The proposed racino in Turtlecreek Twp. cleared another hurdle Thursday when the Warren County Regional Planning Commission approved plans for the facility.

Designers of the facility told the planning commission they were looking to create an “elegant and beautifully proportioned building” to house a racetrack, slot machines and several other affinities.

“There is a push to just give a casino a big box design, but we don’t want to do that,” said Nick Schoenfeldt, an architect with Thalden, Boyd, and Emery Architects, who is designing the building. “We want to create a challenging and artistic architectural element.”

Among the features of the racino Schoenfeldt detailed in his presentation to the commission were

• a 5/8-mile harness racing track with an attached, enclosed grandstand that could also serve as a multi-purpose room for other functions
• A casino building with a large glass atrium space with lighting capabilities that would “make the building come alive at night,” according to Schoenfeldt
• Video boards along the walkways to the casino’s entrance that will allow pedestrians to see what is going on inside
• Several eating options inside the building, including a fine dining space, a buffet area, a sports bar with multiple televisions, a fast casual dining space and a coffee bar
• A paddock that could hold between 85 and 125 horses
• A 3,000-space parking lot with valet and self parking

The zoning commission and the racino operators still argued over the size of a sign for the facility. Whereas the racino developers had originally asked for a 200-foot tall sign, they scaled the request down to a 150-foot sign that would sit on the property but be visible from the highway — about a quarter mile away.

The zoning board said it would allow a 100-foot tall sign that could not exceed 1,000 square feet per side in area. Casino representative Ron Sultemeier said developers were also considering a sign that would be attached to the racino roof.

The developers said they were looking to break ground on the project in December and expected construction to take 12-13 months to complete.

Final agreements to purchase both the land and racing license must still be approved. The County Commissioners must also approve site plans for the racino, which they are scheduled to vote on at their Nov. 20 meeting.

Commissioners and race track officials are still negotiating a number of items, including if a winnings tax should be imposed on some or all winners and the split in revenues from a Tax Increment Finance Fund being established around the area.

Miami Valley Gaming and Racing LLC., a joint venture of Delaware North Companies Gaming and Entertainment and Churchill Downs Inc., purchased the horse racing licenses currently used at the Lebanon Raceway from Miami Valley Gaming and Racing LLC and the Lebanon Trotting Club LLC for a reported $60 million earlier this year.

The new owners want to build a $175 million racetrack and casino facility near the intersection of Ohio 63 and Union Road in Turtlecreek Twp., near the Lebanon Correctional Institution on the site of former farmland owned by the prison. The facility is expected to have 2,500 video lottery terminals, but not other table games. The former owners of Lebanon Raceway had long maintained that video slot machines and a new facility were needed in order to make the operation profitable. Operators said they estimate the racino could bring $24 million to the area annually.