The Redding Rancheria of Northern California is seeking approval from the Bureau of Indian Affairs to move its Win-River Resort and Casino to a 232-acre parcel known as Strawberry Fields that is two miles from its current casino. It hopes this less remote and larger location will attract more business.
The tribe has pursued this dream for 15 years. At first the National Indian Gaming Commission denied the application, but a decision by a federal judge forced it to take a second look.
Since that time the Bureau has published a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for which public comment will end June 17.
A notice published by the BIA in the Federal Register states: “The tribe is proposing to construct a casino resort that includes a casino, hotel, event/convention center, outdoor amphitheater, retail center, and associated parking/infrastructure . . .The new facility would replace the Tribe’s existing casino, and the tribe would convert the existing casino buildings to a different tribal use.”
Normally federal law bars a tribe from putting land it purchased after 1988 into trust, but there are exceptions for tribes that were restored to federal recognition, as the Redding Rancheria was in 1983 after another court battle.
Despite that, the NIGC in 2010 ruled that the Strawberry Fields was an inappropriate location for a casino. That was overturned by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in 2015.
That led to an agreement between the BIA and NIGC that the application would be processed under the restored lands exception to IGRA.
The city of Redding has sent a letter to the BIA listing some concerns about the project, but has not actually opposed it.
Once the BIA reviews public comments it will issue a final environmental impact statement and then decide on the application itself.
