Natchez &8212; The developer of a second casino proposed for Natchez hopes to close on his purchase of the Ramada Hilltop by mid-February.

&8220;We hope to finish due diligence in a couple of weeks, then close on the deal within 45 days after that,&8221; said Charles Cato, who plans to develop the Emerald Star Casino just south of the Mississippi River bridge.

The hotel&8217;s two outbuildings will be extensively renovated &8212; and the 100-room main building will be completely torn down and built again with 70 units, Cato said.

Meanwhile, since Cato received licensing approval from the Gaming Commission last month, he hopes to get started on site work at the casino location next month, weather permitting.

&8220;And with luck, we&8217;ll have the casino open by the end of summer,&8221; Cato said. &8220;We&8217;re incredibly excited about this project.&8221;

All three projects together represent a $70 million investment that would employ 400 people, Cato has said.

He has already purchased The Briars bed and breakfast, where he also plans to do some renovations.

State law requires casino developers to invest as much in a hotel or other land-based development as they invest in their casino &8220;boats.&8221;

Cato&8217;s original casino site and development plan was approved by the commission in February 2004.

But Cato had to get the site re-approved by the commission in last month&8217;s meeting because he would not be able to open the casino within the two years required by law.

In 2003, Cato had talked with city officials about the possibility of locating a casino at the city-owned Roth Hill property.

Cato had also talked with the city about using three other on-the-hill properties for, among other things, a convention center hotel, but talks with the city fell through.