Port Authority Purchase Clears Way For Lemay Casino Complex

South County Times, July 27, 2007

River City casino expected to be completed in fall of 2008

The St. Louis County Port Authority has acquired the 39-acre National Imagery and Mapping Agency site from the U.S. Air Force and U. S. General Services Administration.

Purchase of the land, located on South Broadway in Lemay, allows Pinnacle Entertainment to build a four-lane access road to its $375 million River City casino and retail development project.

The tract of land and buildings were heavily damaged by the 1993 flood and thereafter vacated by the U.S. Air Force. It is located near the Mississippi River along the River Des Peres and partially within the City of St. Louis. Environmental remediation will begin immediately.

%u201CUnder Port Authority ownership, the property will be quickly returned to a beneficial use that provides jobs, tax dollars, and redevelopment for Lemay residents,%u201D said Kathryn Halvorson, director of the Air Force Real Property Agency.

St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley said the transfer of the property will be a benefit to many, %u201Callowing economic development to take place, creating jobs for our citizens, fueling our economy, and cleaning up contaminated property.%u201D

Pinnacle has reported the River City gambling casino will create approximately 1,000 jobs during its construction and nearly 2,000 permanent jobs for the community.

%u201CThe collaborative efforts among the many partnerships in this land transfer were incredible. There were multiple governmental agencies involved in the negotiations and each worked effectively to get this transaction accomplished, allowing this outstanding economic development to proceed on schedule,%u201D said Denny Coleman, president and CEO of St. Louis County Economic Council.

River City, scheduled for completion in fall 2008, will feature a 3,000-slot casino, 100-room hotel, and over 280,000 square feet of retail and entertainment amenities to include a band pavilion, athletic fields and a community aquatic center.