After waiting 12 years, the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians is ready for the digging to commence at the site of its proposed $180 million off-reservation casino in Muskegon County, Michigan, at the site of the former Great Lakes Down racetrack in Fruitport Township. The Bureau of Indian Affairs approved the tribe’s land-trust application last October. Now approvals are needed from the legislature and the governor, said Tribal Ogema Larry Romanelli.
“I was in my 50s when this project started. I am now in my 70s, so it’s been a long project. Behind the scenes, there’s been constant work on this. The tribe has invested a lot of money on this, millions of dollars, and we’re now at I’d say the three yard line,” Romanelli said.
He added, “It’s really time to move this to the final stages. That means we really need to get this thing moving. We are in some terms shovel-ready.”
According to the tribe, which also operates a casino in Manistee, the 69,000-square-foot casino would include 1,700 slots and 35 table games; along with a 220-room hotel, event and conference space and dining and entertainment areas, the venue would create 1,500 construction jobs and 1,500 permanent jobs and generate $15 million in tax revenue.
Romanelli also noted some design plans may change due to Covid-19. He said, “We are hopeful now. Because of the pandemic, it’s going to take two years to get this thing up and running. The need for jobs is even greater. Everybody knows that’s why there’s so much support.”
That’s not necessarily so. Both the Detroit City Council and the Wayne County Board of Commissioners recently passed resolutions opposing “any off-reservation gaming effort” in Michigan, specifically mentioning the Little River Band’s Fruitport Township casino and the Sault Tribe’s proposed casino in Wayne County.
Romanelli said it seems “a little odd” to have opposition coming from across the state. “It feels like an imposition into us doing business. I would not think about going to Detroit and mandate how they do their business.”
In its resolution, Detroit City Council stated off-reservation gaming could “pose a threat” to revenue generated from its three commercial casinos, MGM Grand Detroit, Greektown Casino and MotorCity Casino Hotel. Wayne County Commissioner Alisha Bell added the board is concerned about a “possible influx of casino gaming operations.”
Three tribes that operate within a 2-hour drive from Muskegon County issued statements of support for the Detroit-area officials’ position. Gun Lake Tribe and Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe spokesman James Nye said the resolutions show “bipartisan opposition” to off-reservation gaming.
Similar resolutions were introduced in the Michigan House and Senate earlier this year.
The Little River Band’s casino project is strongly supported by the community, including the Muskegon County Board of Commissioners, Fruitport Township and the city of Norton Shores.
But Nye believes the opposing resolutions from the “largest city in the state of Michigan” could influence Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Romanelli and other tribal leaders met with her in February to familiarize her with the project. Romanelli said he has “faith and trust” in the governor. “This does have bipartisan support, strong bipartisan support, so, I just think the stars have aligned properly,” Romanelli said.
Whitmer’s Press Secretary Bobby Leddy said the governor’s office still is reviewing the application. Romanelli said if the governor approves the project the tribe will start construction within 60 days.
