Dec 27, 2007 10:00 pm US/Eastern
Coconut Creek Readies For Casino Expansion
COCONUT CREEK, FL (CBS4) ―
The Seminole Tribe of Florida's casinos in South Florida are set for an expansion that some say could be an explosion of growth.
"If it had to happen anywhere in the city, this is the perfect location," said Coconut Creek City Manager John Kelly. "There are no residential properties immediately contiguous to it."
Kelly says the city has been planning for this expansion at the Seminole Casino Coconut Creek which calls for a high rise hotel with about 15-hundred new rooms, an expanded casino and lots of entertainment.
"It's going to be a destination," said Kelly. "There's no doubt about that. It will be the anchor of our downtown."
The casino, bordered by Sample Road, Wiles Road, Lyons Road and State Road 7 will redefine the new "Main Street." Kelly says the Shoppes at Coconut Creek near the casino are already under construction and scheduled to open in the fall.
"I think the more we have the better it is," said Al Alfieri. "So you don't have to run miles and miles to shop, you have everything at your fingertips."
But critics of the expansion plans say for all the convenience there are drawbacks; crowds, noise, and a major increase in traffic.
"Certainly the traffic is going to be horrendous," said Kelly. "The traffic at 441 and Sample Road is going to be the biggest issue for us."
Some area residents fear as their community will become as the Seminole Hardrock Casino and Hotel in Hollywood.
"I don't want it to be like Hollywood," said Hank, "I left Hollywood for that reason."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Stumble It!
Reporting
