Danbury OTB parlor wins zoning commission approval

Danbury”™s first off-track-betting (OTB) parlor has taken a major step forward, following the city”™s zoning commission’s 6-3 vote in favor of approving a zoning regulation amendment.

The issue ”“ long a bone of contention for several Danbury residents and businesses ”“ now goes to Danbury”™s 21-member City Council, which is expected to take it up as early as next month.

If passed, the amendment would allow the addition of an approximately 1,200-square-foot OTB operation to the second floor of Two Steps Downtown Grille, a longtime fixture at 5 Ives St.

Gambling and entertainment company Sportech, which has exclusive licensing rights to OTB in Connecticut, has pledged $750,000 to renovate the eatery and has said that it will provide 1.6 percent of its gross revenue to CityCenter Danbury, the special taxing district formed by merchants in the late 1980s. City officials have estimated that sum could be as much as $100,000 per year.

In July, Sportech opened an OTB at Bobby V”™s Restaurant and Sports Bar at 268 Atlantic St. in Stamford.