Casino giant MGM Resorts International is disclosing plans today for an $800 million gambling resort, entertainment complex, and housing development in downtown Springfield, an ambitious project that would rebuild areas of the city severely damaged by a 2011 tornado, The Boston Globe reports.
The MGM project would be the first casino proposal in Massachusetts in a distinctly downtown urban setting, and a unique project for a company best known for its prominent Las Vegas Strip properties, which include the upscale Bellagio and Mandalay Bay and the quirky theme hotels Luxor and New York-New York.
MGM’s Springfield project would include a mix of new construction and the renovation of some existing architecture over three city blocks, covering about 10 acres, in the city’s South End. The development area is between Union and State streets, and Columbus Avenue and Main Street, about two blocks from Springfield City Hall, according to a draft of a company statement on the project obtained by the Globe.
