Federal officials issued guidelines for a Michigan tribe to place 60 acres in federal trust in Fruitport in Muskegon County, where it plans to build a casino.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) this issued its report outlining the areas that must be studied, including an environmental impact statement, and analyze the potential impact of the Manistee-based Little River Band of Ottawa Indians’ proposed casino.
“This is another big step for the Little River Band and the Muskegon community to bring economic development to the region,” Tribal Ogema Larry Romanelli said in a statement.
The BIA last September opened a period for public comment on the matter, in order to identify areas of concern if it allowed the tribe to move forward with its casino project, and issued its report to the Little River Band this month, the tribe announced on Feb. 4.
The Little River Band tentatively proposes building a $180 million, 69,000-square-foot casino containing 1,700 slots machines and 35 table games. The tribe said it has no set timeline for the project, which could be completed in two to seven years, if at all, and would employ about 1,500.
The Little River Band already owns and operates a casino in Manistee, which is a popular lakeside tourist destination during the summer months, but mostly is surrounded by rural communities.
The tribe would like to open a casino in Muskegon County, which has a much larger population and is located closer to larger communities.
The tribe also says most of its members live in Muskegon County, and the casino would diversify the local economy, as well as the tribe’s.
