P&Z COMMISSIONERS GRILL GAMBLING FIRMS ON TRAFFIC AND SAFETY

The questions were different but the topic was the same Wednesday as the Cape Girardeau Planning and Zoning Commission met with representatives of two gaming companies competing to operate a riverboat casino here.

As city planners, the commissioners dealt little with economic impact aspects of the two proposals and focused instead on traffic congestion, long-term development and river safety.

Daniel Bockert, the developer for Lady Luck's $58 million casino/resort proposal, said the new Highway 74 Mississippi River bridge route will be a key to moving traffic in and out of the riverboat complex.

"That's not going to be built for a few years so, obviously, we're going to have to work with the city to come up with the best way possible to move traffic to the site," Bockert said.

Lady Luck also has included in its plans the construction of the Lorimier Street connection to the bridge route, which is part of the city's five-year capital improvements plan.

"If (Lady Luck's) proposal were to go forward, at least a good deal of that project would be done a lot sooner," said City Planner Kent Bratton.

And the project would be done at the gaming company's expense.

Lorimier also would be extended south through the St. Vincent's Seminary tract and the 100-acre resort development, Bockert said.

Maunty Collins, director of operations for Boyd Gaming's central region, said his company has agreed to fund a traffic study to determine the best way to handle traffic congestion related to the riverboat.

"We've also agreed to fund the recommendations of that traffic study," Collins said. "We feel, very preliminarily, we'll be able to make it work."

Both companies said they hope to bring riverboat patrons to the site on tour buses and shuttles.

Other commissioners asked about long-term development plans, the feasibility of developing the Lady Luck facility without the protection of a flood wall and the impact of either project on river safety.

Gary Heisel, Lady Luck's project coordinator, said the fill permits are already in place for the entire tract that will need to be raised out of the floodway.

He said Lady Luck has already secured sites within a half mile of the tract from which sufficient fill material can be brought to the development.

Collins said the Boyd Gaming project can be completed in about 10 months. That compares to 18-24 months for the Lady Luck proposal. But both companies could have riverboats operating within 4-6 months of getting a license.

Leah Christopher, communications manager for Lady Luck, said the Lady Luck project will take longer to build because it has more to offer, including a hotel, marina and golf course.

The Boyd Gaming project at the corner of Broadway and Main includes a restaurant, snack bar/ice cream parlor, and lounge; a parking garage; and a lounge, restaurant and offices in the old Buckner-Ragsdale building.

But Collins said the company likely will expand the project to meet customers' demands.

"We could show plans in the very near future for an additional parking garage as well as a hotel," Collins said.

With regard to river safety, both companies said they've had "informal discussions" with representatives of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the safety of their docking sites.

Commissioner Tom Holshouser said the riverboat in the Boyd proposal appears to "stick out in the channel quite a bit."

But Collins said: "We feel if there were some big horrors with what we've shown them, they would have said something by now. They have cautioned us," he conceded. "But we feel very comfortable about where we have it located."

Bockert said it's too early to determine for certain what the Corps will require.

But said he's confident there won't be a problem placing a boat at the Lady Luck site, particularly since they've proposed two alternate docking locations.