It was reported late last week that Gateway Casinos & Entertainment has officially applied for a zoning change for its leased property on Wonderland Road in London, Ont.
Gateway has applied for the zoning change in hopes that the location will be the home of the company’s new proposed development, which would include casino gaming. Gateway currently leases gaming space at the Western Fair District, but the company has been unable to strike an expansion deal at the fairgrounds, and has thus turned its sights to Wonderland Road.
“We will follow whatever requirements the city makes of us, in terms of public consultation and public meetings,” Rob Mitchell, Gateway’s spokesperson, has told The London Free Press in regard to the re-zoning application.
Gateway’s Rob Mitchell, pictured in February of 2019.
The article states that no public consultation meetings have been set as of yet, but that the city has posted a zoning notice and that the deadline for comments has been set as May 8.
Gateway had struggled to strike an expansion deal for its offerings at the Western Fair District over the past few years. The company announced in December of 2018 that it had leased land on Wonderland Road in order to eventually relocate its London casino operation. The decision has put the future of live harness racing at Western Fair in jeopardy and has prompted multiple Ontario racing organizations to call for the historic London Standardbred venue to be supported. Mitchell has said that although the process moved slowly while former mayor Matt Brown was in office, the Wonderland Road project has gained momentum under the watch of new mayor Ed Holder.
(With files from The London Free Press)
If the province of Ontario
If the province of Ontario and the city of London are adamant about keeping and aiding live harness racing all they have to do is refuse Elements casino the zoning change. It is so important to keep Western Fair as it is in order for us to have a future. It feels like we are being pushed out one racetrack at a time.