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There has been another delay for the Pamunkey Indian Tribe’s HeadWaters Resort and Casino project in Norfolk.
HeadWaters’ development team was scheduled to present its application for a Development Certificate to the city’s Architecture Review Board on Monday. But that presentation was pulled and city officials and the developers met Tuesday to discuss the project.
The Pamunkey Indian Tribe, the group behind the Virginia casino and resort project, and the city released a joint statement after the meeting, according to WVEC-TV.
“Both sides remain fully committed to building a first-class destination resort and casino along the Elizabeth River and will work diligently together in the weeks ahead to lay out a plan and schedule to develop the project as quickly as possible,” the joint statement read.
Norfolk voters approved casino gaming in the city in a referendum more than two years ago. Since then, the city officials have discussed several development plans, but there’s been little effort on the project.
Pamunkey Indian Tribe agreed to meeting
The casino said the city officials asked to meet with the Pamunkey Indian Tribe and its development team. According to the Wavy.com, Robert Gray, chief of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, said:
“We are solely focused on getting this project off the ground and look forward to making that happen as soon as possible. We remain committed to working closely with the city and our neighbors to make this the greatest resort and casino in Virginia.”
The meeting between the city, developers and tribe officials cames weeks after updated site plans were submitted and they said they received contradictory guidance from the city.
The tribe stated it received two letters dated March 1 and July 14. They said the one received later “contradicted the prior direction given to the tribe and its development team in a March 1, 2023 letter from the city.”
The tribe also responded by requesting the meeting to clarify the city’s proposed path to acquire the land and start construction on the resort.
What will the new Virginia casino project include?
Norfolk’s Architectural Review Board heard plans for the first of two phases to build the HeadWaters Resort and Casino on July 10.
The latest proposal from June scrapped two previous plans to build a temporary casino:
- To place a temporary casino adjacent to the Harbor Park baseball stadium while the permanent structure was built.
- To build a temporary gaming facility in the parking lot.
The long-term plan for the site includes a hotel, pool and cabanas overlooking Harbor Park, with an overall price tag of around $500 million.
