A casino in Norfolk, Va., is another step closer to opening. That’s after that city’s Planning Commission supported a plan to use space at a local minor league baseball stadium for a temporary gaming venue.
With a 5-1 vote at its meeting Thursday, the commission recommended a two-year conditional use permit for the Pamunkey Indian Tribe to operate a temporary casino in a vacant restaurant and boxing club at Harbor Park Stadium.
Rodney Ferguson, the executive vice president for the Pamunkey Indian Tribal Gaming Authority, told the commission that the temporary venue would hold about 625 slot machines, may also feature electronic table games, and offer a restaurant. He added that the goal is to use the temporary casino to introduce Class III gaming to the region.
The tribe and the city reached an agreement in 2020 that voters approved to build HeadWaters Resort and Casino, a $500 million development on 13 acres of waterfront property next to the ballpark.
"What our property will do is allow the residents and guests to come to a facility that will be a teaser to our big facility, our more permanent facility… it will be a first step into (the) Norfolk market that will showcase what HeadWaters can actually do,” Ferguson said.