HeadWaters Resort and Casino to open gaming operations in 2025
The Pamunkey Indian Tribe and its casino development team have resubmitted plans for the HeadWaters Resort and Casino project that show a more compact footprint without a marina and envision the casino opening before the rest of the facility. The final site plans must be reviewed and ultimately approved by City Council before Norfolk will sell the necessary land for the project, which is adjacent to Harbor Park and the Elizabeth River.
The plans are slated to first be reviewed at a Jan. 8 Architectural Review Board hearing. There are no details in the documents submitted to the city about the construction timeline or full cost of the project. But casino representatives said the plan is for at least some casino gaming operations to begin in 2025 while construction of other parts of the development, including the hotel and spa, is ongoing.
HeadWaters developers are “committed” to spend at least half a billion dollars on the casino project, which includes a 300-room hotel, fitness and spa area, restaurants, and 65,000-square foot casino floor, said Jay Smith, a spokesperson for HeadWaters.
“We need to start construction in spring of ‘24 to meet our statutory requirement of opening game operations by November 2025,” Smith said.
The casino is looking to set up 1,800 to 2,000 gaming machines and 50 table games, but he said fewer machines and tables are likely to be up and running in the beginning.
“So on day one of November 2025, it won’t have 2,000 machines and 50 table games, it will probably be about half that,” Smith said.
Norfolk City Council to approve the final site plans
The tribe and developers Golden Eagle Consulting II pulled the last plans before a vote from the city’s Architectural Review Board earlier this year after opposition from city leadership to a two-phase approach that sought to build the permanent gaming and resort components in two phases and lacked details about the hotel and other amenities.
The city also said the current agreement would not allow for such a plan and that the council would have needed to approve an amendment. The tribe said they received contradictory guidance from the city on the plans and decided to withdraw the application and resubmit it with a revised approach.
The new plans show a more compact footprint without a marina and propose to build the project in one continuous phase from north to south with construction on the hotel starting in 2026. The plans also include an overall layout of the resort and casino on the site, offsite roadway improvements, utility connections, site elevations, rough grading and drainage.
The submittal of the preliminary plan initiates the process to obtain the final site plan approval necessary to start construction on the resort and casino. The tribe plans to file an application for final site plan approval and an application for a Development Certificate before Dec. 11.
Once those applications are in, the tribe says it will enable the applications to be considered by the Norfolk Architectural Review Board in Jan. 2024 and considered by the Planning Commission later that month, then followed by Norfolk City Council hearing the applications in Feb. 2024.
The tribe says along with the processing of the applications, they will work with their development team and the city to amend the existing agreements and implement other measures to start construction as soon as possible after the applications are approved and permits granted.
HeadWaters Resort and Casino to boost the local economy and benefit the tribes
The HeadWaters Resort and Casino project is expected to generate significant economic benefits for the city, the state, and the tribes involved. According to the tribe, the project will create 2,500 construction jobs and 2,000 permanent jobs, as well as generate $30 million in annual tax revenue for the city and $50 million for the state.
The project will also benefit the Pamunkey Indian Tribe and the other recognized Virginia tribes that will receive a portion of the gaming revenue. The tribe says the project will help them preserve their culture, history, and sovereignty, as well as provide education, health care, and housing for their members.
The project will also offer a unique gaming and entertainment experience for the visitors, with a variety of amenities and attractions, such as a pool, a spa, a concert venue, and several restaurants. The project will also feature a tribal cultural center that will showcase the history and heritage of the Pamunkey and other Virginia tribes.
The HeadWaters Resort and Casino project is one of the five casino projects approved by Virginia voters in Nov. 2020, along with Bristol, Danville, Portsmouth, and Richmond. The project will be the second casino to open in Hampton Roads after Rivers Casino Portsmouth opened in Jan. 2023.
