Inslee gives final approval to Spokane Tribe's casino

Gov. Jay Inslee gave final approval on Wednesday to a $400 million gaming and retail development proposed by the Spokane Tribe that critics have argued could adversely affect Fairchild Air Force Base and severely undercut a nearby casino. Since 2006 the tribe has been seeking approval for the Spokane Tribe Economic Project, a mixed-use development on 145 acres in the West Plains of Spokane County, land the federal government has set aside in 2001 to benefit the Spokane Tribe economically. The proposed project will include a casino, a tribal cultural center, a resort hotel and other amenities. The tribe has stressed that the project would create thousands of jobs and pump millions into the local economy.  Since the tribe floated the idea, it’s steadily drawn opponents, such as downtown business interests and much of the region’s political class including U.S. Rep Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Spokane) and the Spokane County Board of Commissioners. Opponents have voiced concerns that the development’s proximity to Fairchild Air Force Base could result in a catastrophic plane crash or cause the closure of the base, a significant source of jobs and economic activity for the region...more