The rumor mill is going strong over Kenosha Landco Company’s agreement to pay $100,000 for an option to purchase 60 acres in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Kenosha Landco is located at the same address as Hard Rock International. Under the option agreement, Kenosha Landco would pay more than $15 million to buy the acreage, said Bristol Village Administrator Randy Kerkman. He commented that that indicates “they really wanted that land,” which the village has been trying to sell for several years.
Kerkman noted the option agreement includes a secrecy clause, stating, “Except as required by law, none of the parties hereto shall, directly or indirectly, disclose, comment or make any other communication concerning the contents of this letter prior to the execution of the Option Agreement without prior written notice to the other party.”
In 2015, Hard Rock partnered with the Menominee Indian Tribe to develop an $800 million casino complex at the site of a shuttered dog racing track. That deal was vetoed by then-Governor Scott Walker, who was organizing a campaign to run for president.
Casino operators have long eyed a facility in Kenosha, located near the state line, which would attract gamblers from southeastern Wisconsin and the Chicago metro area.
