UK
T he developers of the long-stalled Norfolk casino project, which was approved by city voters in November 2020, have yet another plan.
The City of Norfolk teamed up with billionaire gaming industry veteran Jon Yarbrough and the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, a small Native American tribe situated around 65 miles north of the Hampton Roads city in King William, for its casino endeavor. The project is expected to cost almost half a billion dollars, and last week the tribe and Yarbrough, through his Golden Eagle Consulting, LLC, released another architectural idea.
The most recent scope includes a casino resort and hotel building that aims to honor the city's illustrious maritime past with an exterior inspired by the design and color scheme of a sleek luxury boat. The destination, which was created by the architectural firms HKS and SWA Group, would be "carvel built," a technique for creating boats that produces a smooth, aerodynamic external surface.
The facility will contain a casino, hotel, ballroom, spa and fitness center, and parking garage. It would be constructed on approximately 13.5 acres of city-owned land next to the Norfolk Tides' home field, Harbor Park Minor League Baseball Stadium.
Welcome Plan of City Officials
Because of the ongoing delays in starting ground, the Norfolk administration has grown more and more irate with Yarbrough and the Pamunkey Tribe.
The developers have attributed the setbacks on a challenging construction site and the state and city's planned $2.6 billion infrastructure project, which involves constructing a floodwall along the Elizabeth River that is 17 feet high. The resort concept had to be revised after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers prepared to construct the floodwall, despite the tribe and Yarbrough's initial plans to include a marina with the casino.
The tribe's plan to build the resort in stages, starting with the casino, was another obstacle. City officials opposed that concept, insisting that the entire resort arrive simultaneously.
Prior to it being made clear that the state gaming legislation only permits temporary casinos to operate at the same mailing address as the permanent casino, the developers had also attempted to construct a temporary casino inside Harbor Park.
Despite the fact that no concrete has been moved in the nearly four years since Norfolk voters approved a casino project headed by the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, City of Norfolk Communications Director Kelly Straub stated that the local government is "encouraged" by the most recent plan.
"We are very encouraged by the most recent application for a development certificate which is now proceeding through the review process,” said Straub. “The City of Norfolk remains committed to fostering a vibrant and thriving community, and the resort casino is poised to be a cornerstone of this vision.”
The city's Architectural Review Board (ARB) must approve the casino's design before building can start.
Sunk is the name of HeadWaters.
The HeadWaters Resort & Casino name was utilized in earlier Yarbrough and Tribal designs for the Norfolk casino. However, it appears that the development group has abandoned that moniker after encountering numerous obstacles.
HeadWaters was not referenced at all in the casino's ARB presentation. Rather, the project was just called the Norfolk Casino.
"Norfolk Casino will reimagine the waterfront inspired by its own rich maritime history,” the presentation’s “Design Narrative” read. “The graceful curves of the shipping channels and railroad lines that once traversed the site have been translated into various components of the project.”
“These influences pay homage to the original use of the bustling marine terminal in hope to aid in the careful endeavor to bring new life to the Harbor Park area once again,” the statement added.
