Rock Ventures, the company that owns the Cavaliers, runs the Quicken Loans Arena, and will operate the Cleveland casino made possible by the state constitutional amendment it wrote and promoted, is considering opening a temporary casino, possibly in the old Higbee’s building. And that's all there is to report right now about one of the biggest political developments of 2009.
“Right now our main priority is to secure a casino operator, and [we] hope to select this partner by the spring,” says Jennifer Kulczycki, Rock’s spokesperson for the project. “We also plan to exercise our options on the site and finalize our purchase in the first half of the year. We’re ultimately working toward a groundbreaking in late 2010.”
The Ohio General Assembly has until June 1 to adopt legislation to implement the amendment that will allow casinos to open in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus and Toldeo.
In December, Len Komoroski, president of Quicken Loans Arena and the Cavaliers, told Scene that Rock Ventures will not seek any kind of public subsidy for the Cleveland project, from sewage infrastructure to roadway upgrades. “The casino will be privately financed, as well [as] the infrastructure surrounding it,” said Komoroski. — D.X. Ferris
