Ridgeland's mayor and town council voted unanimously at last Thursday's special meeting to sign the resolution supporting Hardeeville's proposed resort and casino property at Hilton Head Lakes on Hwy 278. While questions remained about traffic issues and how exactly a casino would co-exist beside a residential neighborhood, most of the other questions asked by the council were answered.
Questions ranged from traffic studies and when they will be performed to when ground-breaking could be expected. Any and all questions about ground-breaking would have to wait until federal approval and the governor's signature on a compact are obtained, but the traffic studies could begin soon, depending on the SCDOT. With residences and a regular resort being planned, the traffic study would probably go forward, with or without a casino.
The developers, SB Investments, which includes shares held by the United Keetoowah Band of Eastern Cherokee Indians, hope to make this property an all-inclusive resort, with the casino being the cream sweetening the deal for the state and the county. And while the casino and all shops within its environs would not pay taxes, those monies going into tribal trust funds, the remainder of the property could bring in quite a bit in tax monies - property and accommodations taxes included.
The Tribe has already submitted information to the Bureau of Indian Affairs for Federal approval on the casino. That process could take up to 24 months before approval or denial of the permit for a Class III tribal casino is given.

No Fee-in-lieu
SB Investments, and the Tribe, are not asking for any local or state concessions on taxes, unlike most other new companies that have moved in to Jasper County. That alone is unusual, and a welcome relief to the tax-strapped area. It would also offer jobs that are not just "low-paying hotel jobs."
Councilman Gary Mazzanna put the point to the question when he asked what kinds of jobs, what kinds of employment prospects, could be expected in the area in and around the resort for those who are unemployed in the Lowcountry and hungry for jobs. He also asked whether other hotels would be possible in the area, which is definitely possible, according to Marquette Advisors.
Ralph Teal, speaking for SB Investments and discussing the issue on the conference call with Marquette Advisors, a noted casino and resort construction advisory company, answered.
Teal said the jobs would range from local and state casino suppliers - people who sell anything from dishware and bed linens to attorneys who work with contracts for the resort - to employees that any resort would have, such as maids, groundskeepers, drivers, chefs, administrative assistants, bookkeepers.
Teal said the traffic studies were also in progress, quite simply because of the Hilton Head Lakes subdivision alone, with more than 3,000 homes.
"It's a necessity for that area, whether or not the entertainment facilities are built," he said.
One of the differences noted, between the quality of the proposed resort/casino and those that exist in locales such as Tampa and Cherokee, was that it would be a high-end resort, with expanded golf and entertainment facilities - including an entertainment venue that could host concerts - but that it would also be a live-in, all-inclusive resort atmosphere that is not found very often, particularly in the United States.
"I think it's important to understand," a representative from Marquette said, "that this will be completely in keeping with the quality and lifestyle of the Lowcountry. We want this to be great for our residents and for our guests."
"I really had an issue with any semblance of looking like we want to disagree with what our sister-town of Hardeeville is doing in the county," councilman Tommy Rhodes said. "It's not my intent to indicate that. The economic boost that it would give to our county and community is not an issue with me at all, mine was simply of a personal nature that I've had to come to grips with."
Councilman Grady Woods said he had been in contact with Lynn Collins, Executive Director of the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority in the Maggie Valley of North Carolina. Haywood County is about 15 miles from Cherokee, N.C., where the closest tribal casino is located. Woods noted that Collins was very open with him, and was happy with having the Cherokee Casino as a neighbor.
"She said that there was really no downside to having the casino that close," Woods said. "As director, she said that they were good community partners, as to the developers of the facility. She said that they added a lot to the area, a lot of jobs, which we would anticipate here as well, but that the typical concern that it would impact traffic is normal. But she said it was a lot that they learned to work through. She also said that it wasn't a noticeable impact on the local hotels and motels, but that most people stayed onsite."
Mazzanna, while stating that he had personal reservations about gambling in general, because of his belief systems, said that he didn't feel that he could, in good conscience, make that kind of moral decision for anyone else. He said that while he didn't agree with gambling, there were a lot of people in the area who enjoyed it, and that, from the research that he had done, there was no "downside" for Ridgeland, and that there was nothing but a major "up-side" to the project in prospective growth and business in the area.
Several community members stood and thanked the council for their decision, saying that while they may not support gambling for religious or personal reasons, they could absolutely support the resort and casino for the employment that it would bring to the area.
The council agreed and the resolution was signed in executive session and presented to the developers before adjournment.