Soon, visitors to Rivers Casino Pittsburgh will have the option to extend their stay without having to leave the sprawling 450,000-square-foot entertainment complex located on the city’s North Shore.

The new $60 million, seven-story The Landing Hotel Pittsburgh will be built along the banks of the Ohio River and feature 219 guest rooms. It will be attached to the east facade of the casino building, linked to the venue’s gaming level and the banquet facilities on the second floor.

According to local KDKA CBS Pittsburgh…

With the majority of the required city approvals in hand, Rivers general manager Bill Keena hopes that construction will begin – on what will be one of the finest hotels in the city in western Pennsylvania – by the summer’s end.

“We want to be able to turn dirt as quickly as possible,” Keena explained.

“I’d like to be able to get that done in the next two or three months, and get going as fast as possible.”

Changing landscape:

Rivers Pittsburgh initially received approval from the Pittsburgh Planning Commission to build the hotel in 2017, however, the development was put on hold after in October Governor Tom Wolf approved sweeping expansion legislation allowing for up to 10 new Class 4 casinos in the state.

“Statewide gaming expansion changed our schedule, but never our intentions. Rush Street always envisioned a hotel for Rivers to create a full-service destination on the North Shore. We see it as a natural evolution,” said Greg Carlin, Chief Executive Officer for Rush Street Gaming and Rivers Casino Pittsburgh, according to the new release.

Build pending approvals:

Rivers has already reportedly begun the application process and pending approval from city zoning and planning departments, construction is set to start this summer sometime. The project will take approximately 18 months to complete, with Rivers eyeing an early 2021 ribbon-cutting.

Meanwhile, several significant property upgrades have been completed by Rivers, including launching the city’s first licensed sportsbook, the opening of the 25,000 sq ft The Event Center, and the addition of FLIPT, a gourmet burger restaurant.

In addition to 1,400 temporary construction jobs, upon completion, The Landing Hotel Pittsburgh will see about 128 permanent new hotel and casino jobs added.

Development details:

The hotel will be built by Pittsburgh-based Massaro Construction Group and will be based on original designs via architecture firm VOA, from which Klai Juba Wald will be the lead architect. Planning and landscape design will be done by the Pittsburgh office of Strada, LLC.

The opening will be the second for The Landing Hotel, having opened in 2017 as part of Rivers Casino and Resort’s complex at Mohawk Harbor in Schenectady, New York.

Morgantown license:

In related news, on June 12, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board issued a Category 4 license to Hollywood Casino Morgantown, the proposed facility to be located just off the Morgantown exit of the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Caernarvon Township in Berks County.

Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association’s $111 million investment is the last of five licenses the gaming board auctioned off last year. The 89,500 square foot satellite casino will reportedly include 750 slot machines, 30 table games, with an additional 40 anticipated,a sportsbook, and dining and entertainment facilities.

The Wyomissing-based Penn National Gaming subsidiary, which owns Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course, paid $7.5 million to locate a mini casino in the area.