Proposed Cloverdale casino site triples in size

A public meeting on the proposed casino's upcoming environmental review is scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m. July 30 at the Cloverdale Citrus Fairgrounds.

The Cloverdale Rancheria's proposed casino and hotel site has increased in size with the tribe more than tripling the acreage it acquired last year for the venture.

The hotel/spa and casino resort could occupy up to 596,000 square feet, according to a tribal consultant.

"In little Cloverdale? There goes our small-town charm," said City Councilman Gus Wolter, reacting Friday to the scale of the project.

The casino is still considered to be at least five years away from construction, assuming it gets the approval of federal and state officials.

But if it does get built, Sonoma County could potentially have three of the largest Indian casinos in Northern California.

That would include the only existing casino in Sonoma County -- River Rock near Geyserville, which is planning a major expansion and construction of a 267-room hotel. The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria also are planning a casino, large hotel and entertainment center next to Rohnert Park that could occupy up to 760,000 square feet, on par with some of the biggest casinos in the state.

By contrast, none of the seven existing Indian casinos in Mendocino and Lake counties is bigger than 42,000 square feet.

The Rohnert Park project has been undergoing a protracted environmental review for the past four years.

The Cloverdale Rancheria is now ready to submit its project to environmental review, beginning with a "scoping" session July 30 in which the public will get a chance to identify potential concerns.

Organized by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs in cooperation with the tribe, the meeting gives the public a chance to comment on issues such as traffic, water, noise, agricultural and "socio-economic" impacts associated with the casino.

In addition to the environmental review, the tribe is also applying to have the land placed into federal trust for gaming purposes.

The Cloverdale City Council passed a resolution in May opposing the casino on several grounds, beginning with its "detrimental" effect on the small-town atmosphere.

The resolution included everything from traffic congestion to possible increases in crime and the loss of industrially designated land where the casino would be built.

Mayor Jessalee Raymond said the City Council will discuss Wednesday whether to weigh in on the upcoming scoping session, but anticipates the council will reaffirm its opposition.

Tribal leaders were unavailable for comment Friday.

In the past, they said the casino will be a "first-rate, high-class facility" that will help lift tribal members from poverty. But they have been short on details about the timing, scope and size of the project.

The Cloverdale Rancheria has partnered with Sealaska, an Alaskan tribal consortium, to finance the casino-resort construction as well as manage it. Sealaska also joined with a tribe in San Diego County to build the 1,750-slot Valley View Casino.

Late last year, a subsidiary of Sealaska bought 25 acres next to Highway 101 for the Cloverdale casino. Since then, the tribe has acquired more land, and the casino site now totals 79 acres of unincorporated land on Cloverdale's southeastern boundary.

The site next to Highway 101 is bordered by Asti Road to the west and Lile Lane to the northeast. Santana Drive runs parallel to the southern boundary of the proposed project site.

The Cloverdale Rancheria has more than 400 tribal members descended from 12 Indian families who lived on the original 28-acre rancheria. The rancheria was terminated in 1958 by the federal government along with 41 other California rancherias.

The land was allotted to five individual families, but today only 12 acres of the original rancheria remain in federal trust. That property is owned by the heirs of John Santana, the late Pomo elder and former postmaster. At one point, a casino was proposed on that property, but the project never advanced.

You can reach Staff Writer Clark Mason at 521-5214 or clark.mason@pressdemocrat

.com.