‘Major-League’ Shawnee Tribe Touts Casino for Northeast Oklahoma City Area

BY: CALVIN S. SCRIBNER
The Black Chronicle, Page 1A
 03/07/08

The Shawnee Tribe has filed an application to place a $400 million “destination entertainment resort and casino” in northeast Oklahoma City.
 
The tribe wants to have the 104-acres it owns at Interstate 35 and Britton Road to be declared a federal trust so that it can build the resort and casino.
 
“Our team is committed to building a facility that will be an asset to Oklahoma City,” a statement said, “and our plans call for much more than a casino.”
 
“The resort will be an extremely high-quality, stand-out project that can make a major-league difference by bringing increased revenue to the city, county and state,” the statement continued.
 
The facility will create new jobs, increase tourism and provide numerous other community and economic benefits, it was said.
 
“This resort will strengthen Oklahoma City’s economy,” a spokesman for the tribe commented, “provide another exciting local attraction and showcase Oklahoma City as an even more vibrant, vital and thriving place to live and visit.”
 
He said an analysis done by Applied Economics, a national consulting firm, says the resort would add $354 million per year to Oklahoma City’s economy.
 
The resort would also have an additional $123 million per year economic impact on the state’s economy.
 
The tribe’s statement said the project would create 1,887 permanent jobs in accounting, management, hospitality, gaming, food service and other areas.
 
Annual payroll will be about $58 million, the spokesman said.
 
“In addition to all that, the project will benefit the Oklahoma City construction industry,” the spokesman said, adding that the level of economic impact in that area would be $278 million.
 
He said about 3,300 jobs would be created or supported in the construction industry.
If plans for the resort go forward, the spokesman said tribal leaders would sign an agreement with city and county leaders to make multimillion-dollar annual payments to those governments.
 
The agreement will ensure that the resort “complies with all traffic and environmental local, state and federal laws and regulations,” the spokesman pointed out.
 
Other annual payments will also be made to the state government, the spokesman said.
“This will be far more than a casino,” the spokesman said.
 
“It will complement other Adventure District attractions and help Oklahoma City continue to raise its profile as a major-league tourism and entertainment destination,” the spokesman emphasized.
 
These will be some attractions of the resort and casino:
 

• An 18-story, 400-room, upscale hotel that will include a full-service spa and salon, pool, fitness center, business center and banquet/meeting rooms.

• Steak/seafood, Mexican, Italian and buffet restaurants, a café, and a marketplace-style food court.

• A casino with 2,000 slot machines and 75 table games.

• A 16-screen cinema theater.

• A 72-lane bowling center.

• A 2,400-seat performance hall and showroom.

• A 70,000 sq. ft. shopping promenade featuring prime retailers, as well as a sundry shop and a logo shop.

• Surface parking for 3,500 vehicles.

The tribe is talking with potential partners for the resort, the spokesman said, including several “well-known development firms and highly-respected national brands.”
 
“The resort will be a tourism driver for Oklahoma City,” the spokesman pointed out, adding that the Shawnee Tribe expects to attract at least 2.4 million visitors during the first year of operations.