Gettysburg businessman David LeVan might be more optimistic about his casino plans this time around, but a group that helped squelch his initial plans three years ago is rolling up its sleeves again.
LeVan recently announced plans to operate Mason Dixon Resort and Casino at Eisenhower Inn and Convention Center in Cumberland Township, Adams County. He plans to buy the convention center and operate under a resort license, which permits as many as 600 slot machines and 50 table games.
LeVan’s previous proposal called for a 3,000-slot stand-alone facility built on green space near the heavily traveled intersection of routes 15 and 30. But in 2006, the state’s Gaming Control Board rejected that license application in part because of public opposition to the casino’s proximity to Gettysburg National Military Park.
Leading the opposition was the grassroots group No Casino Gettysburg, which has reorganized to battle the new proposal.
‘Lessons learned’: LeVan spokesman David La Torre said the new proposal gives less to complain about than the first, and “a great deal of thought and opinion was given to lessons learned in 2006.”
The Mason Dixon Resort and Casino will be part of a renovation or expansion of an existing facility, and won’t involve building on green space, he said.
He said residents “had a valid concern” with traffic congestion when the previous plans were announced, but Mason Dixon wouldn’t be in a high-traffic area. Motorists wouldn’t even be able
to see the casino, located off Emmitsburg Road, as they drove past the entrance, he said.
“This is something that would be isolated but would still allow Adams County residents to benefit from the jobs and the income from slots,” La Torre said.
The facility would create hundreds of jobs and retain the existing staff, he said.
Poor taste? No Casino Gettysburg founder Susan Star Paddock said the new site is closer to the military park than the last. It’s about half a mile from the park, while the earlier site was about a mile away.
Putting a casino that close to a place that “honors the sacrifice of over 51,000 Americans” is in poor taste, akin to building a casino “next to” Ground Zero of the 2001 terrorist attacks or Arlington National Cemetery, she said.
“People feel very strongly about (the park in) Gettysburg,” she said. “It’s considered hallowed ground.”
And she’s not appeased by the smaller size of the facility, she said.
“The number of slots or table games is not the issue,” she said. “It’s an adult-oriented business in a family-friendly area … and it’s like having the Mona Lisa and putting it in a neon frame.”
And she said she didn’t see how traffic problems wouldn’t be an issue. Emmitsburg Road is a not only a two-lane rural road but a nationally designated Historic Byway from Gettysburg to Virginia, called the “Journey Through Hallowed Ground.”
She said the Gaming Board’s reasons for denying the original proposal are still present, including “overwhelming opposition” from residents and business owners.
She’ll be surprised if the plans are approved, she said.
The process: Gaming Board spokesman Richard McGarvey said a 90-day application period started when Gov. Ed Rendell signed table games legislation earlier this month and ends on April 7.
There’s only one license remaining for a resort license, he said. Applications have come in for three proposed casinos — in Berks, Fayette and Monroe counties. The Fayette application, for Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington, was received Wednesday.
McGarvey said LeVan hasn’t yet submitted an application. But if the application is submitted and clears state review, the state would call meetings in Cumberland Township for public comment, he said.
La Torre said he thinks Mason Dixon will have a good shot at a license. It would be “right on doorstep of an underserved region” because though Maryland has legalized slots, its rules are more conservative than Pennsylvania’s, he said.
Access to Mason Dixon would be limited to patrons of the amenities at the resort. Using an amenity could include buying a $10 meal, McGarvey said.
