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Council reopens and then tables proposal to permit casinos in limited Lakeport area; legal review and public input planned
Summary
The council debated an ordinance to allow casinos in parts of Lakeport including Wears Boulevard and Endicott Street, briefly took the item off the table and later voted to table it again pending legal review and further public hearings after councilors raised concerns about oversight, neighborhood impacts and revenue.
Laconia City Councilors debated amendments on May 27 that would create a new zoning allowance for casinos in a limited area of Lakeport, including sections of Wears Boulevard and Endicott Street. The planning board had drafted the language to confine driveway access and limit Lakeside Avenue driveways so Lakeside would not become a “casino strip.”
Councilors took the ordinance off the table in a 4–2 vote so members could discuss the planning board’s approach, then later voted to table the item again while staff consult with the city attorney and plan additional public outreach. Councilor Cheney said he supported council oversight, asking why the council could not require final approval. He asked, “why we can't say it has to come back to the city council.” Councilor Susie expressed concern that adopting zoning language would shift decision authority to the planning board and reduce the council’s role: "So the city council has no say unless this is something different."
City Manager Kirk Biotti said the planning board intentionally included hurdles — for example, designing driveway requirements so Lakeside Avenue would not become a corridor of vehicular access to casinos — and that the planning board discussed limiting potential sites to Endicott and Wears Boulevard with intentional constraints on Lakeside.
Councilors voiced competing priorities: some wanted multiple public hearings and stronger council oversight because of potential neighborhood and economic impacts; others noted the planning board conducted review as part of its zoning responsibilities. A councilor who researched casino impacts said she could not find a clear example of a municipality that had transformed its local economy successfully with a commercial casino and urged caution.
No ordinance was adopted. The council requested legal review and additional public hearings; the item remained on the council’s table for further consideration. Staff said the planning board’s draft includes provisions to make Lakeside access intentionally difficult for vehicular casino entry, and the council asked for more information on revenue streams, neighborhood impacts and parking implications before moving forward.
