STURGIS, MI — Debate over a proposed casino took center stage Wednesday night. More than 600 people turned out to voice their opinions on the project.

A Detroit based developer working with the Burt Lake Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians wants to build the casino and hotel resort on the southeast corner of Bogen Road and M-66.

City Commissioners gave their unanimous support to the plan, but not everyone's on board, including the federal government.

Developers say the project would include a 150,000 square foot casino, 400 room hotel, a "high end" truck stop, shopping, bars and restaurants. It would be located on a 200 acre site just north of the Indiana Toll Road.

They say the project will create 3,200 jobs, including the 1,200 construction jobs city leaders estimate the project would create.

For some, the debate stops there.

"I think it's going to be a fantastic opportunity for Sturgis to grow," said Cori Gerken, a Sturgis resident.

But others, like Robert Hooley, who lives just down the road from the proposed site, are less enthusiastic.

"I think it's nonsense!" said Hooley.

Many worry about the impact it might have on other local businesses or the town itself.

"Most of our members take exception to the proposal on ethical or moral grounds," said the head of the Sturgis Ministerial Association.

Burt Lake Tribal Chairman Curtis Chambers said he felt the comments were "mostly positive." City leaders did, too. They voted unanimously to recommend approval of the project to the state.

But a spokesman from the Michigan Gaming Control Board says the state hasn't been made aware of any federally recognized tribe planning to do anything with this land. Without that federal recognition, the project won't go anywhere.

Chambers says the band has applied for federal recognition and Congress is considering the request. He says even if it's denied, he believes they can move the project forward without federal recognition.

"I've been told that they have been recognized by the state of Michigan, and that gives them the unique right to develop a gaming facility," said Mayor John Carmichael.

The Gaming Commission says it could take years for the project to get off the ground without federal recognition. Chambers says the Band's Tribal Council will consult with their attorneys later this week before filing a petition with the state.