesses in Milford.

Scott Butera, president and CEO of Foxwoods in Connecticut, said the proposed casino off I-495 and Route 16 in Milford will not compete for employees or customers. "We have a different product" than the existing businesses in town, he said. Local business will benefit from visitors generated by the resort casino complex, he said. The resort also has promised $50 million in annual purchases from local vendors and suppliers. 

"We do recognize the concerns of the community," Butera said. "It's our strong opinion those concerns aren't based on anything but fear." 

His comments, directed at Milford Selectmen on Monday, were part of a presentation meant to deflect criticism of the development project by Casino Free Milford, a group opposing the casino which spoke to Milford's selectmen earlier this month, and has published numerous statements criticizing the potential impacts of the casino. 

Before the developer's presentation, Milford resident Peter Scandone presented a petition to selectmen signed by 27 business owners from Milford, Mendon and surrounding areas, including several independently owned restaurants, who said the resort casino complex could put them out of business because it is designed to be self-contained. 

The casino project will include, on full build-out of two potential phases, a 700-room hotel, eight restaurants, five lounges, a 40,000-square-foot ballroom, 14,000 square-feet of retail space, as well as 5,750 slots tables and other gaming tables, according to Foxwoods.

All of the meetings of the Milford Selectmen are televised to a Milford audience, via Milford TV. Only Milford residents will vote on the proposed casino, should the Milford Selectmen finalize an agreement with the development and schedule a referendum.

As part of its response to Casino-Free Milford's criticism, Foxwoods Massachusetts addressed job creation, ecological impacts, traffic that would be created and other impacts.

The project expects to generate 2,500 construction jobs, as well as 3,500 full- and part-time jobs, with a preference for hiring from the Milford region. The development team has stated its positions will average $50,000 a year.

As part of its presentation Wednesday — when the group will respond specifically to questions about its economic impacts in a meeting at Milford High School — Foxwoods will present a list of specific jobs, salary ranges and benefits associated with the jobs, said Sean Reardon, the project engineer.

Addressing concerns about property values, Reardon said the supply of housing in Milford is "pretty much set." "Constraints in supply will only result in higher property values."

When questioned by Selectman Brian Murray about the potential for property value declines in the area immediately around the casino, or its access road on Route 16, Butera said the "jury is still out" on whether the development would increase or decrease values, because it will result in increased access to the interstate for properties.

But he said the company would consider property loss mitigation.

"We're committed to working [on that] if there is an issue," he said.


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