The owners of the Suffolk Downs racetrack and the city of Revere are scrambling to recreate a proposal for a casino on land that straddles Revere and East Boston.
After East Boston voted against a casino earlier this week, the question remains whether Revere can now draft an adequate development on its 53-acre parcel.
When you think of Revere, you may think of the beach, or the famous restaurant Kelly’s Roast Beef.
“And that’s the reason we so want a casino in Revere. To tie in the beach to a resort destination.”
That’s Revere City Councilor Anthony Zambuto.
“You’re a couple minutes away from Logan Airport. Suffolk Downs has everything to offer for a resort casino and it ties into our beach and it’s just a perfect fit for Revere.”
But it’s been a week of surprises. East Boston residents voted against the casino plan at Suffolk Downs. And the realization that the East Boston vote could just push the casino over the border, onto the company’s land in Revere. But there’s little time to change plans.
“That’s the question – is there enough time? And I believe there is.”
Revere Mayor Dan Rizzo has been in talks with developers all week. But according to the Boston Globe, Massachusetts Gaming Commission chair Stephen Crosby said an alternative proposal to build a casino in Revere would likely trigger many new legal and logistical problems. He reportedly told the newspaper that the project would “be complicated at best.”
Suffolk Downs has until December 31 to come up with a viable plan in Revere.
