P2E, also known as Peninsula Pacific Entertainment, has developed a plan to build a $329 million casino resort called Camellia Bay in St. Tammany on the vacant land close to Interstate 10 twin spans. Developers have been working on the proposal for months now and are ready for the vote by St. Tammany voters this December.
The project can have a great impact on St. Tammany's economy. The casino would bring tourists to the area and draw them to other events and attractions that are helped along the Lake Pontchartrain waterfront in Slidell. Many locals are worried that the project could also have negative impacts on their community.
Some St. Tammany Community residents are concerned that the casino would bring crime and decline to property values. This is not necessarily the case according to the Convergence Strategy Group.
"Through the research we see moderately positive impacts from similar developments across the country all the way down to just no impact, but we have not been able to uncover the negative impacts that many communities have feared," said Suzanne Leckert, an author of the study.
CSG is a research firm that is based out of New Orleans. They have over 40 years of experience in studying the leisure and gaming industry. According to their study, they found that a casino in the Slidell area would likely have a "moderately positive to negligible impact on surrounding businesses."
The study included an intense look into the proposed development's impact on the community. This includes a range of impacts from small businesses and tourism to crime and marriage or divorce rates. They looked at data that has been collected from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Census, municipal governments and interviews with local leaders.
Property values will not drop according to the study. CSG cited that after MGM Springfield opened in Springfield, Massachusetts property values saw a 21.4% increase compared to the smaller growth increase of 2.3% - 14.3% in surrounding areas. Another casino close to home in Baton Rouge, L’Auberge Casino, saw a higher property value increase close to the casino.
"The community impact study provides an abundance of data and information for St. Tammany residents to take into consideration to help them make an informed decision about this project," Masingill said. "This project ... has really been reviewed, has been scrutinized from every single angle. We know that there's a significant campaign of misinformation and distortions and, look, we want people to have all of the information."
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