Artist's rendering of proposed Catawba Nation casino in North Carolina. Image from Catawba Nation Project Brief
The Catawba Nation submitted a nearly 250-page land-into-trust application for a casino in North Carolina, The Charlotte Business Journal reports. The application covers a 16-acre site in Cleveland County. Plans call for a $600 million gaming and entertainment facility there. The Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina Land Claims Settlement Act includes the county in the tribe's service area. The law states that the Bureau of Indian Affairs must place the land in trust. “The settlement agreement between the tribe and the State of South Carolina confirms this, as it makes clear that as to non-contiguous lands, the secretary has no discretion not to acquire non-contiguous lands in trust if the settlement act is followed,” the application states, the Journal reported. The tribe's headquarters are in South Carolina but plans for gaming there have hit legal roadblocks. Chief William Harris also said the tribe has no options to acquire additional land in the state "due to refusal of private landholders to sell or to sell at a reasonable price." Get the Story:
Catawbas first looked for York County land before launching NC casino idea (The Charlotte Business Journal 1/7) Related Stories:
Opinion: Catawba Nation entitled to casino in North Carolina (12/30)
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