Jun. 22—The owners of Concord Casino got final planning board approval Wednesday night to open a new charitable gaming facility, restaurant, events center and hotel off of Loudon Road after a review which lasted more than six months.
The proposal by Andy and Laurie Sanborn, managing partners, first went before the board in December and was held up for months after staff requested an emergency services impact report.
The planning board voted 4-2 to approve a major site plan review.
The decision came after Town Planner Heather Shank worried about the agenda item not being posted as a public hearing. Shank said the city had been waiting for a consultant's report on the impacts of the project.
"We are excited to go to the moon and back that we were finally able to get that approval and now we are able to move forward with the next steps to begin construction," said Andy Sanborn in a telephone interview. "At the end of the day this is all about charities helping people in our community."
Andy Sanborn said the project, which will be done in phases, will be the first charitable gaming facility in the state to be built from the ground up. He declined to say how much the project is expected to cost.
"This is giving us the opportunity to actually build something from scratch," he said.
Andy Sanborn is a former Republican state senator from Bedford and Laurie Sanborn is a state representative.
The first phase includes 26,000 square feet of gaming space, with 486 electronic games, 21 tables games, poker rooms, quick serve and upscale casual dining and space for live music.
"It is really a place where people go out to be entertained for the night," Sanborn said.
The site became available after a developer looking to build multi-family housing bailed on plans.
Phase two will likely include a hotel, expansion of gaming or conference/event center and a larger live music venue. The total building will be 44,000 square feet.
The parcel is visible from Interstate 393.
The Sanborns have operated Concord Casino at 67 S. Main St. since 2018. Imagine Casino will likely be the name.
A big part of the move has to do with adding historic horse racing, which was authorized in 2021. Historic horse racing games look and operate similar to other gaming machines, but players pick winners of randomly selected horse races that have already been run.
The Sanborns must finish interior designs before beginning construction.
"Realistically, we are looking at 18 months," he said.