Kamloops’ new casino could be open for business in Aberdeen before the fall of 2015.
At its Tuesday, Nov. 25 meeting, Kamloops council approved a zoning bylaw that will allow Gateway Casinos and Entertainment to move its Lake City Casino from downtown to the former Rona building at 1555 Versatile Dr. between Aberdeen and Pineview Valley.
There, it will be rebranded Cascades Casino and be four times the size of the current operation on Victoria Street.
While Gateway had originally targeted October 2015 as an opening date, the company said this week it hopes to be in operation by mid-2015.
As a condition of approval, Gateway will not be allowed to open for business at the site until it has completed most of a traffic upgrade worth $2.8 million in the area.
Gateway’s improvements include a two-lane roundabout at the intersection of Versatile and Hugh Allan drives and a double left-turn lane at the intersection of Hugh Allan Drive and Pacific Way.
According to a staff report, the traffic work is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2015.
The City of Kamloops will also spend $1.1 million on works in the area, including an upgrade to Versatile Drive’s sanitary-sewer system and several new traffic signals.
Most of the work will be funded through development cost charges, not tax dollars, and will be completed during the same time frame as Gateway’s portion of the project.
One upgrade expected as part of the casino’s roadworks package won’t be completed this year. Upgrades to the westbound off-ramp to the Trans-Canada Highway from Pacific Way are now slated for completion in 2024.
Director of development and engineering services Marvin Kwiatkowski said the amount of traffic the casino is expected to add to the ramp won’t require an immediate upgrade.
Council also issued a development permit for the casino project on Tuesday, but won’t issue a building permit until Gateway’s detailed designs for roadworks are 80 per cent complete.
The new casino will feature full-service restaurants, live entertainment, an amphitheatre and a larger gambling floor, including a poker room.
It will also include 400 parking spots and a shuttle service to and from the casino.
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