A group whose roots trace back to campaigns opposing an auto mall and regional shopping center in Churn Creek Bottom is working to stop the Redding Rancheria’s plans to build a casino on freeway frontage property.
Speak Up! Shasta was organized in August and to date has gathered more than 200 signatures opposing the proposed casino, said Mike Madrid, principal partner with GrassrootsLab, a Sacramento-based communications consultant working with Speak Up! Shasta.
Madrid said his firm also works with the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians, which owns Rolling Hills Casino in Corning, and they too oppose the Redding Rancheria’s plans, in part because of the economic impact a freeway frontage casino in Redding would have on Rolling Hills.
Rolling Hills also is just off I-5 and about a 45-minute drive from Redding.
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The Redding Rancheria wants to relocate its Win-River Casino to the west side of Interstate 5 south of the South Bonnyview Road interchange. Plans call for a 140,000-square-foot casino, 250-room hotel, an event center and convention center, a retail center and parking lots in Churn Creek Bottom. The project currently is going through the National Environmental Policy Act process.
More: Rancheria submits plans for new casino off I-5
The Rancheria has been interested in building on the 250-acre property for years and still needs to put the land in trust for a casino.
Chris Carmona, a member of Churn Creek Bottom Homeowners and Friends as well as and Speak Up! Shasta, said people need to realize that the Rancheria’s plans are not a done deal. There is still time to submit comments opposing the project to the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Churn Creek Bottom Homeowners and Friends also opposes the casino relocation.
Churn Creek Bottom residents have led the charge against development in their neighborhood before, including a big-box regional mall proposed by a Boise, Idaho-based developer five years ago.
“I think the biggest thing to take away is the Hawkins development was passed by the (Shasta County) Board of Supervisors and went to a countywide vote and was overwhelmingly shut down,” Carmona said of the 740,000-square-foot shopping center voters rejected in June 2012. “So that alone should show what the community believes this land is worth. I know we’re not talking about the same piece but it’s in very close proximity.”
Before voting down the Hawkins project, Churn Creek Bottom Homeowners and Friends — which represents over 200 households — voiced opposition to a proposed auto mall. That project was defeated 3-2 by the Board of Supervisors in March 2007.
“I think this issue is about the identity of our community,” said Carmona, who adds he is friends with Rancheria CEO Tracy Edwards and believes the tribe does a lot of good for the community. “Do you want to have a casino at the south entrance or exit, depending on which way you’re going, to define the city of Redding?”
More: Shopping center dead; crushing defeat for two measures
Edwards said they are aware of the opposition but added the Rancheria has a lot of support. Some of what Edwards has heard is they are going to build a casino like the ones in Las Vegas.
'We are not going to build a Las Vegas-style casino. This will be very tasteful, something that is going to fit in with the landscape,' Edwards said.
The Rancheria also is working with state transportation and city officials to make sure traffic concerns are addressed. Too, the casino will bring jobs to the community and in the end will be a benefit, Edwards said.
Edwards said she has heard that Rolling Hills Casino opposes the new casino.
'Actually, that has been very disheartening,' she said.
When Rolling Hills was being developed in the early 2000s, the Redding Rancheria did not oppose the casino.
'We had talks and we made the decision not to oppose their casino,' Edwards said. 'Our tribe feels that each tribe has the right to do what they feel is best for them.'
In a statement released Wednesday morning to the Record Searchlight, Paskenta officials said after much discussion they have decided to join the coalition opposing the casino relocation in Redding.
'We find Redding Rancheria’s unprecedented attempt to take new land into trust — to move an already extremely profitable gaming facility to a new site simply to increase revenues — very troubling. We believe this is not allowed and should not be permitted under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act,' the statement said.
Paskenta officials believe the new casino would negatively impact homeowners, businesses and nonprofit organizations throughout the North State 'as well the ability to help our county and community.'
Others have concerns, too.
Advance Redding has increased the number of shows at the Redding Civic Auditorium since it took over management of the venue from the city in 2011. The Civic has capacity of about 2,000.
“I think the two best performing parts of our business are concerts and banquets and so the idea that there would be increased competition for those could be a big challenge for the Civic,” said Cory McCandliss, general manager of the Redding Civic Auditorium.
