Slots Emporium Proposed for Northeast

"We're not talking about some sleazy joint," he said, adding that a gambling complex would promote economic development in an area now populated by abandoned warehouses. "New York Avenue, it looks like a war zone," he said. "I think if we can start the engine and put an anchor out there, the city would have something to be proud of."

If the board approves a petition in June, Alfonso will have six months to collect the signatures of about 17,500 registered voters, O'Field said.

Ray did not return numerous phone calls yesterday to his office.

Alfonso, a Republican entrepreneur who has lived in the District for 35 years, has long been active in civic affairs and is an enthusiastic supporter of Williams's. He is a member of the Federal City Council and once was president of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce.

Alfonso said he came up with the idea for bringing slots to the District a few months ago, as legislators in Maryland and Pennsylvania haggled over their own slots proposals. Alfonso said he realized that the District could be surrounded by gambling emporiums that would attract District residents and tempt them to pour their cash into slot machines that benefit taxpayers in other jurisdictions.

"Do you want to see the buses of our senior citizens and others interested in this form of entertainment going to all the other states, or should we just keep the dollars here at home and let it provide education and health care?" he said. "I thought, Why not keep it here?"

So Alfonso optioned land on New York Avenue not far from the National Arboretum. The parcel, now home to a gas station, a towing company, garages and a bar, is owned by District taxicab operator Gerald H. Schaeffer. Neither he nor Alfonso would reveal the terms of the purchase agreement.

Meanwhile, with the help of gambling industry experts Alfonso met during the 1994 campaign to bring riverboat casinos to the District, Alfonso said he drew up the plans for a referendum.

His initiative asks voters to add "video lottery terminals" -- the formal name for slot machines -- to the list of gambling options that are legal in the District. The D.C. Lottery and Charitable Games Control Board would be authorized to issue a single slots license to the owners of the New York Avenue property and would be prohibited from issuing a second license for at least 10 years.

The license would authorize the owners of the property to install up to 3,500 slot machines and to offer "auxiliary services," including parking, restaurants and hotels. Alfonso said he envisions a hotel, a theater, a "kids' zone," a bowling alley and a conference center, creating an entertainment mecca that's "affordable for the average family."

Researcher Bobbye Pratt contributed to this report.