Penn National's Hollywood Casino York gets local approval to build at the York Galleria

The Springettsbury Township Board of Supervisors on Thursday unanimously approved a redevelopment plan from Penn National Gaming, which is looking to bring a mini-casino to the York Galleria mall. It is planned for the old Sears store.

The board's vote ratified things such as proposed signage, landscaping, changes to parking at the mall and a 3,000-square-foot building addition that would contain a stairwell and elevator to the casino. 

Supervisor Justin Tomevi said the board's unanimous vote was a signal that the township is "comfortable with the project moving forward." "This isn't anything close to Las Vegas," said Charlie Courtney, of McNees Law Firm, who represented Penn National at Thursday's special meeting, as reported by York Dispatch.

Supervisors listened as representatives with Penn National presented plans and sketches for the mini-casino. Malls, such as the York Galleria, are looking for ways to reinvent themselves as retail sales move online, attorney Charles Courtney said. 

Thursday's approvals were the first of several that would be required from the board before Penn National can move forward, officials said, as Penn National will need to return with more detailed plans for the site. The company still needs an OK from the state Gaming Control Board to move forward.

The state license for the proposed mini-casino in Springettsbury Township was the first approved under Pennsylvania's 2017 expansion of gambling laws, which allows up to 10 permits for Category 4 or  "satellite casinos."

Satellite casinos, more commonly known as mini-casinos, can operate 300 to 750 slot machines and up to 30 table games. Penn National intends to operate 500 slot machines and 20 table games at the York Galleria. However, the casino will have space to expand up to 750 slot machines and 40 table games as allowed by law.

Penn National selected the Galleria as the site of the first mini-casino in September 2018. The company bid the highest, $50 million, to place a casino in York County. Although Springettsbury Township supervisors originally did not want to host a mini-casino site, the board later reconsidered. 

Thursday's meeting was packed with residents who voiced questions and concerns for the casino, during a public hearing earlier Thursday, such as the smoking policies inside the casino, signage, children, and the traffic the casino might cause. The state Gaming Control Board held a hearing on the proposed mini-casino for Springettsbury Township last fall, and the comments were overwhelmingly positive at that meeting.

Some of the main details presented Thursday show that the casino will only be on the first floor of the former Sears store; a 3,000-square-foot addition will include a stairwell and elevator to get patrons from an upper level parking area to the entrance of the mini-casino; parking would be reconfigured on the western side of the property to provide a better route to the entrance; the intersection for the mall entrance on the southwest corner of Whiteford Road would be widened and limited to right in and right out only; nine signs are proposed for the mini-casino. 

The new casino is expected to generate 200 permanent local jobs and more than 75 construction jobs, Penn National has said.