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The Catawba Indian Nation will present plans and renderings of the new destination casino planned for a site in Kings Mountain, N.C. 1 Julian Price Pl. The State of North Carolina, NC is located in the East of the United-States. The waters of the Atlantic Ocean bath its Eastern coasts. The population is around 9,5 million and its capital is Raleigh. Its main city remains Charlotte. There is no gaming establishment within the territory of NC.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A yearslong bid by the South Carolina-based Catawba Indian Nation to build a casino and resort in North Carolina could stall once again following a lawsuit by North Carolina-based Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the latest development in a casino turf war between the two tribes.
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians filed an amended complaint against the U.S. Department of the Interior this week, challenging the federal government’s approval in March for a Catawba casino development on land near Interstate 85 in Kings Mountain, just west of Charlotte, into trust for the planned Catawba casino.
The amended complaint this week is part of a lawsuit filed in federal court in D.C. by the Cherokee tribe in March, five days after the agency’s decision. A judge denied a motion by the Eastern Band for a preliminary injunction in April, finding the plaintiffs did not establish irreparable harm.
The plaintiffs, including the Cherokee tribe and a dozen of its members residing near the Kings Mountain site, say the land is historically theirs. They say per the legal process the government is supposed to follow to acquire trust land for the Catawba tribe, that land must be in South Carolina.
Strict laws in South Carolina prohibit most forms of gambling in the state.
The lawsuit also alleges the Department of the Interior violated legal requirements by not consulting with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to identify and protect cultural resources at the site, and not examining potential environmental impacts of the proposed development.
“We welcome the growing coalition that is fighting against the DOI’s decision,” said Richard G. Sneed, principal chief of the tribe, in a statement Wednesday.
Catawba Chief Bill Harris indicated plans for the casino are moving forward, including a groundbreaking scheduled later this month at the site.
“We are confident that the judge will find that the Department of Interior followed all federal laws and made the proper decision regarding our application,” Harris said in a statement Wednesday.
The plaintiffs allege that a South Carolina casino developer named Wallace Cheves is behind the acquisition.
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They noted that two Catawba-connected businessmen pleaded guilty in 2007 in a scheme to funnel Catawba funds to political candidates seeking to reverse South Carolina’s ban on gaming.
In a statement Wednesday, the Cherokee tribe said Cheves “prevailed on the Catawba to try its luck in North Carolina.”
Cheves did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday afternoon.
“This decision empowers the Catawba Indian Nation to pursue economic development opportunities for the benefit of its members and community,” DOI spokesperson Conner Swanson said. Swanson said the decision to approve the site “was reached after an extensive review process as established under law, and the Department stands behind its decision.”
In March, the federal government approved the Catawba tribe’s use of 16 acres (6.5 hectares) across the state border in North Carolina, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) northwest of the Catawba reservation in upstate South Carolina.
An economic development evaluation of the project cited in the government’s decision found the $273 million investment in the entertainment complex could generate more than 1,600 construction jobs and create more than 3,000 direct and indirect jobs once built.
The federal government’s decision said the Catawba tribe had “both a tribal population and governmental presence in North Carolina where the site is located.”
The tribe provides health care, employment and other services in a multi-county, two-state area that includes 253 members living in North Carolina, the document said: “Though the site falls within an area where another tribe may assert aboriginal ties, that fact does not detract the Nation’s ties to the land.”
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians currently runs two casinos in the mountains of North Carolina.
Last year, North Carolina Sens. Richard Burr and Thom Tillis and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham introduced a bill that would have directed the Department of Interior to authorize gambling on the land.
Just before coronavirus began dominating the news cycle last month, the U.S. Department of the Interior approved a proposal from the Catawba Indian Nation to build a casino complex on 16.57 acres in Kings Mountain.
“The Nation is very thankful for the Department’s decision to take this land into trust, enabling us to achieve the promise of self-determination though economic development,” said Catawba Chief William Harris in a statement.
According to plans, the entertainment facility will cost $273 million.
Timeline: The tribe has not provided an exact target grand opening date, but it’ll be in several years. Once plans are finalized, construction is estimated to take well over a year. “We will share the timeline as quickly as possible, but do plan to have the casino opening as quickly as possible,” says Elizabeth Harris, a Catawba Indian Nation representative.
It’s unclear how the coronavirus outbreak will impact the planning or construction timeline. Last month, the Catawbas said all tribal meetings and events would be canceled through at least April 30.
Details:Proposed plans call for a 195,000-square-foot mixed use development with over 75,000 square feet of gaming space. The casino will have 1,796 slots, 54 table games, and a player’s club, along with restaurants and bars with a total of 940 seats. It’ll be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It’s not yet clear whether or not there will be a sports book.
“In order to have those types of games we have to negotiate a gaming compact with the North Carolina Governor’s office,” Elizabeth Harris tells the Agenda. “We plan to begin working with them on getting a compact in place.”
Location: The new casino will be in Kings Mountain, right off of Interstate 85 at Dixon School Road. It’s 35 miles from Uptown. Plans for the project call for about 1,110 surface-level parking spaces and a five-story parking deck, which will have 1,020 spaces.
Neighboring business: “We think this is going to be very positive for all businesses in the area,” says Monique Sullivan founder of Veronét Vineyards & Winery, which is just a few miles away from the casino site.
“We really love how our vineyard is a great day trip and escape for people from Charlotte, and so many hikers from Crowders are coming out to enjoy nature with a morning hike and then spending the afternoon with us. Now when you add the casino, we think it’s going to contribute a lot of momentum to the area.”
(Veronét temporarily closed its doors on March 17, in compliance with the state’s stay at home order.)
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Renderings courtesy of Catawba Indian Nation and Delaware North