The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) continues to move toward issuing an environment impact statement (EIS) for the Koi casino proposal for Windsor, Sonoma County, Northern California, the Press Democrat reported March 15.
It has begun another public comment period.
The proposal has generated considerable controversy since the Koi Nation announced the purchase of 68.6 acres in unincorporated Sonoma County in 2021 near a location designated as Shiloh.
They propose a 540,000-square-foot casino with 2,750 slots, five restaurants, five bars, a 2,800-seat event center and a 400-room hotel and spa.
The BIA March 8 announced that it would require an EIS for the project, which opened a 30-day comment window.
Koi spokesman Sam Singer told the Press Democrat: “The Koi are supportive, in the sense that people have strong feelings both positive and negative.” He added, “This gives an extra opportunity for the public to weigh in. And the tribe is fully in support of that.”
The purpose of an EIS is to determine if a finding of “no significant impact” can be supported, or if a more detailed environmental impact report is called for.
The most recent public comment period attracted 300 written comments and a Zoom-based hearing where dozens of people spoke. According to the BIA: “An environmental impact statement is intended to provide a full and fair discussion of significant environmental impacts and shall inform decision makers and the public of reasonable alternatives that would avoid or minimize adverse impacts or enhance the quality of the human environment.”
Public comments against the project include fears of traffic noise, crime, water issues, visual impacts and safety concerns due to wildfire.
One resident, who lost her home in the Tubbs Fire of 2017 and now lives in Shiloh Estates, declared, “If you aren’t moved by water, traffic, schools, churches, wildlife, the creek, maybe you would be moved by death.”
Heidi Jacquin, who lost her home in the Tubbs Fire in 2017 and now lives in Shiloh Estates, told the BIA at the September hearing that “People burning to death in their homes, burning to death in their cars.”
One group that favors the project is the Northern California Carpenters Union which signed an agreement with the tribe in which the tribe guaranteed to only work with a union contractor.
Other tribes are skeptical about the project. The operator of the Graton Resort and Casino near Rohnert Park, the largest casino operator in Northern California, has opposed it. Three other area tribes have opposed the project, accusing the Koi of “reservation shopping” outside of their traditional homeland.
Koi leaders say their tribe was driven off its land in the 1800s and put on a parcel in Lake County that was not capable of production. They contend that they settled in Sonoma County because they had to.
The Koi has built a coalition of 18 Golden State tribes that support their efforts. They include Scotts Valley, Habematolel of Upper Lake, Hopland, Big Valley and Sherwood Valley.
The Sonoma Board of Supervisors in 2022 unanimously passed a resolution opposing the casino. So has the Windsor Town Council, and several local state legislators.
However, in such cases the Department of the Interior will determine whether the casino goes forward.
