A rapid construction pace has the del Lago Casino and Resort on track for its planned February opening in Tyre as officials in Rochester weigh options for Midtown.
The del Lago casino plan includes room for 2,000 electronic games of chance, dozens of table games, and a separate poker room with up to 10 tables.
Several dining options also are in the works, with a food court, buffet, Portico restaurant, and the Savor New York restaurant, which will feature state wines, brews, and foods.
The casino will be smoke-free, but an outdoor smoking area will be provided.
Also under construction is an entertainment and events venue named The Vine, and a partnership the Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center will funnel smaller acts to The Vine that won’t fill larger venues in the Rochester area.
The Vine also will double as a meetings and events space.
A six-story hotel containing 205 rooms is part of the plan, and will include a spa and banquet room.
The hotel will have a direct connection to the casino, but isn’t slated to open until about six months after the casino’s planned opening in February.
The casino construction will employ about 1,800 workers during the project’s duration. Casino officials say they plan to hire 550 table games dealers and will hold classes this fall.
While the del Lago site work is progressing, the Midtown site in Rochester might become home to a new performing arts center.
Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren wants one built there, and the city is seeking request for proposals for the site, which is intended to be a mixed-use facility with retail and housing.
The Seneca Nation of Indians also might build a slots-only gaming casino at the Midtown site, but that plan faces local opposition.
The ad-hoc A Better Rochester civic group says the city’s request for proposals is designed to favor the Seneca tribe’s proposal, which includes the Class II casino.
The group is backed by developer Thomas Wilmot, who wants to build only a performing arts center on the Midtown site. It also is backed by the operators of Ontario County’s Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack.
The Midtown site formerly housed a mall. Rochester officials and local developers want to develop the site and boost the local economy.
