Casino Developer Postpones Public Meeting on Slots Parlor

There will not be a public meeting this week to hear more from the Maryland-based developer that has eyed Liberty Tree Mall as a possible location for a slots parlor.

Town Manager Wayne Marquis said that a representative of The Cordish Companies - the developer that is reportedly interested in slots parlor at the mall - e-mailed him last week to say the company is postponing plans for a March 5 meeting at Danvers High School. The representative, Jeff Snyder, said he appreciated feedback he has received so far from town staff and the Board of Selectmen but plans to take more time preparing the presentation.

"They said they needed to be comprehensive and thorough in any presentation they make to the community," Marquis said.

The delay in the meeting was first reported by the Salem News last week.

No new date, time or location has been announced, although Marquis said he expects it to happen sometime in March. The state Gaming Commission has said it plans to award the state's only slots license in September.

"I would expect we will hear something in March," Marquis said in regard to the public meeting with Cordish.

Marquis said he did not know whether Cordish, operating in Massachusetts under the subsidiary PPE Casino Resorts, plans to make a presentation to Danvers while still considering other sites in the state, or whether the company plans to make its pick for a site and then approach that community with a presentation.

Marquis and Selectmen have said that Cordish has not said what other community or communities the company is looking at in the state, but the company said it is not looking at any other locations on the North Shore for a slots parlor.

The idea for the meeting with company officials was developed in early February when residents packed the Toomey meeting room at Town Hall, the first time the Board of Selectmen met following news that the company was looking at the mall as a possible site for the state's only slots parlor. With many concerns from residents, and not a lot of details from Cordish, Selectmen said it made sense to invite the company to hold a public meeting in a larger venue.