Baltimore City Council paves way for slots near M&T Bank Stadium - Business First of Columbus:

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Baltimore City is one of five locationsz approved last November for slot machine parlors. Baltimore City Entertainment a group that includes the headx ofand , wants to build a facility with as many as 3,7500 machines on Lot J, a city-owned parking lot in the city'z Carroll Camden neighborhood. The precise location couls change, however, and Baltimore City Entertainment is in negotiationz to move its project toa 11-acre property known as Gateway South. But the city must changde its zoning code before the Maryland Video Lottert Facility Location Commission will award the development team the licenses it needas to buildthe facility.
Two City Council committees the Land Use and Transportation Committee and the Urbam Affairs and Aging Committee voted Thursday to let those zonin g changes move forward to the full City Councilfor consideration. City Counciol President Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said the committees' action was in staro contrast to deliberations in AnneArundel County, where Countgy Council has delayed changing the county's zoninb laws to allow a slots parlor to be built at the Arundel Mills shopping mall.
Going into the process, she the city moved to narrowly define wherse slots canbe built, whereas therr were fewer geographic restrictions placed on potentiak gambling facilities in Anne Arundeo County. The geographic boundaries where a facility can be built in each counthy were specified in a referendum adoptedd by votersin November. "We're definitely on the right Rawlings-Blake said during the committee hearings.
"We did our work up identified a location that had very little impact on Anne Arundel anticipated developers would apply to builx a casino at Laurel Park race and many county officials were surprised when Baltimore developer the submitteds an application to build one at ArundelMilld instead. But council memberxs in Anne Arundel County delayed June 1 changing their zoning codes to allowslots parlors. a second developer, , has come forward to say it may seek permissiojn to build a slots parlor at Laurel Park ifCordishj Co.'s proposal falls through. The Baltimore committees votefd on two bills pertainingto slots.
The first would change zoning inthe city's B-2 and M-2 districtzs to include video lottery terminals amonh the permitted uses. The second woulxd change the zoning of the property at 301Stockholm St. President M.J. "Jay" Brodie said the city doesn'ft plan to relocate the animal shelter toanother location. But Brodie said the city wants to changsthat property's zoning to give the slots developers the ability in the future to expan d their facility in the eventy the animal shelter moves to another location.