Nearly three weeks ago, the Seneca Nation of Indians announced that they had purchased a 32-acre plot of land in a commercial area just south of Rochester, off of 390. Though no specific plans were ever developed, Seneca officials believe the location is the perfect spot for a casino and hotel. But, on Wednesday, the Henrietta town board voted unanimously to oppose the establishment of a casino in their town.

“I was elected to represent my community. I have heard their voice loud and clear,” said board member Janet Zinck. Not only did she hear from 18 members of the community who were against the casino, she had also received hundreds of emails and phone calls from individuals with concerns.

Ken Breese, another board member, added, “The input was pretty clear. This community doesn’t want it.”

Members of the community are set against the hotel despite the fact that, according to The Gaming Corp, which represents the Seneca Nation of Indians for gambling issues, the casino would bring in $200 million in private capital investments and create 1,000 construction jobs and 2,000 permanent jobs.

Though generally on a much smaller scale than the Seneca Nation, which spend $2.75 million on the site, Americans are purchasing land and building homes all over the country. In fact, new home sales increased 9.6% in January alone, which represents an annual pace of 468,000. The only region that didn’t see the same type of increase was the Midwest. In the West, sales were up 11%.

While there is a wide range of factors that contributes to that trend, many potential builders are concerned about the quality of the community that they live in. While some might enjoy living near the fun and excitement of a casino, others have expressed concerns. Those concerns have permeated throughout Henrietta.

Resident Robert Goldstein, a psychologist, noted, “This is not a harmless activity.” He objected to the word “gaming” and added, “We’re talking about gambling.” In the past, he directed a unit at Strong Memorial Hospital that treated addictive behaviors.

There were a handful of residents, four to be exact, who expressed publicly that the casino would be a good thing for the area.

“It will only bring jobs,” said Goody Freed. He didn’t agree that the casino would be disruptive to life saying, “We’re not talking about a stadium. People trickle in. People trickle out.”

For now, the case seems to be settled, and Henrietta won’t be getting a casino any time soon. Actually, the Seneca Nation does not have any plans to even make a presentation to the board. In the long run, it might be a mistake to rule out the possibility of the topic being revisited.