Hillbillies casino zoning granted

Jethro Bodine’s Beverly Hillbillies Mansion & Casino came one step closer to reality Thursday, when a zoning map amendment and gaming district overlay were approved by the Douglas County Board of Commissioners.

The vote was 3-2, with commissioners Doug Johnson and David Brady casting the two dissenting votes.

“If it were just a casino I wouldn’t be for it, but it’s so much more than that,” said Commissioner Jim Baushke. “If it comes to fruition, it will include a conference center, hotel and retail space. If he (developer Max Baer) can fill those conference rooms, it will mean a lot of revenue for a lot of people.

“We can argue the numbers all day long but the basic thing, if it’s built as proposed, it will be better for Douglas County than pure retail space,” he said.

Johnson said he has never disagreed more with the Board than he does at this point.

“We’re granting the zoning to this project irregardless of whether the casino builds there or not,” he said. “This scares me, but once it’s final, it’s final.”

Discussions concerning an appeal over a proposed 200-foot oil derrick, sign area and number of sign faces for the proposed casino, were continued to Dec. 6.