NORFOLK, Va. — The developers of the proposed Headwaters Resort & Casino met with city officials on Tuesday to continue discussing their plans of bringing a casino to the city.
Following the meeting, both sides released statements saying they remain committed to the project.
“The Tribe has not wavered in its commitment to deliver on our promise to the citizens of Norfolk – to construct a resort and casino of which the Tribe, the City and their citizens can be proud. The significance of this project to the region, the recognized tribes that will benefit from it and the entire Commonwealth cannot be overstated,” said Robert Gray, Chief of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe. “For that reason, we are eager to get started.”
Last month, the developer submitted plans to build the casino first and the resort second, but that appears to be causing some questions about the project.
Mayor Kenny Alexander told WHRO the phased development plan was not allowed in the deal with the city.
"We're not going to settle for anything less than [the original plan], and we just want to make sure they understand that," Alexander told WHRO. "We intend to adhere to what the voters were told as it relates to what we're going to get."
Alexander did not respond to a request for comment from News 3 about what he said to WHRO.
The developer has said they have been getting contradictory information from the city.
News 3 requested a copy of two letters sent to the developers about their plans. A city spokesperson said she had also requested the information, but had not received the plans.
The developer was supposed to present their plan to the Architectural Review Board on Monday, but the city asked to meet with developer instead.
On the city's website, the project is listed as indefinitely deferred by the applicant.
There are several layers of approval needed for the casino to be built.
In 2020, voters in Norfolk approved a casino being built in the city. It has taken since then to get to this point as both sides continue to work out the next steps.
