"The visceral reaction to the Shawnee Tribe's first proposal for an Oklahoma City casino seemed absent last week when the tribe gave more detail on what it wants to do on land it recently bought at Interstate 35 and Britton Road.
After Bricktown was taken off the table as a potential casino site, in 2005, the landless tribe now has a plan that will take flight if the I-35 site gains trust status.
The proposal is ambitious, impressive and expensive — as well as controversial — with 2,000 slot machines, a multistory hotel, retail, movie theater and bowling alley. The goal is creation of a destination entertainment venue, which is one of the reasons it's controversial: Another expensive destination entertainment venue is nearby.
As we've said before, we applaud the tribe for doing things the right way — methodically weighing the options, being extraordinarily amenable to local concerns and not waving the red flag of sovereignty when the going gets tough.
We, too, are concerned about the location and the project's effect on Remington. Nevertheless, citizens and city leaders owe the tribe a non-visceral reaction to these plans.
The potential investment and employment are enormous."
Get the Story:Editorial: Ready to play: The gaming's afoot for Shawnees (The Oklahoman 1/31)
pwpwd
