City documents have unveiled that the developer of the planned Headwaters Resort and Casino which is set to be situated near Harbor Park withdrew its development application from review by the architectural review board of the city at the beginning of the week.
According to a spokesperson representing the casino development group, the city recommended the team of HeadWaters Resort and Casino should not table the application that is necessary for a building certificate for the first phase of the casino. The company’s decision to pull off the plans follows the Pamunkey Indian Tribe and its development partners to submit a gradual plan for building the casino and hotel in two separate phases.
The casino’s plans were part of the Architecture Review Board’s agenda for further consideration on July 24th and the city Planning Commission’s agenda on July 27th, but both items were continued. According to the review board’s agenda, the review was deterred by the applicant for an indefinite period. According to a spokesperson for the development, city officials will meet privately with the Pamunkey Tribe and its development partners on July 25th.
For the time being, it remains unclear what the indefinite delay would mean for the future of the planned Headwaters Resort and Casinos. The names of the exact city government officials who are set to meet with the casino team later today have also been kept secret.
Casino Officials Have Received Contradictory Guidance on the Planned Casino from the City
Today’s meeting comes after casino officials revealed that they received contradictory guidance from the city board in two separate letters dated March 1st and July 14th, respectively.
The Pamunkey Tribe and its development partners’ team requested a meeting with city officials after receiving the most recent letter, as they needed more clarity from the city board on the proposed path to get hold of the land and start the construction works of its planned casino and hotel resort as soon as possible.
In a statement, the tribe also reiterated that it remains committed to finally getting the casino and 300-room resort up and running. The Pamunkey Tribe’s Chief, Robert Gray, shared that regardless of the changes in the city board’s stance and the city’s desire to reduce the land the tribe had available for the development of the project, it intended to follow through on its pledge to proceed with the construction of the $500-million resort and casino featuring a luxurious, high-end 300-room hotel and other entertainment amenities. Mr. Gray further noted that the tribe was looking forward to a fresh start with the new city manager after the planned private meeting that is set to be held later today.
The proposed casino resort facility was officially approved by Norfolk voters through a referendum that took place in 2020. Since then, several development plans became subject to discussions but the project has not moved much forward with its planned construction.
As CasinoGamesPro reported, in June, the latest proposal eliminated two previous plans to establish a temporary casino to operate before the full-scale casino is up and running.
