The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community may play a key role in the next proposed expansion of the Mall of America.

The SMSC confirmed today that it is in talks with the Mall of America and Mortenson Development, Inc. to finance a new luxury hotel planned for the north side of the Bloomington mall. The tribe runs the Mystic Lake and Little Six casinos near Shakopee. They also have a hotel at Mystic Lake with nearly 600 rooms.

The Mall of America is planning to include a hotel with about 330 rooms in an expansion expected to break ground this fall. Plans call for an additional 150,000 square feet of retail space, a welcome center for international visitors, new dining options, an atrium event center and other features. The expansion is expected to cost about $230 million.