La Center City Council has reached a collaboration agreement with the Cowlitz Indian tribe about the operation of a planned 510 million dollars casino complex nearby Interstate 5. If approved, it will be the closest casino to the city, located 26 miles north of Downtown Portland.
The city council waits for an update to a review from 2004, which claimed the proposed casino might damage the La Center Citys card rooms. The card rooms produced 3.7 million dollars in tax revenue in 2005. According to the 2004 review, a new casino could cause a drop of more than 60 percent in the card rooms revenues.
The federal Bureau of Indian Affairs environmental impact review is expected to be publicized within the next two months. The planned casino complex will include an 8 story hotel with 250 rooms, a 134,150 square foot gambling area in addition to a 200,000 square foot complex that will contain restaurant, bars, entertainment halls and retail shops.
