Churchill Downs just snagged approval to change the location of its Terre Haute casino project. Construction on the Queen of Terre Haute casino could begin as early as May.
The company expects the project to take 14 months, which would put a potential opening date for the casino in late 2023.
Churchill changes casino plans
Local officials in Terre Haute recently approved the casino’s location change. The Vigo County Area Planning Commission and the Terre Haute City Council both had to give everything the thumbs up.
Next up came the Indiana Gaming Commission. The group is in charge of regulating casinos in Indiana, so its approval was necessary to move forward.
The commission ultimately gave things the green light during its March 8 meeting.
Queen of Terre Haute’s move is almost complete, but there are still a few hoops left to jump through.
Churchill Downs still needs approval from the FAA since the casino location is nearby an airport. The location was previously agricultural land before city officials rezoned it last week.
The plans for the new casino are also slightly too large.
Terre Haute has a height limit of 125 feet, and the hotel that Churchill is building as part of the casino extends up to 150 feet. In other words, the company will need to secure a height variance from the city before construction begins.
Churchill doesn’t expect that those final approvals will be much of a hassle. Assuming that that is the case, the company hopes to break ground on the project sometime in late May.
New Terre Haute casino plans
Queen of Terre Haute casino will open in late 2023 if everything goes according to plan.
Moving the project to the city’s east side gives Churchill more options for the future.
First thing’s first, the new casino location is more convenient for visitors. It’s right by Interstate 70 and State Road 46, which will give gamblers easier access to the property.
Attracting visitors from around the state is a key goal of the casino project, so the convenient location will be an important part of that.
The new location is also more than twice the size of the original plot of land. 50 acres compared to the original 21, to be exact.
That will give Churchill plenty of opportunities to add on to the casino years down the line. Expansion projects could help keep the property fresh by adding something new for gamblers in the future.
Queen of Terre Haute should have a big economic impact on Vigo County once the project is finally complete.
