by:John Domol
FRUITPORT TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — County officials say a project to build a tribal casino in Muskegon has been in the works for about a decade, and now the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians has made a large step forward in making it happen.
The property southeast of Muskegon where the Great Lakes Downs racetrack once occupied has been reclaimed by nature.
Rep. Terry Sabo, D-Muskegon, said, “We’ve been anticipating it and it’s something that we really need in this area.”
Sources say the casino and 220-room hotel would be an economic boon to Fruitport Township, more than doubling property values in the immediate area at Harvey Street and Hile Road. It would also create thousands of jobs in a county with one of the highest unemployment rates in Michigan.
Planners say the $180 million project finally reached a behind-the-scenes milestone this month when the Bureau of Indian Affairs has pushed through a Final Environmental Impact Statement for federal approval.
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