A change to the city code that the city of Great Falls, Montana’s Planning Advisory Board discussed September 13 will make it easier for a casino to locate there.
Currently, casino developers must comply with municipal and state distance requirements for schools and worship facilities and they must meet square footage requirements for landscaping.
The amendment the board will consider will wipe away the municipal code, meaning that casino developers would only have to meet state codes.
The deputy director of the Planning & Community Development Department, Tom Micuda, told board members, “There’s only so many licenses that are available to business owners, and essentially because we’ve exceeded our quota, we get very few requests. it’s rarely somebody who wants to build a brand new casino in Great Falls because it’s just very hard to do now.”
The applicant who seeks the change owns property that he is interested in selling to a potential casino developer. The building is vacant but once housed a casino. A state license is still available. The amendment would also eliminate special landscaping requirements for a casino.
The board voted in favor of the amendment.
