City in New Hampshire Proposes Tightening Casino Location Rules

New zoning regulations may affect casino gambling in Keene, a city in Cheshire County, New Hampshire. Keene’s City Council considered implementing restrictions, effectively changing the zoning for casino properties.

Discussions earlier this summer between the council planning, licenses and development committee and the city planning board are set to culminate during the upcoming meetings with the City Council planned for September 11 and September 19.

Initially, a proposal called to limit the size of casinos to 20,000 square feet. However, after discussions a new draft of the regulations calls for a maximum of 10,000 square feet per gambling venue, as announced by the local news outlet, the Keene Sentinel.

The Council also decided that Keene’s commercial district is more suitable for casinos than its growth district. Per the proposal, each casino would have to take a designated lot that is at least 500 feet from another casino.

Moreover, gambling venues would need to be located a minimum of 250 feet away from residential buildings, 250 feet away from family homes and a minimum of 200 feet away from schools, daycare centers, temples or churches, as explained by Mari Brunner, Keene’s senior planner.

Per the expert, if the new proposal receives a green light, casinos will be permitted on lots on West Street from Island Street, as well as Main Street south of Route 101, on Key Road, Kit Street and Ash Brook, among other zones within the city’s commercial district.

Access to Major Roads and Easy Parking Is Important for Casinos in the City
The aforementioned locations have access to major roads. This, according to Brummer, is another requirement which was considered by the committee. What’s more, she explained that the commercial district is more suitable for casinos considering it is “more automobile-oriented,” meaning that parking will be easier compared to Keene’s growth district.

Jesse Rounds, a community development director, agreed that casinos are better suited within the city’s commercial area due to parking requirements. On that point, Brummer explained: “the downtown growth (area) is intended for a more walkable, pedestrian-oriented environment and it’s meant to be an extension.”

Currently, there’s a single casino in Keene. This is Wonder Casino on 172 Emerald St., offering casino gambling activities such as roulette, blackjack and more. While the new rules will affect future casinos in the city, they won’t impact Wonder Casino.