Bristol Village Board holds vote to authorize casino establishment in Kenosha

The Bristol Village Board and the Community Development Authority have agreed to sell roughly 60 acres of land. The nearly $15 million deal paved the way for the potential establishment of a casino in Kenosha County.

After a nearly 2-hour meeting at the Municipal Building, the board reached a unanimous vote. In the meeting, a heated debate erupted among community members who supported or opposed the sale to Kenosha Landco LLC, an affiliate of Hard Rock International.

Kenosha Landco LLC agrees to pay $15,213,221 for nearly 59.91 acres of land southwest of Interstate 94 and 60th Street in the village. Developers would need to collaborate with a local native tribe to open a casino there.

The land is owned by the village but is located within the City of Kenosha due to a long-standing border agreement between the two Kenosha County municipalities. Because the land is inside city limits, any construction permits must be obtained from the City of Kenosha.

Bristol Village Administrator Randall Kerkman stated that the village has been marketing the land for several years and that Kenosha Landco LLC made the best offer. According to officials, Kenosha Landco LLC has not disclosed its plans for the site, which is southwest of Uke’s Harley-Davidson and northwest of Cracker Barrel.

Following the vote, Village Trustee John McCabe stated that the amount of money agreed upon by the developers is satisfactory, “I think it’s a great thing for the taxpayers if the sale goes through for $15.3 million,” McCabe told the Kenosha News.

“We could do a lot of good with that.” he continued.

However, some people disagree with McCabe’s assessment. One of them is Diana Brenner. She spoke out against the sale during the meeting’s public comment period.

Those who were in favor of a casino said that it could provide an opportunity for direct new jobs. They also linked the tax revenue generated by the casino, restaurants, and hotels to Bristol and Kenosha County residents in general.

Because Kenosha’s areas are close to Milwaukee and Chicago, numerous attempts to build a casino in the city have been made since tribal casinos were made legal in the 1990s.