A proposed resort and casino could bring thousands of new jobs to the area.
The Catawba Indian Nation wants to build a casino and two hotels on property near Kings Mountain, reveals a study of the possible economic effects.
The casino and hotels are expected to be open by 2015, according to the study. Construction is expected to create as many as 5,000 jobs, and as many as 4,000 jobs could follow once the places open.
Reports came earlier this month that the Catawba Indian Nation, based in Rock Hill, S.C., was interested in building a casino and hotel near Interstate 85 in Cleveland County, south of Kings Mountain.
?If there is a project out there then it?s an economic development project, and as such I cannot discuss it,? interim County Manager David Dear said at the time.
Hendersonville Sen. Tom Apodaca, the chamber?s No. 2 Republican, said Senate leader Phil Berger and the majority Republican caucus would oppose the effort.
?We don’t need an out-of-state tribe coming into North Carolina and opening a casino,? Apodaca recently told The Associated Press.
A proposed resort and casino could bring thousands of new jobs to the area.
The Catawba Indian Nation wants to build a casino and two hotels on property near Kings Mountain, reveals a study of the possible economic effects.
The casino and hotels are expected to be open by 2015, according to the study. Construction is expected to create as many as 5,000 jobs, and as many as 4,000 jobs could follow once the places open.
Reports came earlier this month that the Catawba Indian Nation, based in Rock Hill, S.C., was interested in building a casino and hotel near Interstate 85 in Cleveland County, south of Kings Mountain.
?If there is a project out there then it?s an economic development project, and as such I cannot discuss it,? interim County Manager David Dear said at the time.
Hendersonville Sen. Tom Apodaca, the chamber?s No. 2 Republican, said Senate leader Phil Berger and the majority Republican caucus would oppose the effort.
?We don’t need an out-of-state tribe coming into North Carolina and opening a casino,? Apodaca recently told The Associated Press.
Both Apodaca and Berger have publicly supported the job creation at Harrah?s in Cherokee in recent years. That casino is owned by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
According to a UNC study, more than 3.6 million people visited the Cherokee site in 2010, and it added nearly $390 million to the local economy that year.
?The proposed project will create a resort destination in our region that will be very similar to what has been developed in Cherokee,? said a source close to the project, who asked that his name not be used, citing confidentiality agreements.
?Our county and our region need jobs. We can only hope that such a project can be developed and that it will bring new travel and tourism opportunities to a region that has been hard hit by very weak economic conditions.?
The resort study reports the project would generate nearly $90 million in wages. It could also mean about $106 million in state taxes.
The report calls the Cleveland region ?in dire need of new job opportunities? and says, “There is substantial competitive opportunity for the Catawbas to generate significant market share of the gaming industry in the Southeast.?
?There seems to be some state officials who would like to dictate what kind of jobs are good for a particular area,? Cleveland County Chamber President Michael Chrisawn said Tuesday. ??But Cleveland County and some counties around us have been some of the most severely affected communities in the state. ? This is a very positive regional economic development project.?