The Northern California tribe of the Wilton Rancheria is moving forward towards its goal of obtaining the go-ahead from the federal government to build a 0 million casino on 36 acres in Elk Grove, near Sacramento. The land is optioned from the developer of an outlet mall that would be adjacent to the casino location.
The federal government recognized the tribe in 2009.
The city council last month approved of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in which the tribe commits to paying almost $132 million during the course of two decades. The tribe is also obligated to try to mitigate traffic and public safety impacts.
All of these things are expected to improve the chances of approval of the tribe’s application to the Bureau of Indian Affairs to put the 36 acres into trust. Last year the BIA published the draft environmental impact statement on the proposal.
In an interview with the Elk Grove Citizen, Chairman Raymond “Chuckie” Hitchcock said, “The lack of encumbrances make it easier to go through the process to get land in the trust.”
