MGM Springfield Passes First Phase for Casino License

12:05AM / Tuesday, December 24, 2013Print Story | Email Story

A rendering of MGM Resorts' proposed casino complex in Springfield.

BOSTON — MGM Resorts has passed the first phase in its pursuit of a gaming license for a proposed $800 million casino complex in Springfield.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission announced on Monday that the company, applying as MGM Springfield, and its qualifiers have earned a positive determination of suitability.

The commission held an adjudicatory hearing on Dec. 9 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center relative to the completion of the background investigation based on the Phase 1 application submitted by MGM Springfield.

As a result of the comprehensive background investigation and deliberation by the full five-member gaming commission, the commission voted unanimously that MGM Springfield had met its burden of proof.

MGM Resorts is hoping to obtain the single resort-casino license for Western Massachusetts. Springfield voters approved a referendum on the venture last July and MGM has already held job fairs. Two other proposals in West Springfield and Palmer failed to gain voter support.

Casino representatives have said the Berkshires will be part of its marketing strategy and that it expects to pump some $50 million into the region and fill 3,000 jobs. Local cultural venues have been concerned that the proximity of a casino will prevent them from booking popular acts.

The application for a gaming license has two parts. The Phase 1 application focuses on the qualifications and suitability of the applicants and its "qualifiers" (entities and individuals) to hold a gaming license. The Phase 2 application is site specific and focuses on site, design, finance, operation, community mitigation and other attributes of the gaming facility itself. Applicants must pass the first phase to move on to the second.

The full determination can be read here.

Tags: casinos,

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

RIBCO Supply

Check out our great lineup of Boss Plows, and spreaders. 2 Locations Clarksburg & Pittsfield!

ribcosupply.com

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

First Eagle Mill Units in Lee to Open in Springtime

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:02AM / Tuesday, February 03, 2026

Eagle Mills developer Jeffrey Cohen updates the Lee Chamber of Commerce as the project's phases, and the amount of heavy lifting to get it to this point.

LEE, Mass. — More than 50 affordable units are expected to come online at the Eagle Mill this spring.

This is the first of several planned development phases at the former paper mill that dates back to the early 1800s, totaling more than 200 units. The Lee Chamber of Commerce hosted an information session on the project during its Business Breakfast last Wednesday.

"We are here because we have a really big project that's happened for a very long time here in Lee, that, for myself, has provided a real sense of hope, and has has really defined this community as one of the few in the Berkshires that's really looking forward, as opposed to just being sort of stuck in the past," Chamber member Erik Williams said.

The estimated $60 million development broke ground in 2021 after nearly a decade of planning and permitting. Hundreds of workers once filed into the 8-acre complex, producing up to 165 tons of paper a week. The last mill on the property closed in 2008.

Hearthway is accepting applications for 56 affordable apartments called "The Lofts at Eagle Mill" with expected occupancy in May. The housing nonprofit was also approved for 45 additional units of new construction on the site.

Jeffrey Cohen of Eagle Mill Redevelopment LLC said the project dates back to 2012, when a purchase contract was signed for the West Center Street property. The developers didn't have to close on the property until renovation plans were approved in 2017, and the mill was sold for $700,000.

It seemed like a great deal for the structure and eight acres on the Housatonic River, Cohen explained, but he wasn't aware of the complex pre-development costs, state, and local approvals it would entail. Seven individually owned homes adjacent to the property were also acquired and demolished for parking and site access.

"If I knew today what I knew then, I'm not sure we'd be sitting here," he said, joining the breakfast remotely over Zoom.

Cohen praised the town's government, explaining that the redesigns and critiques "Could not have been done in a friendlier way, in a more helpful way," and the two Massachusetts governors serving during the project's tenure. The Eagle Mill redevelopment is supported by state and federal grants, as well as low-income housing tax credits.

View Full Story