Hilltop opens arms to casino in Central Ohio

clipped from www.dispatchpolitics.com People at other proposed sites also support West Side as alternative to Arena District Tuesday, January 5, 2010 3:09 AM By Robert Vitale THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH There's not much of a battle brewing among Columbus neighborhoods that have been mentioned as potential hosts for a casino whose developers no longer insist on an Arena District address. Business owners and neighborhood leaders on the Hilltop say they'd gladly welcome Penn National Gaming Inc. to the city's West Side. Those in Franklinton and Polaris, two other areas suggested to the company last week by Mayor Michael B. Coleman, say they'd like to see the Hilltop play host, too. From left, P.J., Chris and Bob Haydocy raise a banner at their family's auto dealership that says "the BEST Side is the WEST SIDE" and welcoming Penn National Gaming. City leaders say they won't push a casino on any part of Columbus that doesn't want it -- and so far, the Hilltop is the only neighborhood actively promoting itself.

"It's the spark we need for critical-mass redevelopment," said Chris Haydocy, president of his family's 55-year-old car dealership on W. Broad Street, just east of a former auto-parts plant and a largely vacant shopping mall that made the mayor's list.

"The West Side has not had any public-private investment in the last quarter-century," he said. "There haven't been lots of folks banging our drum."

A sign outside Haydocy Pontiac Buick GMC that proclaims "the BEST Side is the WEST SIDE" reflects more than pride in an area of Columbus that often feels forgotten. Haydocy played host to a meeting in December that he said resulted in "near-unanimous" support for a casino, and he has delivered casino-welcoming petitions to businesses.

The Hilltop Area Commission will lead a neighborhood discussion tonight that could result in an official stand on the issue. Chairman Chuck Patterson, who also backs a Hilltop casino, has said the organization will support whatever position is taken by a majority of residents.

Arena District residents and investors have helped form a group to push for a location outside their neighborhood. About 50 people, most living in Downtown condominiums and opposed to a casino in the Arena District, questioned leaders of Stand Up Columbus! last night about their legal options.

So far, the group's Web site has gathered more than 1,000 online signatures of opposition, said Lisa Griffin, spokeswoman for the group. Mike Curtin, Dispatch associate publisher emeritus, is one of the organization's co-chairmen.

Meanwhile, one Polaris neighborhood leader said yesterday that he anticipates traffic problems if a casino were opened in his area. Coleman didn't specify a Polaris location in his memo last week to Penn National President Tim Wilmott, but some have speculated that the former Germain Amphitheater is a potential spot.

"Up here, I'm not sure it would go over well," said Dan Province, president of the Far North Columbus Communities Coalition, who cited similar complaints against the amphitheater that closed in 2007.

Lisa Indest, vice president of finance for Glimcher Realty Trust, which owns Polaris Fashion Place, called Coleman's suggestion of a Polaris site too speculative for comment.

Some in Franklinton support putting a casino at Cooper Stadium, the Franklin County-owned former home of the Columbus Clippers. But Franklinton Area Commission Chair- woman Carol Stewart said she and a number of neighborhood residents think a Hilltop site would be better.

Arshot Investment Corp. hopes to turn the old baseball stadium into an auto-racing complex and has an option until May to buy the land. County Commissioner John O'Grady, who opposes an Arena District casino, said he would support West Side sites in need of an economic boost.

But O'Grady said he wants any local casino to be within Franklin County. A Polaris location would be in Delaware County, which would deprive Franklin County of the sales taxes generated by gift shops, restaurants and any accompanying development, O'Grady said.

Penn National spokesman Eric Schippers said yesterday that his company has time to consider the Hilltop and other alternate sites but still favors whatever option offers the quickest timetable for construction.

Dispatch reporters Marla Matzer Rose and Dean Narciso contributed to this story.