The Concord, New Hampshire planning board voted to delay former state Senator Andy Sanborn’s application for a 43,000-square-foot casino, restaurant with a microbrewery, hotel and conference center.
According to the Concord Monitor, Sanborn, owner of Concord Casino, a small charitable gaming operation, did not produce the information sought by the planning board.
Specifically, City Councilor Byron Champlin said, the application did not include site-specific estimates and projections about the potential demand for fire, police and emergency medical services for the proposed development; it also failed to include a review of suggested comparable venues. Champlin said the board also wanted an analysis of the entire completed project, but the report focused only on Phase 1, which doesn’t include the hotel and conference center.
Instead, Champlin said, Sanford and his consultants presented historical data from local police departments, the history of the state law regarding charitable gaming and comparisons to smaller venues, none of which was requested by the board.
Sanford’s attorney John Croning said he and Sanborn felt it was “a waste of time and money” to study a project that has no guarantee to be built. Sanborn argued the casino would attract visitors and bring in revenue for the community. He noted New Hampshire requires 35 percent of charitable gaming gross revenue be donated to charities every 10 days.
A public hearing is set for the next board meeting on June 21. Meanwhile, a third party will submit an independent emergency services assessment.
