Will Kings Mountain ever land a casino, 30 miles from Charlotte?

Since 2013, a Native American tribe in South Carolina has been pursuing a casino in Kings Mountain, 30 miles west of Charlotte near the Gaston/Cleveland county line.

But progress on the plans has been painfully slow, and the project is still up in the air. Here’s what we know.

What has been proposed?

The Rock Hill-based Catawba Indian Nation has proposed opening a major brand name casino right off I-85 in Kings Mountain. The project would also include one or two hotels, plus restaurants and stores to go along with 220,000 square feet of gaming space — a full entertainment center similar to the Harrah’s Cherokee Casino in the western part of the state.

The nation estimates that the casino project could include $300 million to $600 million in investment and create 4,000 to 5,000 jobs.

In 2015, the nation said it was negotiating with Hard Rock International to operate the casino, though no formal partnership has been created.

Backers have drawn up tentative renderings of what it could look like.

What is the Catawba Indian Nation?

The Catawba Indian Nation gained federal recognition in 1993 and is the only Native American tribe in South Carolina. Their reservation is in York County right on the Catawba River, and most of the tribes 2,900 members live there.

The nation controls about 1,000 acres. But the legislation recognizing the tribe also set aside a total of $50 million to assist the Catawbas in acquiring more land in their ancestral home — including all of South Carolina, plus Mecklenburg, Union, Cabarrus, Rutherford, Cleveland, and Gaston counties in North Carolina. That’s the money that would be used to acquire 16 acres in Kings Mountain for the casino.

Who’s against it?

The proposed casino has deeply divided the area.

The Cleveland County Chamber of Commerce and economic development officials are strongly supporting it. But it’s divided other levels of government.

Many N.C. state lawmakers have also opposed a Native American tribe from outside the state opening a casino in North Carolina, including Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger.

Some grassroots groups against the proposal have sprouted as well, most notably Stop Catawba Casino.

Who gets to make the decision?

The federal government will ultimately make the decision.

The Catawba Indian Nation has sent in an application to the Bureau of Indian Affairs to purchase the land, because the bureau holds the tribe’s money in trust.

There the decision has sat since early 2014. The matter is still in the hands of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Local advocates haven’t heard anything in months, they tell Agenda.

What are the chances?

All along, even supporters of the casino project have said the chances of it actually happening were 50-50. That presumably grows smaller as time goes on.

The chances anything happens soon? Slim. The Bureau of Indian Affairs has been in turmoil under the Trump administration, according to the High Country News. The director resigned in April.

Cover image by the Friedmutter Group via Bring Catawba to NC on Facebook.