Golden Heartland
Golden Heartland Inc. an affiliated company of Nevada-based Golden Gaming Inc. is proposing a world class casino resort development in Wyandotte County. The Kansas legislature recently passed the Kansas Expanded Lottery Act allowing four casino facilities in the state; one of which to be located in the Kansas City area of Wyandotte County. Golden Heartland is competing with four other companies in the selection process of the Kansas City area gaming resort facility.
Golden Heartland's project will include a four-star 300 room hotel, a luxury spa facility, various unique dining experiences including a buffet, fine dining and specialty restaurants, numerous retail shops, a 60 lane bowling center, a large convention and meeting space, an 18-hole championship Tom Watson designed golf course, entertainment and music venues, and loft style residences. Golden Heartland projects its casino hotel complex and Tom Watson designed championship golf course to open in 2010 with the bowling, retail and residential amenities projected in 2014.
Golden Heartland has retained the world renowned hotel and casino design team at Friedmutter Group to integrate the unique local culture, landscape and materials with cutting edge hotel and casino design. The 300 room hotel tower is planned to include four star accommodations which blend mid-western comfort with high tech luxury in each of its standard rooms as well as in the variety of two story suites. The hotel complex will include a luxury spa facility, a pool area and deck with private cabanas, a convention center, an exhibition-style buffet restaurant, a full service café and a fine dining steakhouse option, specialty restaurants and a food court. The casino building will include a center bar, a sports bar and lounge, an entertainment showroom, a bowling center, a short term childcare facility and an amusement center. The resort will include a 2000-space parking structure with full time valet to service the hotel and casino resort.
The residential and retail component to the project will be added in Phase II and will be designed to compliment the current existing businesses and retail centers while providing an attractive amenity to the golf course and hotel and casino resort.
LOCATIONAL / TOURIST DESTINATION INFORMATION
The proposed gaming facility site is located adjacent to I-70 and approximately 1.7 miles west of I-435. The site was selected for its size, visibility, proximity to existing tourist destinations, ease of access, opportunity for expansion and lack of negative impact to residential areas. The project spans Edwardsville and Bonner Springs within Wyandotte County and will bring significant benefits to both cities and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas.
Golden Heartland projects a total of 1.6 million visitors to the resort from within Wyandotte County and 2.2 million from outside of Wyandotte County resulting in 3.9 million visitors to the project in 2011. With the introduction of Phase II, total visitation is forecast to grow to 4.6 million in 2014. The project is expected to benefit from its proximity to the Kansas Speedway and the Legends at Village West retail complex, which attracts approximately 9 million visitors annually and is one of the largest tourist destinations in the State of Kansas.
In addition to the destination visitor, the potential market for the project includes all areas within a sixty-mile radius for day trips and guests from up to a 300 mile radius, including residents of cities such as Topeka, Wichita, Tulsa, Des Moines, Omaha, and Oklahoma City.
ECONOMIC IMPACT (PROJECTED)
For its first full calendar year, Golden Heartland’s conservative estimate of annual gaming revenue is in the area of $289 million. Including this gaming revenue, the combined resort facility is expected to generate approximately $335 million in 2011 and $385 million in 2014 with the addition of bowling and additional retail in phase II. The total development costs for the project are approximately $662 million in Phase I and $252 million in Phase II.
During the construction phase, it is estimated that over 11,500 jobs will be created. Once operational, the project is expected to generate a total of 8,826 positions, generating $203.8 million in wages. Golden Heartland will employ the full spectrum of skill levels in operating the project, with projected wages exceeding the current Wyandotte County average by almost 50%.
Golden Heartland expects substantial additional private investment would be created as a result of the addition of a gaming facility to the community. The magnitude of this project allows Golden Heartland to provide the necessary sewer infrastructure to the surrounding community and spur on further commercial development. The capital investment for sewer to the area will allow over 250 undeveloped acres to benefit from the system and provide a catalyst for other private investment in the surrounding area.
It is anticipated that the current housing market would be boosted by the residential development spurred on to adjust to the new area residents needed for the approximate 8,000 operational and 11,000 construction related jobs created by the facility. This would lead to an increase in property tax revenues as well as sales and use tax related to the commercial support for the additional residential neighborhoods. The local community and state would receive a large infusion of revenue from the project which would also stimulate private investment and development in the area.
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| QUICK STATS |
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GOLDEN GAMING
FIRST YEAR |
| LOCATION |
SOUTHWEST CORNER OF INTERSTATE 70 AND 110TH STREET |
| SITE |
Over 200 ACRES |
| TOTAL INVESTMENT |
$662 MILLION (Phase I)
$252 Million (Phase II) |
| CONSTRUCTION COST |
$614 MILLION (Phase I)
$236 Million (Phase II) |
| EMPLOYMENT |
Over 1,600 (hotel and casino only) |
| AVERAGE EMPLOYEE EARNINGS |
$21,460 (hotel and casino only) |
| GAMING FLOOR |
132,000 SQ FT |
| NO. OF SLOTS |
2,500 |
| GAMING TABLES |
98 |
| YEAR 1 GAMING REVENUE |
$289 MILLION
(EXCLUDES 2% FOR PROBLEM GAMING) |
| KANSAS TAX (22%) |
$52.6 MILLION |
| WYCO/KCK TAX (2.25%) |
$5.2 MILLION |
| BONNER SPRINGS / EDWARDSVILLE (0.75%) |
$2.0 MILLION |
| HOTEL ROOMS |
300, 4 STAR |
| TOWER |
8 STORIES |
| ROOM RATE |
$150 |
| ANNUAL GUEST TAX |
$870,000 |
| CONVENTION CENTER |
25,000 SQ FT, UP TO 86,000 SQ FT IN PHASE II |
| THEATER |
800 - 1,000 SEATS |
| DINING/RETAIL SPACE |
129,000 SQ FT, UP TO 369,000 SQ FT IN PHASE II |
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