Mayor questions feasibility of New Bedford casino

By: Rebecca Turco

Email: rturco@abc6.com

NEW BEDFORD – The fate of a waterfront casino in New Bedford is up in the air. 
Mayor Jon Mitchell told ABC6 News there are “serious deficiencies” in a recent suitability study he asked the casino developer, KG Urban Enterprises, to fund, including a potentially negative impact on the accessibility of working waterfront to fishing and maritime operators. 

The proposal is for a casino to be built at the site of an abandoned N Star power plant off Cannon Street. 

Mitchell, however, doesn’t like the idea of having the casino at the main port and so close to a national park. “Having a casino in the middle of it will detract from those industries in some respects, so we have to treat carefully,” he said. 

He met Wednesday with former NBA Commissioner David Stern, whose son heads KG Urban, to discuss how to make the proposal work in light of the study. 

“If there is a casino deal that creates jobs and other benefits for the city, that doesn’t detract from other aspects of the city – the working waterfront and downtown – then it might make sense,” he explained. 

Mitchell would prefer to have the casino at the municipal golf course on Hathaway Road or along the northern part of the harbor on North Front Street. He had previously proposed both of those potential sites. 

ABC 6 News reached out to KG Urban for comment, but no reply was made by the time of this posting. 

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s deadline for initial applications for the sole resort casino license in Southeastern Massachusetts is March 16. 

© WLNE-TV 2015