We just bought a lot on the very end of Charles Lutes about a month ago and are very irritated by the choice of the casino's location. First off, does anyone know if the other lots still for sale are zoned residential or commercial? Since we were planning on building next spring, this news might change our minds. Your comments would be appreciated.

Matt, thanks for your comment.
According to the Greater Moncton Planning District Commission zoning map for the unincorporated area the zones in the general area are Agricultural (white), Rural Residential (gray) and Single-Unit Residential (yellow).
I've posted the question to other real estate professionals here on active|rain to solicit their comments. 

so how does that work? Seems to me the casino is on an agricultural zone...how can this commercial enterprise be put on this parcel? Sorry fo the questions, but I am very concerned and annoyed with all this ...

Matt, please contact me by email or by phone.
It will be my pleasure to discuss this with you.

What will this do to streets like Ryan and Charles Lutes. These will end up being access roads to another dump. Realestate prices are going to drop in my opinion. I feel bad for those people that have just bought parcels of land in that area in good faith. A very poor decision by our city. A money grab that will cost us much more that we will ever bring in......

Mark, thanks for your comment, though I don't understand what you mean by "another dump".
For the sake of accuracy, the parcel mentioned is not in Moncton city limits, so there was no decision made by our city.
I expect that Charles Lutes Road leading to the new casino complex will be fully upgraded from it's current condition.

 " Another dump", much like the one on Berry mills rd. only this one is going to stink to high heaven. And much like the other dump our city was in the negotiations as to where it was to be located. If you believe that because this casino is not on city propoerty that our city management had no imput into its lacation then you have been mislead. If you google "property values in casino vacinities" you will see that right across north America areas that have casinos have (within approx. one mile rdarius) dramatic increases of littering, traffic and drunk driving. Also a dramatic decrease in property values. Yes, this is a going to be a dump for sure.........but what can we do?

Hi Larry, I am a resident of Charles Lutes Road as a matter of fact if the sign is for real we will be able to see the Casino from our back yard.   Why not buy a block of property in central moncton, i.e., why not buy the blocks on the Lewisville Road??? Buy out Elmwood, Renfrew and Germain Streets residents and other surrounding.area?  Probably cheaper in the long run.  Water & sewer hook ups already in existence -totally commercial area, close to Dieppe and Riverview. Why get a totally residential/agricultural area in an uproar?????/

Eve, thanks for your comment.
Indeed, if the larger sign and all the smaller "no trespassing" signs are for real.

The news release by the New Brunswick Department of Finance does not list a location, only the name of the "preferred proponent". It was reported in the media that the Magnetic Hill vicinity was the winning proponent's location.

Press conference video is here:
http://www.gnb.ca/cnb/televox/video/2008may8_e.asx

As the government press release says "Additional details of the proposal will be made public upon signing of the agreement." We'll all know for sure then.

I'd love to hear from other parts of North America about their experience with property values in the vicinity of a new casino complex in a context such as ours.

I sent an e-mail to Wally Stiles - MLA - for our area last week - Still no response .......he must be out of town at the moment!

Sharon, thanks for your comment. Keep us posted on the response.

Casinos - good bad or indifferent - Here in Ontario we have Casinos located on Native Lands, as part of Race Tracks (horses) and in downtown areas. All show increased traffic (cost of road improvements) eg a local casino at one point a few years back was receiving 50 + bus loads of gamblers a day. This particular casino now boasts a hotel and entertainment center that attracts big name performers. It provides work for many local residents and is an economic shot in the arm for this rural area.

Barrie, thanks for you input.

Larry - Generally -as far as land values.....they will go up. They employ typically lower end end jobs ,but  they do attract the clients that maybe moncton been able to attract so far.  Over all i'd say they are money grabs for the provincial goverments.

Halifax is the same thing! Although we have the seemingly never-ending cruise ship traffic to fuel our casinos.

I would question where the cheif customers will come from with our current gas price dilema? There will be less tourism traffic on the roads. I guess there will always be the locals! Just beware that gambling addiction costs too!

My slant on gambling is .....Go to vegas if you want to gamble!

Paul, thanks for commenting.

Having worked for our local Casino (Halifax) for many years I have seen both the good and the bad aspects Casino's bring to cities, no different then every new venue that joins an existing neighborhood or city scape, if the absurd amount of "exotic dancer" clubs in Moncton has not "decreased" the property values already how would a Casino be any different. 

The thing that people seem to keep forgetting: With job creation comes demand for housing, with demand for housing comes increase to property value.

I think it's a shame that residents do not want to see the town grow, especially with the way today's economy is heading, any opportunity to bring tourism and growth to your community should be embraced, when thinking in a dollars and cents point of view.

Regardless of the venue that is built it is going to attract all types of clientèle, the effect it has on issues such as "drinking and driving" and "addiction to gambling" are not going to increase any more than in the past, it will just be a lot easier to spot the problems. There will always be problem gamblers and drunk drivers, and unfortunately...litterers. But bare in mind, with these issues easier to spot brings more opportunity for growth such as demand for Policing, demand for Responsible Gaming Authority, and for the litterers...people to clean up the trash. Again bringing job creation which in turn brings demand for housing therefore increasing property value.

You may think I'm biased because I work for a Casino but I must point out I am quite openly against gambling of all sorts, how ever, I will not look a gift horse in the mouth seeing as it pays my mortgage and ever increasing property taxes due to you guessed it...increasing poroperty values.

Where exactly is this location?  Is it directly at the end of Charles Lutes road or off of Zack road???

Update - The sign on the Trans-Canada Highway is gone and today the exact location has been revealed and it is indeed in Moncton city limits. See here:

http://activerain.com/blogsview/594609/Casino-New-Brunswick-Location