Cobleskill proposal touts Howe Caverns’ fame

PHOTOGRAPHER: Matthew McKibben

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Casino proposals

Redacted versions of the five casino proposals for the Capital Region were briefly released Thursday by the state Gaming Commission before being removed from its website due to technical issues:

Unnamed Amsterdam proposal

Howe Caverns Resort & Casino, Cobleskill

Hard Rock Hotel, Rensselaer

Rivers Resort & Casino at Mohawk Harbor, Schenectady

The East Greenbush proposal is not available due to technical issues.

Previous coverage of the competition for a Capital Region casino can be found at www.dailygazette.com/news/capital-region-casino/

Documents released Thursday by the state Gaming Commission give the public a closer look at the casino being proposed at Howe Caverns.

The developers behind the proposed Howe Caverns Resort and Casino say their project is the most “shovel-ready” of any of the proposals being pitched in the state. They added that necessary steps have been taken to swiftly move forward if they are awarded a license sometime in the fall.

The application states that the development team has completed both a state environmental quality review and the required improvements dictated by its conclusions. They also believe their project is a “transformative regional initiative,” and, due to their proximity to interstates 88 and 90, it is easily connected to the rest of the state.

The application also states the developers have cultivated relationships with community businesses to put forth a collaborative casino project.

“The facility will be a somewhat isolated and outsized destination within its surroundings, not just another property on Las Vegas Boulevard,” according to the application document. “As a result it is crucial to have not just a collaborative relationship with the local community but to have a true partnership.”

Plans include an indoor water park and a couple hundred hotel rooms, according to the application.

The development team feels that public awareness of the cave gives them a leg up on the competition because it is already an established tourist destination.