Plans for resort switch from Denver to Pueblo

Monday, Aug. 22, 2005 | 9:23 a.m.

PUEBLO, Colo. -- American Indian tribes planning to build a hotel-casino in Colorado are focusing on Pueblo after being stalled in a bid to build one near Denver International Airport.

The $100 million dollar proposal by the Cheyenne-Arapahoe Tribes of Oklahoma will be privately financed, said Steve Hillard of Council Tree Communications. The proposed site on the city's Historical Arkansas Riverwalk would include a hotel, casino, and high-end restaurants and shops.

Hillard said the tribe saw Pueblo as an ideal fit because it is a culturally rich and tourist-hungry city.

The tribes are in talks with Pueblo developer Louie Carleo, who earlier this week purchased land on the riverwalk for $2.85 million.

Carleo said the hotel-casino proposal is not the only project he's considering for the land.

"The only way that (such a) purchase will take place will be if it's the best for Pueblo and the (riverwalk) project," he said. "This is something we just can't do for the dollars."

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