Developers say $800m set for planned Milford casino

Offering some substance to the proposal for the first time publicly, developers David Nunes and Bill Warner came from Colorado and Las Vegas, respectively, to tell the Milford Board of Selectmen about what promises to be a hotly debated topic.

The “Crossroads Resort Project’’ on 200 acres could eventually, over years, accommodate 5,000 slot machines, 250 gaming tables, a “couple of thousand’’ hotel rooms, about a dozen restaurants, a meeting and convention center, a nightclub, and retail businesses, said Warner. That could translate into about 7,000 jobs, most of which would be full time, with benefits, he said.

“We are way ahead of the legislative process,’’ said Nunes, adding that they want to avoid a “mad scramble’’ in the spring, by which time many believe the state will be ready with a law that allows casinos.

For the first time last month, leadership in both the House and Senate voiced agreement with Governor Deval Patrick to allow casinos, although the number is expected to be limited.

Governor Patrick’s proposal to license three resort casinos was defeated last year, largely because of opposition by former House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi.

The Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies plans to hold a hearing Oct. 29 on 17 bills related to expanded gaming in the state.

Nunes sounded as if he were talking more to Beacon Hill than to Milford residents when he compared his proposal with other potential locations at Suffolk Downs and Raynham Park, both of which, he said, had traffic limitations.

He also said he would appeal to the federal government to help get access from the project directly to I-495. Nunes has an option to buy 200 acres of vacant land next to the highway, between Route 85 and Route 16.

Selectmen expressed an overall openness to the project, but voiced concerns, particularly about traffic.

“Getting through the town of Milford on a Saturday in an hour can be a struggle,’’ said Selectman William D. Buckley.

Selectman Dino B. DeBartolomeis said if the process moves forward, he would urge his board to request money from the developers for the town to use to hire consultants to vet the details of the proposal.

Although they did not provide numbers on how the project might benefit Milford or the state, the developers pointed out that Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, resort casinos in Connecticut, paid $411 million to that state in 2007.

Nunes described traffic to and from a casino as a “slow trickle.’’

“The good news about gaming traffic is it’s not rush-hour traffic,’’ he said.

The developers made many comparisons to Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods. Those projects are 20 to 30 percent bigger than Crossroads, said Warner. They hope to capitalize on the 6.9 million visits made from Massachusetts residents to the Connecticut casinos annually.

Warner started his own company, Warner Gaming, based in Las Vegas, after leaving Station Casinos in 2007. He said he held several positions there, including chief operating officer, responsible for 16 casinos.

Nunes, who lives outside Aspen, Colo., has been part of other efforts to expand gaming in New England in the past nine years. He worked with Donald Trump in 2006 on an unsuccessful attempt to build a casino in Johnston, R.I.

Before that, Nunes was project manager for the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe of Martha’s Vineyard, in its effort to get into the gambling business.

There was mixed reaction to the notion of a casino in this former mill town from people who attended the meeting.

“We like the idea,’’ said Sandra Robertson, who was at the meeting with her husband. “Might as well give the money to this town.’’ They said they live in Hopedale but also own land in Milford.

Kathy Monson, a Milford resident, said the casino was a bad idea. “The traffic in Milford alone is horrendous enough,’’ she said. “Adding a casino will make it worse than it is.’’