Tribe Likely Still Has Plans for Fruitport Casino

Since purchasing the former Great Lakes Downs racetrack in July, the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians has gone on a land-buying spree in Fruitport Township.

The tribe has acquired an additional 10 parcels since July. The Little River Band has created a 233-acre land holding for which it paid $13.5 million, according to the Fruitport Township assessor's office.

The tribe, which has said that more than one-third of its customers at the Little River Casino in Manistee come from Muskegon County, continues to quietly plan for an Indian casino at the racetrack site.

The significance of the tribe's land deals can seen in the size of the parcels. The tribe owns nearly 1.5 miles of I-96 frontage from Sternberg Road to the U.S. 31 interchange. It's land holdings in Fruitport Township are 10 times the size of the former Muskegon Mall site now under redevelopment in downtown Muskegon and approximately three times the size of The Lakes Mall site.

For the complete story, please see Dave Alexander, Indian tribe rolling dice on land acquisitions, Muskegon Chronicle, November 18, 2008.