Tom Henderson//August 28, 2013//
Leaders of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs voted this month to officially abandon their plans to build a $30 million casino in Cascade Locks, leaving a 60-acre parcel owned by the Port of Cascade Locks available for development.
Now that members of the tribal council have withdrawn their remaining state and federal applications for approval of the casino, port spokeswoman Mary Hutton said officials are open to new ideas.
“We’re definitely interested in hearing from anyone who might want to work with us on the property,” she said.
Working with the tribe remains a possibility, she said.
The casino project was comatose in recent months. Original plans called for a 600,000-square-foot casino between Interstate 84 and the Columbia River near the Bridge of the Gods. However, Gov. John Kitzhaber returned to office in 2011 vowing to reject any order that would allow construction of the casino in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.
In January 2012, port officials let the clock run out on the tribe’s deadline for buying the property. By that time, tribal leaders were already building the Indian Head Casino in Warm Springs. It opened a month later.
Hutton said anyone interested in the Cascade Locks property should contact the port’s interim manager, Paul Koch, at 541-374-8619.