On Monday evening, the HeadWaters casino project's developers submitted a petition to the city's Architectural Review Board asking for permission to proceed with the $500 million project.

One of Virginia's seven federally recognized tribal nations, the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, collaborated with Norfolk officials in 2020 after the city was recognized as a legal host location for a commercial casino.

The 2020 Virginia gaming bill gave cities facing a variety of financial difficulties the option to consider approving a casino development through a local referendum. One requirement was a city's population dropping by at least 20% between 1990 and 2016.

Less than 100 people make up the small tribe known as the Pamunkeys. The independent country is situated along the Pamunkey River in King William County, about 60 miles northwest of Norfolk. The Pamunkeys hired tribal gaming tycoon Jon Yarbrough as an investor and advisor because the tribe has no prior experience creating or managing a casino.

Mission Statement

The Pamunkey proposal was discussed by the Norfolk Architectural Review Board at its meeting on Monday night. HeadWaters would be constructed in two phases, the developers informed the city agency.

A 90,000-square-foot complex with a roughly 45,000-square-foot casino, a 4,500-square-foot sports bar, a 5,000-square-foot lobby, and a parking structure with 1,200 spaces would make up the first phase. The first phase has a budget of about $100 million.

The resort and its amenities would be a part of phase two. The second phase would include several restaurants, a spa, a rooftop pool, an entertainment area, and an events center in addition to a 300-room hotel with views of the Elizabeth River.

Within the city's local historic districts, new construction projects are reviewed by Norfolk's Architectural Review Board. The Architectural Review Board must first approve the casino resort plan by issuing the developers a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) because HeadWaters is eyeing vacant land close to the Harbor Park minor league baseball stadium, which is located inside a historic district on the riverfront.

Members of the Architectural Review Board did voice some concerns on Monday night, but nothing that would probably result in the agency voting against the developers when it meets in two weeks to consider the project. In response to board comments, it is suggested that the riverfront pedestrian walkway get more landscaping.

The project will proceed to the Norfolk Planning Commission for final approval once the COA is in hand. According to HeadWaters representatives, the first phase's construction should be finished in a little more than a year. There will be 1,000 gaming positions total, including slots and table game seats, at the casino. A sportsbook will also be housed there.

Unknown Partnership

It is still unclear why, in a competitive bidding process, the Norfolk City Council appeared to favor the Pamunkeys over other potential gaming developers. Although the project is a business venture and not a casino run by the tribe, the tribe claims to have historical ties to the Norfolk area.

According to one theory, if Norfolk had chosen another gaming developer instead of the Pamunkeys, there might have been concerns about market saturation.

Tribes that have received federal recognition are permitted to run Class I and II gaming on public lands under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.  Yarbrough made his fortune by creating electronic tribal gaming machines that resemble traditional slots in appearance, sound, and operation, but are based on bingo instead of Las Vegas-style slots and house-banked table games like blackjack and roulette.

Bingo and non-banked card games like poker are included under classes I and II of gambling.