Milford Selectmen OK Host Agreement With Foxwoods

Milford selectmen have voted to approve a host community agreement with Foxwoods for a resort casino in town.

The agreement, reached Wednesday on a 2-1 vote, calls for Foxwoods to pay the town $32 million up front, with payments of $31 million a year after that. It is expected to be formally signed Monday.

Connecticut-based Foxwoods Resort Casino is proposing a 980,000-square-foot development, up from 660,000 square feet, with 150 additional hotel rooms — for a total of 500 — as well as more gambling space and restaurants than initially proposed.

"This is as strong an agreement as we can come up with," Selectman Brian Murray said at the meeting. "I've done the best I can to give you the opportunity to say whether this is something you want for your town."

Board Chairman William Buckley, voted no, saying it was too soon to consider the proposal.

"I think we're rushing it and unnecessarily," he said.

President and Chief Executive Scott Butera said Foxwoods made "fairly modest adjustments" to come up with a host agreement that would be financially beneficial for both parties. He said the new plan doesn't change the project's footprint.

"Fortunately, we were able to make some fairly modest adjustments to our program that created more economics to return money to the community," Butera said.

The vote paves the way for a townwide vote on the issue. Any casino plan must also be approved by state gambling regulators.

The casino is proposed for a 187-acre plot at the intersection of Interstate 495 and Route 16.

Foxwoods is in competition with casino proposals in Everett and East Boston.