Battle Lines Drawn on Gettysburg Casino Plan

June 22, 2005 -- -- A group of developers proposing to build a casino, hotel and spa near the Gettysburg battlefield call the plan synergy that would benefit the national park, the community and the state of Pennsylvania, but a local citizens' group that opposes the plan says it is just a sin.

"This is a desecration. They're bringing in a product. They're saying we want to sell this product in your town and we're saying that product is fundamentally exploitation, and it's a product we don't want here," said Susan Star Paddock, a spokeswoman for No Casino Gettysburg, a group that formed in the town after the investors' group announced its plan on April 26.

The investors' group, Chance Enterprises, has proposed building a 200-room hotel and a casino that would initially have 3,000 slot machines on a 42-acre site less than two miles from the Gettysburg National Military Park.

In a statement announcing the plan, David LeVan, a local businessman who is the president of Chance Enterprises, said the casino "will provide added amenities for the millions of tourists who already visit our historical sites. They will have an added incentive to stay in our area longer, thereby spending more dollars."

John Brabender, a consultant to Chance Enterprises, said the casino would not have a Civil War theme and would not exploit Gettysburg's heritage.

"What we are concerned about is that these local groups don't jump to an opinion about it," he said. "We have offered to work with all the historic groups so they can be assured that whatever the facility would look like, whatever themes would be used, would not be in conflict with the character of the area."

Architects are working on a design but it has not been finalized, Brabender said. However, he said the initial plans call for a hotel, "a couple restaurants," a casino and an attached parking garage, all with a small footprint and with a low-key design.

"There will be no neon or anything like that," he said. "What it will end up looking like is a large hotel. We're talking about something very understated in relation to Las Vegas or Atlantic City."