Eight years after revealing a proposal for a casino complex, the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians are making concrete progress on their plans.
The next hurdle for the proposed California casino is to undergo a 30-day public comment period organized by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).
Casino project details
When the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians first publicized a casino project in 2016, the estimated construction cost came in at $700 million. The project would include a resort with a hotel, restaurants, and a spa, plus family-friendly entertainment options like a bowling alley, arcade and movie theater. The plan also included tribal headquarters and housing.
Not much has changed from those initial plans. The complex projects to span 160 acres on four parcels of land off of Interstate 80 and Columbus Parkway adjacent to Vallejo in Solano County. This is according to an environmental assessment provided by BIA this month.
The plans for gaming facilities include 3,500 slot machines and 130 tables, plus parking lots and a bus depot.
The complex would include the casino resort, 24 single-family residences, a 45-acre nature preserve, and a tribal administration office. The tribe estimates that the entire project would create 3,640 full-time equivalent jobs.
The casino would be the second in the greater Bay Area after Graton Resort and Casino in Rohnert Park, about 51 miles Northwest of Vallejo in Sonoma County. Graton is an upscale property and one of the largest gaming resorts in the state. Vallejo is closer to the metropolitan hubs of Northern California, just 36 miles from Oakland and about 45 miles from San Francisco via the Bay Bridge.
Previous hurdles
Getting to the public comment period came after legal hurdles and scrutiny from local government officials in the city of Vallejo and area counties (Solano, Sonoma and Napa) and then-U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein.
The politicians claimed that the tribe intentionally excluded them from the plan before presenting it to the BIA.
“We were stunned,” Daniel Keen, Vallejo city manager, said then. “This is not the first time that there have been proposals to establish casinos in Vallejo or in the Vallejo area. But we didn’t know it had progressed this far.”
During its history, the tribe has gained and lost federal recognition and underwent forced relocation by the federal government in 1972. The tribe regained federal standing in 1992 and is now in the process of re-establishing a “homeland” after being “landless for 150 years, minimum.”
“The Tribe has selected this property for the purpose of reuniting its citizens in one location and in an area that will provide substantial social, cultural, and economic opportunities to its members. Furthermore, the Proposed Project is intended to enable the Tribe to meet its needs for economic development, self-sufficiency, and self-governance; and will provide its membership with employment and educational opportunities and needed social and governmental services.”
What happens next?
After the public comment period ends, the BIA will analyze the feedback. A positive outcome for the tribe will be if the project meets National Environmental Policy Act requirements.
Citizens can submit public comments by postal mail and email. A virtual public hearing will also be held on July 23 at 6 p.m.
Postal Mail
Send comments to:
Amy Dutschke, Regional Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Pacific Regional Office
2800 Cottage Way, Room W–2820
Sacramento, CA 95825
Include your name, return address, and the caption: “EA Comments, Scotts Valley Casino and Tribal Housing Project,” on the first page of written comments.
Address your comments to Chad Broussard, Environmental Protection Specialist, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Pacific Region at [email protected]
Include your name, return address, and the caption: “EA Comments, Scotts Valley Casino and Tribal Housing Project,” on the first page of written comments.
Virtual Public Hearing
Use the link below to register for the hearing:
