Tribal Casino Due At I-35, Britton Road?
By Jerry Bohnen, NewsRadio 1000 KTOK ~ Another Indian casino might be coming to Oklahoma City, this one along I-35 and Britton Road.
The Shawnee Tribe headquartered in Miami has paid $4.6 million for 104 acres of land west of the interstate between Britton Road and Wilshire Boulevard.
Tribal leaders recently paid a courtesy call on Oklahoma County Commissioners to inform them of their intentions of building a casino, hotel and retail and office space.
The land sale was made by Tannenbaum Developers to the tribe and was finalized last Thursday morning. A spokesman for Tannenbaum has not returned a phone call for a comment. An Oklahoma City spokesman working with the Shawnee tribe confirmed the business deal. Other sources indicated that the tribe had to convert the property to a trust and win approval from the Indian Gaming Commission before the casino and hotel could be built.
But the project already has at least one opponent, businessman Sam Emmert and his wife Kathy Emmert, who are owners of the Statuary World at 8401 North I-35.
The property purchased by the Shawnee tribe wraps around theirs and they fear the site where they've been for the past 12 years could be acquired through eminent domain. "This is all brand new to me and I haven't heard anything at all concerning this. But yeah, I would be extremely concerned because under these new crazy federal laws, they been going out and taking people's property," said Sam Emmert from his offices at the west Statuary World site, located in the former Cimarron Pottery building at I-40 and Cimarron Road.
"I don't know how it would feel to be located in between this type of an operation. Some would say 'well, it would bring a lot of people to your area' but I don't know if I'd be happy with the type of people it might bring to your area."
Emmert said he's worried enough that he plans to discuss things with his attorney.
The Shawnee Tribe headquartered in Miami has paid $4.6 million for 104 acres of land west of the interstate between Britton Road and Wilshire Boulevard.
Tribal leaders recently paid a courtesy call on Oklahoma County Commissioners to inform them of their intentions of building a casino, hotel and retail and office space.
The land sale was made by Tannenbaum Developers to the tribe and was finalized last Thursday morning. A spokesman for Tannenbaum has not returned a phone call for a comment. An Oklahoma City spokesman working with the Shawnee tribe confirmed the business deal. Other sources indicated that the tribe had to convert the property to a trust and win approval from the Indian Gaming Commission before the casino and hotel could be built.
But the project already has at least one opponent, businessman Sam Emmert and his wife Kathy Emmert, who are owners of the Statuary World at 8401 North I-35.
The property purchased by the Shawnee tribe wraps around theirs and they fear the site where they've been for the past 12 years could be acquired through eminent domain. "This is all brand new to me and I haven't heard anything at all concerning this. But yeah, I would be extremely concerned because under these new crazy federal laws, they been going out and taking people's property," said Sam Emmert from his offices at the west Statuary World site, located in the former Cimarron Pottery building at I-40 and Cimarron Road.
"I don't know how it would feel to be located in between this type of an operation. Some would say 'well, it would bring a lot of people to your area' but I don't know if I'd be happy with the type of people it might bring to your area."
Emmert said he's worried enough that he plans to discuss things with his attorney.
Labels: Sam Emmert, Shawnee Tribe, Tribal Casinos
posted by Mike McCarville @ 7:47 PM
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