“When we started, we hoped for a process that was five to six years, and now we’re past 10.

“This was 80 percent of what had to be done - it’s huge in my opinion,” Romanelli said.

If the federal government approves and takes the land into trust for the tribe, the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians would then need to seek state approval for its casino plans.įor Larry Romanelli, the ogema or elected leader of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, the step marks a significant milestone. With the publication, the tribe will take one step closer to having the federal government take the former Great Lakes Downs horse track location into trust, removing a critical hurdle for the project. The BIA’s announcement in the Federal Register then kicks off a 30-day public comment period, after which the government will issue a final decision in the application. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs will announce plans to file a Final Environmental Impact Statement on the tribe’s request for the federal government to take into trust 60 acres of land at the former Great Lakes Downs horse track. The tribe’s second casino is proposed for a former horse racing track in Muskegon, Mich., about 95 miles south of the existing Little River Casino Resort near Manistee. The Little River Band of Ottawa Indians has reached a critical milestone in the more than a decade long process to develop a $180 million casino in West Michigan.

How far to little river casino