Members of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians’ Tribal Council are invited to a tour of the Band’s expanded tribal village.

The village includes 16 duplexes and 16 townhouses, and is a $6.5 million project that will serve as a model of a potential development in South Bend, Ind.

The townhomes and duplexes were designed as lease-to-own homes for members of the Pokagon Band that meet the eligibility requirements.

The tour will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 30 at the Pokagon Band’s Community Center, located at 27043 Potawatomi Trail, northwest of the intersection of Peavine and Dailey Roads in Dowagiac.

The Pokagon Band intends to use land acquired through the Bureau of Indian Affairs in South Bend to focus initially on providing housing for tribal citizens in the Indiana area before considering the development of gaming facilities similar to the Four Winds Casinos in New Buffalo and Dowagiac.

The tribal council will host a briefing and a tour of the Tribal Village which “represent the Pokagon Band’s commitment to its citizens to provide affordable housing, sustainability and increased self-sufficiency,” according to a press release.

Media personnel, members of the Tribal Council, representatives of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Bureau of Indian Affairs who wish to attend the tour should RSVP by Monday, Oct. 28 at 3 p.m. to Joshua Taustein at jtaustein@dresnerco.com or (312)780-7219, David Gutierrez at dgutierrez@dresnerco.com or (312)780-7204 or Paige Risser at paige.risser@pokagonband-nsn.gov or (269)482-4283.