Michigan tribal casino project boosted by Bureau of Indian Affairs, state lawmaker

A Michigan state lawmaker advocating for the proposed future home of a new casino in Muskegon celebrated the news Friday that the project has moved one step closer to governmental approval last week, following an environmental impact study.

State Rep. Terry Sabo, D-Muskegon, voiced support in a statement Friday for a casino development with more than 10 years in the making, MLive reports. The plans are put forward by the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, a federally recognized tribe of Odawa (Ottawa) people based in Mason and Manistee counties.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) filed Friday a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) to the federal registry, paving the way for the Little River Band tribe to acquire 60 acres of land at the site of a former racetrack in Fruitport Township to convert into a casino and hotel property. The Bureau of Indian Affairs reviewed four alternatives to the LRBOI’s full project, but selected the full project as the preferred alternative.

“I’m very pleased to see the tribe was able to make progress at the federal level and take this significant step forward in the approval process," Sabo said in the statement. "I stand ready to do whatever necessary to make this casino a reality and bring an estimated 3,000 jobs to our community. The economic impact of this project cannot be overestimated, and it’s just another example of the revitalization of the greater Muskegon area.”

Sabo was not the only elected official to celebrate the news. “This is HUGE news for Fruitport Township, Norton Shores and the Harvey Street Corridor,” Norton Shores mayor Gary Nelund wrote on social media, calling the move a “game-changer.”

“This is an incredible step forward in our process to build the Muskegon County Casino Project,” said Larry Romanelli, the tribe’s leader, in a press release announcing the notice’s filing on Thursday.

The FEIS process follows federal rules about transferring land for the purpose of establishing Indian-operated casinos. It’s part of a multitiered bureaucratic procedure called fee-to-trust, by which the Bureau of Indian Affairs acts as the federal agency that reviews and approves applications from tribes to put land into trust. The trust can then be used to establish Indian-operated casinos. And it’s a significant step toward bringing the long-envisioned gaming site to fruition in Muskegon County, home to the largest community of Little River Band members.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs evaluated the project’s potential effect on land, soil, water, agricultural resources, traffic, air quality, noise, public health and more. The agency weighed the project against alternatives, including developments that do not allow gambling and no development at all. By filing the FEIS as a Notice of Availability, the bureau supports the tribe’s application to place into trust about 60 acres of land in Fruitport Township, the site of the former Great Lakes Downs racetrack.

Following the filing of this notice, the public may submit comments for up to 30 days. After that, the federal government will assess the project before it heads to the desk of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the state legislature for approval, according to a press release announcing the study’s filing. Approval is expected in the next two months. The final environmental impact statement is available for review at the Fruitport Public Library located at 605 Eclipse Blvd, Fruitport, and online at www.littlerivereis.com.

This action follows a decade of discussion, with more concrete strides taken in the last two years. That includes a draft environmental impact study filed in November 2018, a public hearing about the project at Fruitport Middle School the following month, and a months-long public comment period throughout the spring of 2019.

The project is estimated to create 3,000 jobs in the area — half during construction, and half servicing the planned 69,000-square-foot casino with 1,700 slot machines and 35 table games, 220-room hotel and related dining, entertainment and conference space. Plans call for the campus to span 86.5 acres in total, of which 60 acres will be from the trust in question in an area between I-96 and South Harvey Street, according to the press release.

According to the Little River Band’s fee-to-trust application, development is expected to cost $180 million. It is expected to generate $15 million in state tax revenue, according to the press release.

The tribe has operated a casino in Manistee since 1999. It recently announced plans to build out a hotel development at the entrance to that city.