The Pamunkey tribe of Tennessee has long planned to open its temporary HeadWaters Resort & Casino in Harbor Park, Memphis. However, these plans have been scrapped following an address issue that could have possibly opened up the city to a lawsuit.
The federally recognized Pamunkey Indian Tribe partnered with Tennessee billionaire Jon Yarbrough to build a $500m development resort casino in May 2021. The first agreement stated the casino would be located on the 13 acres between Harbor Park and the Norfolk Southern Railroad line, on the banks of the Elizabeth River.
Memphis officials announced they would allow ‘limited gaming’ in the spaces formerly occupied by the Norfolk Boxing + Fitness Center and the Hits at the Park Restaurant. Both were on the first base side of the city-owned baseball park on the first and second floors.
The HeadWaters Resort & Casino has now instead announced plans for its temporary casino facility to be built on a parking lot to the east of the ballpark, with a planned opening date of spring 2023.
Pamunkey tribe Gaming Operations spokesperson Jay Smith denied this was a setback for the project. He said, "The plan to locate the initial casino in the parking lot to the east of the ballpark is a win for the city and will result in an even better customer experience at the new Pamunkey Casino.”
However, developers struck a different chord in their response to this development, saying they would have preferred for the development to have gone ahead at the initial location.
The project was approved through a voter referendum in November 2020.
