COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio voters may have approved four casinos with the passage of Issue 3 last month, but 58 percent of Franklin County voters rejected the state constitutional amendment. Now a newly-formed citizen group and the Columbus Dispatch are urging the city to fight the Arena District casino.
Since the election, the old Jaeger Manufacturing building at 568 Nationwide Boulevard has been cleared. The Arena District address is the site specified for a Columbus casino by Issue 3, but casino developer Penn National has yet to buy the property.
The company says there is nothing significant to the delay, adding that the timetable for ground-breaking remains many months away. Penn National plans to wait until it has a casino license in hand before beginning construction.
State lawmakers still have five months to create an Ohio Casino Control Commission to govern the four casinos. If Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman and City Council President Mike Mentel have their way, though, the Arena District will stay casino-free. Casino-Free Columbus is the name of the citizen group that has formed to fight the effort. The question is, what can they do?
The mayor has requested an advisory position from the city attorney's office on his authority to restrict the casino. Penn National will eventually need city approval to make infrastructure improvements and get a building permit.
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