No dice: Veon plays wrong casino placement hand
The number two Democrat in the state House of Representatives is wrongheaded in wanting to make slots casinos exempt from local zoning. With Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa in the running for one of those gambling licenses, legislation put forth by state Rep. Mike Veon (D-Beaver Falls) hits close to home. One level of government shouldn’t try to trump another to get what it thinks best. But according to published reports, Veon thinks the state should override local zoning when it comes to casino placement.
The state Supreme Court, in affirming the legality of slot machines, overturned a legal provision that would have let the state usurp local zoning control. Veon apparently wants to remedy that by getting a new law pass that would accomplish the original intent.
Veon’s legislation would keep local zoning from deciding where slots casinos would be placed. That’s a pretty hefty exemption, considering that the size of some of the proposed parlors runs into multiple acres. Imagine if you will that someone wanted to place a big casino and its related parking on a plot in or near your neighborhood. There would be additional noise and traffic, and issues related to highway access, storm water runoff and aesthetics.
Fayette County’s planning and zoning department handles and irons out those issues for 32 of the county’s 42 municipalities. The other 10 take care of their own zoning, including Wharton Township where Nemacolin Woodlands is located. The argument for zoning, and it’s a valid one, is that local officials know best when it comes to such things. Who, for instance, would want a hog farm placed next to their house? Without zoning that’s a distinct possibility.
With local zoning, local government and the owners of neighboring properties get some say in what could be coming to their neighborhood. Witness the recent case involving a proposed halfway house in German Township, where residents in the Sunshine Hollow area have lobbied against granting a special exemption for such a facility. The placement of a state prison in Luzerne Township required numerous public hearings, and PennDOT through its highway permitting process has had a pretty hefty say in development of the Fayette County Business Park.
All of those hoops to jump through exist for a reason, but they coalesce around public safety and sensible development. No one is free to do as they please, willy-nilly, without some checks and balances on development. The state should not allow those in charge of casino placement to usurp local control, period.
Veon’s proposed legislation makes no sense and should be summarily rejected. That’s the only winning hand.