An entertainment complex west of Lloydminster is still on the drawing board.
On July 11, 2016, Frog Lake First Nation announced plans to build what has been titled the Lloydminster Regional Entertainment Complex. The facility would include a hockey arena, hotel, convention centre, and casino, with each component going up as part of the same build. The arena is also planned to be home to a Western Hockey League franchise.
It is planned to be built on land right next to the commercial complexes in the west end of Lloydminster, south of Highway 16.
So far, the developers of the project have held a public information session with the council of Vermilion River County, presenting detailed plans of the complex and the steps being undertaken to see it become a reality. A focus of the discussion between the council and the developers, which took place in July, was the obstacle of the current moratorium on casino development in the province of Alberta.
The casino is the central component of the complex, which will give financial support to the other facilities, as part of one build.
According to previous statements made by project manager Bruce Simms, Alberta Gaming and Liqour (AGLC) has told Frog Lake there will be no changes to the current moratorium.
Since the meeting with Vermilion River County, the project has been working through the regulatory process for approval from both the county and the City of Lloydminster.
Simms, speaking with 106.1 The Goat on Monday, said a services agreement is being sought from Lloydminster. A draft area structure plan is also being put together.
As for a casino license, Simms indicated that Frog Lake is still waiting on Alberta Gaming and Liquor to make a move, and a traffic impact study is ongoing from Alberta’s Ministry of Transportation. Simms also said the project was looking at approvals coming in “the next few months”, and real steps had been taken in the regulatory process.
The possibility of a WHL franchise is still up in the air.
“What we’re hearing is ‘if you build a building, and you talk to us to apply, we’ll be very interested’,” said Simms.
“They’re not really going to talk to you seriously until you’ve taken concrete steps to build a facility. But the fact that we are talking to them, and hearing what they have to say about arena size and equipment, etcetera, they understand we’re serious.”
Detailed information and maps of the development can be found by following the links below.
Concept Breakdown: https://www.dropbox.com/s/e40e0kc8oki39g6/160722%20FLFN%20Final%20Presentation_LOWres_%20%20July16.pdf?dl=0
Timeline Slideshow
https://www.dropbox.com/s/lwxcb5lude4todc/LloydEntertainmentComplexfullpresCounty0716.pdf?dl=0