Video lottery lounge move opposed by some Fredericton residents

People living near the site of a proposed new facility featuring multiple video lottery terminals in Fredericton are trying to muster opposition to the project.

Horse Racing New Brunswick has applied for a zoning change for 444 Aberdeen Street that would allow it to operate a "drinking establishment" with VLTs and offer simulcast horse races to gamblers.

City planners are recommending the zoning change be approved.

It is staff's opinion that this use is at the low end of the scale.- Fredericton city planning report

"It is staff's opinion that this use is at the low end of the scale with respect to intensity of use in the context of the range and types of drinking establishments," states the city planning report.

However, the planners note there is likely to be some opposition to the VLTs on the property.

"Staff recognize that VLTs often have a negative connotation and that area residents may be concerned with the incorporation of VLTs onto the property," states the city staff report to the planning advisory committee. "However, concerns regarding the societal impact of VLTs are beyond the scope of municipal zoning, and the licensing and permissibility of VLTs rests with other regulatory agencies, not the municipality."

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The zoning amendment is to be presented to a public meeting of the planning advisory committee at Fredericton City Hall on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Horse Racing New Brunswick operates Winner's Lounge, which has 25 VLTs, in space it rents from Fredericton Exhibition Ltd. 

In May, Fredericton Exhibition Ltd. changed the locks on the facility, arguing the horse racing group had violated the terms of its lease. Horse Racing New Brunswick successfully fought the eviction in court, with a judge ordering the existing lease to be honoured until its expiration on Dec. 31, 2016.

The area near the proposed site includes a mix of older homes and newer, multi-storey condominiums and apartment buildings. The board of directors of Regency Landing Condominiums notified the owners of residences in its building about the proposal.

Your board of directors does not feel this is an appropriate location for this facility.- Diana Otteson, CitiGroup Properties property manager

"Your board of directors does not feel this is an appropriate location for this facility," states property manager Diana Otteson in a letter.

The reasons sited for the opposition include:

• Increased traffic and noise complaints
• Placing an "undesirable element" in the neighbourhood
• Close proximity to high-density apartment complexes largely inhabited by seniors
• Close proximity to a daycare
• Placing a gambling facility in a building that also houses a parole board, whose clients may have addiction issues
• Lowering of property values