The draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for the relocation of the Win-River Resort and Casino in Northern California was released for public comment last week by the Redding Rancheria.
The report details the rancheria’s plans to move to a new location on recently acquired tribal land along Interstate 5 that it calls “Strawberry Fields” just south of Redding. There are several options identified on the 232 acre land.
The proposal includes a 69,000 square foot casino with 1,200 slot machines and 36 gaming tables, a nine-story hotel tower with 250 rooms, and an 1,800 seat indoor event arena and outdoor amphitheater with 1,500 seats. It would also have dining, a sports bar and retail shopping featuring outdoor and sporting goods.
According to Rancheria Chairman Jack Potter Jr. “Relocation of the Win-River Resort and Casino to Strawberry Fields will allow the tribe to restore our small Rancheria lands to governmental use and will benefit the local community as a whole.”
The city of Redding is worried that locating such an event center and amphitheater could compete with the existing Redding Civic Auditorium. The city council was scheduled to vote this week on whether to send a letter to Bureau of Indian Affairs protesting that: “Adding two venues of similar size will certainly lead to competition between the venues and could cause the Civic Auditorium to once again become a burden on the general fund.”
