The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) recently held a virtual public hearing to take comments about an environmental impact study for the Koi Nation’s proposed Shiloh Casino & Resort in Sonoma County, California. The 211-page document and instructions for participating in the hearing were available online.
The tribe plans to build an 800,000-square-foot casino hotel with 2,750 gaming machines and 105 table games, plus a 400-room hotel and more than 5,000 parking spaces. However, the tribe submitted alternatives as a back-up plan. The first is a “reduced intensity” option at 550,000 square feet that keeps the same number of gambling machines and tables but reduces the casino’s square footage by 20 percent, eliminates plans for an event center and removes 600 parking spots. Another option the tribe offered would remove gaming entirely to develop a 186,000-square-foot hotel and winery.
After overcoming numerous challenges, the Koi Nation was federally recognized in 2019. The tribe announced its plans for a casino resort in 2021. At that time, Tribal Chairman David Beltran said, “With this land and the Shiloh Resort & Casino, we are taking long overdue steps to preserve our cultural and historic integrity and secure a brighter future for coming generations.
“At the same time, our success will also benefit the communities in the region where our people have lived for thousands of years. We are confident the community will support us as we seek to restore our independence and exercise our rights as Native Americans.”
In 2022, the tribe applied to the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) to have the land taken into trust to become a sovereign tribal property. The BIA’s environmental impact study is part of that application. The assessment concluded the project would not impact wetlands, migratory birds, the local housing market or crime rates. However, the study indicated vegetation removal would impact area salmon and the California red-legged frog, and changes to the topography, soil loss and earthquake risk could be significant over time.
The study said the casino resort would generate $2.5 million in annual county tax revenue and $70 million in state and federal tax revenue. The project would have a total economic output of $292 million.
If the environmental impact study is accepted, the tribe would need the approval of the U.S. Secretary of the Interior and would have to negotiate a gaming compact through the California Governor’s Office and the Legislature.
In April 2022, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to oppose the project, however, the board has no authority over the project. Residents in the mostly rural Shiloh area also oppose the casino resort.
Additionally, four other local tribes have submitted letters to the BIA opposing the Koi project, including: the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, Dry Creek Rancheria, Cloverdale Rancheria and Kashia Band of Pomo Indians.
