Riverview Casino Information - Good Topic for Discussion for River Kids

There is a County Council meeting this coming Tuesday to discuss the approval of a zoning change that would allow a development group to move forward with its plans to turn a 377-acre plot of land between Columbia Bottoms Conservation Area and Interstate 270 in to a casino complex.

This is a situation where one group sees the tax revenues and job opportunities as necessary and valuable to the local economy, another sees the casino as a powerful investment opportunity, while environmentalists see the value of the land as a natural resource, habitat for nesting eagles as well as many other birds and land animals.  Another group, calling themselves the Common Sense Coalition, argues that the development plan runs contrary to the "Spanish Lake Community Area Study" and the St. Louis County General Plan that are currently in use.  There are also some tax payers pointing out that the development will cost the residents millions in taxes to fund the necessary infrastructure surrounding the casino.

No matter what your current position, this is a VERY worthy topic for discussion.  If there was a meeting this week, I would have the kids take the roles of the various interest groups and debate the issue...Though I hope that most River Kids and families might oppose the development because of their attachment to the rivers and their mission to protect them, in reality there will always be those out there who prioritize differently. This is a great opportunity for them to realize how complex these issues become and how to begin to deal with that complexity.  Whatever they believe, sitting around talking about it won't affect much change...and it may allow tremendous change to happen without opposition.

So, I urge you to, at the very least, read up a little on what's going on and have a conversation about the situation.  St. Louis Business Journal has published several articles and there's more information on the Spanish Lake Community Association website - www.spanishlakemo.org/content/opposing-casino-complex-riverview-drive

(If you find any more good reading on the topic, pass it along.)

More than just discussing, you may also want to take action.  There is County Council meeting this coming Tuesday evening.  If you or your River Kid would like to share some of your thoughts in writing about whether or not the Council should change the zoning laws governing the property to allow the development, please feel free to forward them to me, and I will hand them on to a representative from the MO Coalition for the Environment who will be in attendance at the meeting.  Or you may attend the meeting. I'm not sure of the location or time...I'll send that separately when I hear back about those details.

Ben