After rejections, delays and a lawsuit, updated plans for a Norfolk casino have been presented to the city’s Architectural Review Board.
The board and Norfolk City Council must approve the plans before construction can begin on a casino. Norfolk residents voted in favor of adding a casino to the city nearly five years ago.
Interestingly, the updated plans dropped the HeadWaters Resort and Casino name and replaced it with “Norfolk Casino.”
Plans include 200-room hotel
When and if it is built, the Norfolk resort would be the state’s fourth retail casino. Virginia online casinos remain illegal, although Virginians can play at sweepstakes and social casinos that use virtual money.
The presentation slideshow created by HKS and SWA Group was sent to Norfolk’s Architectural Review Board for approval on Aug. 19. The presentation included new renderings and plans for the Norfolk casino that the Pamunkey Indian Tribe hopes will win approval.
The plans were extensive and included:
- Parking garage with at least 935 spaces
- Multiple restaurants and bars
- A large casino floor
- A full-service hotel with 200 rooms
- Spa and fitness center
- Pool with outdoor bar
The resort was designed with the area in mind. The presentation said plans were inspired by the “rich maritime history” of the area. The lines of the property are meant to follow the lines of the shipping lanes and railroads around the site.
“These influences pay homage to the original use of the bustling marine terminal and hope to aid in the careful endeavor to bring new life to the Harbor Park area once again.”
The location is nestled between Harbor Park baseball stadium and Norfolk Amtrak Station.
City encouraged by newest plans
Norfolk spokesperson Kelly Straub told The Virginia-Pilot the city is excited by the new renderings.
“We are very encouraged by the most recent application for a development certificate which is now proceeding through the review process. 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.”
After the presentation, the Pamunkey Tribe told local news outlet Wavy.com that residents should be proud of the resort.
“The tribe is excited to have taken the next step in the design and construction approval process as we continue to pursue our vision of bringing a best-in-class resort and casino to Norfolk. Incorporating nautical design elements in our plans will make this project uniquely Norfolk and will make the casino resort an iconic feature on the City’s waterfront. This will be a resort experience of which the Tribe and the citizens of Norfolk can be proud.”
Will construction finally begin?
The numerous delays have led city leaders to consider finding another operator to build the casino. The long process has included plan rejections by the city and a lawsuit from another developer claiming it had exclusive rights to build the casino in Harbor Park.
The lawsuit filed by The Cordish Companies against the city was thrown out by the Court of Appeals of Virginia in March.
Several proposals have also been rejected. The 2022 plans were scrapped for not complying with referendum language. New plans were submitted for two-stage casino construction in 2023, but city leaders rejected them. Following that, the developer twice pulled its plans from the Architectural Review Board.
A final decision on the new casino plans is expected to take several weeks. If approved, the tribe could then move forward with purchasing the land for the casino, and construction is expected to commence soon after.
