A 42 acre site located south of Interstate 74 at Lynch Road is the recommended site for Danville’s proposed new casino. But Dave Cocagne, President of Vermilion Development Corporation says efforts will be made to tie the casino to the whole community….
”So how do we tap into the community college for job training and make sure there is a symbiotic relationship between those two things? How do we think about how the casino can support the arts and other activities in downtown, and really help to strengthen the downtown area,” asked Cocagne. ”So there’s a lot of models elsewhere with successful links between a casino and the rest of the community, and that’s really what we want to ensure that this facility is.”
The land is owned by heirs of the late Louis Mervis who have agreed to convey it for the casino.
Danville is one of six Illinois communities scheduled to get new casinos as the result of legislation signed Friday by Governor JB Pritzker. But some developers are also working to put a casino in Terre Haute, so Cocagne notes….
”It may be a race, and I think we are planning for the eventuality that Terre Haute has a casino,” said Cocagne, ”And we know, again, that we have to create something that is authentic. We know we might have to – not have to – but we want to create some amenities around the casino so the casino itself is not the singular destination, but there’s a whole host of amenities around that really compliment the casino and draw people from a wide variety of interest to this area,” added Cocagne.
[A large crowd was on hand at the Danville City Council meeting to listen to the presentation on the casino. In the photo above, Vicki Haugen, President of Vermilion Advantage, addresses the city council during the discussion.]
Cocagne made a presentation about the casino at last night’s (Tuesday’s) Danville City Council meeting. He thinks Danville currently has a leg up on Terre Haute since voters in Terre Haute must decide whether they would support one. But Cocagne also notes that the Illinois Gaming Commission could take up to a year to approve the plans for a Danville casino once those plans are submitted. Those plans must be ready for submission to the Illinois Gaming Commission by October 28th.
City council members heard some opposition to the casino during the meeting.
