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New Proposal For Casino Near Columbia Bottoms Set For Plan Commission Aug. 10
BY JANE BANASZEK
A public hearing on a proposal to build a casino complex near Spanish Lake is scheduled before the St. Louis County Planning Commission on Monday, Aug. 10, at 7 p.m., in the County Council Chambers at the County Government Center, 41 South Central in Clayton.
In June, the Spanish Lake Community Association (SLCA) learned of a proposal to build a casino complex in the 11980 block of Riverview Blvd. in Spanish Lake. The plan calls for a casino with 2,000 slot machines, convention center, restaurants, retail shops, shorts bar, an 18-hole golf course, and parking for 8,000 cars on 370 plus agricultural acres. A group called North County Development is listed as the developer, but no members of the group are named. Edward Griesedieck is the registered agent and zoning attorney for the group.
The area is located just south of the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area and north of the North Shore Golf Course location. The massive complex would cover 376 acres.
This apparently is not the same plan that Pinnacle Entertainment is considering to move the Admiral from the St. Lois riverfront to an area just north of the Chain of Rocks Bridge. That plan has floated for years and would require St. Louis City approval. Pinnacle is still trying to decide what to do with the Admiral after opening the Lumiere Hotel and Casino.
The Government Committee of the SLCA met with the attorney for the developers, who remain unnamed. Then the SLCA Board of Directors met and discussed the proposal. A vote was taken and the board decided to unanimously to oppose this casino development because it is inconsistent with the comprehensive and coordinated plan in the Spanish Lake Community Area Study, developed by the County’s Planning Department over a two-year period, with input from Spanish Lake residents.
In April 1999, the St. Louis County Council not only approved the Study but also amended the St. Louis County General Plan “by incorporating therein the Spanish Lake Community Area Study.”
The Study also specifically states that “The St. Louis County Planning Commission is hereby directed to avoid higher density re-zonings in those portions of Spanish Lake which currently are low density or adjacent to agricultural or park lands (north and east).
With the passage of Proposition A last fall limiting the number of casinos to 13 (there are currently 12), the city and county could be competing for an additional casino.