Both the Redding Rancheria and Advance Redding officials plan to meet, McCandliss said.
McCandliss also is open to meeting with city of Redding officials.
More: Shasta County kills auto mall
“I have told them that I am available to look more closely at the issue,” he said, “because to me, this (Civic Auditorium) is really their asset. It’s a community asset and their opportunity to communicate a long-term vision for the facility.”
Ultimately, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and state will have the final say on the Rancheria’s proposed casino.
Madrid, working with Speak Up! Shasta, believes the Bureau of Indian Affairs will not take community opposition lightly.
“So it’s not just a procedural or technical matter,” Madrid said. “If the coalition has come together with the same numbers, the same significant opposition, they will be very hard-pressed' not to see the overwhelming community opposition.
The Redding Rancheria wants to build a dazzling new gambling and entertainment resort at the city's southern border near the Sacramento River, replacing the tribe's Win-River Resort and Casino, which is located about two miles away.
Redding Rancheria's proposal, which has been in the works for three years, is both drawing support and raising concerns.
People in favor of the development say a larger hotel, casino, outdoor amphitheater and conference space will create hundreds of new jobs and pave the way for more economic development in Redding. They praised Redding Rancheria for being a good corporate citizen, regularly donating to charitable and public safety-related causes over the years.
'We want this development to be something the whole community can be proud of. We have shown that it is our priority and part of our culture to give back to the community to make it a better place to live,' said Redding Rancheria CEO Tracy Edwards.
Those who are opposed believe the development along Interstate 5 will lead to traffic snarls, cause too much noise, draw more criminals to the surrounding neighborhoods and hurt the environment.
While not taking sides, a letter from Redding Mayor Julie Winter to the government responding to findings of the environmental report pointed to possible issues including potential competition with the city-owned Redding Civic Auditorium entertainment venue and the city's existing retailers.
A recent public hearing called by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs to discuss the agency's Environmental Impact Report examining the proposal drew hundreds of people. Nearly 50 speakers weighed in, about half in support, half in opposition. Other people have submitted written comments.
More than three weeks are left for people to register their opinions about the new casino resort.
In keeping with the gambling nature of the proposal, here are seven things to know.
1. What's on the site now?
Not much.
Redding Rancheria now owns the 232-acre area alongside southbound Interstate 5 in unincorporated Shasta County. It's currently undeveloped, zoned for agricultural use and known as Strawberry Fields.
2. What else does the Redding Rancheria own nearby?
The Redding Rancheria-owned Hilton Garden Inn Redding is located on Bechelli Lane, to the north of the land. Some privately-owned properties also border the site or are located across the river.
3. What does Redding Rancheria have in mind?
The tribe has proposed a project containing an upsized 69,541-square-foot casino, a 9-story, 250-room hotel, restaurants, a conference center, an event center, a 1,500-seat amphitheater, retail and parking.
Win-River's current hotel has 84 rooms, while its casino covers about 60,000 square feet.
The government's environmental report also outlines six potential alternatives:
- One eliminates the retail component.
- Another would allow all the features outlined in the tribe's proposal, but on a smaller scale.
- One option would leave out the casino.
- A fourth alternative would relocate the casino resort to 55 acres that the tribe already owns in Anderson, also along I-5.
- The final possible alternatives include expansion at Win-River's current site or continuing to operate the existing Win-River with no changes.
In order for a new casino to be built, the land must first be transferred into trust of the federal government. The Bureau of Indian Affairs will determine whether to grant Fee-to-Trust status.The environmental report is part of that consideration process.
4. Why must the property be moved into trust?
If granted, Redding Rancheria would remain the property's owner, while the title transfers to the the United States government 'for the benefit of the tribe,' said Edwards.
Without that designation, 'it's not that we couldn't do anything (with the land.) We just couldn't do gaming,' she said. 'The trust process is what has to happen before a tribe can game on property.'
The law, unique to the operations of Native American tribes, also essentially exempts the land in trust from local zoning laws. Once the property goes into trust, the city of Redding and Shasta County won't have the ability to determine the zoning there. The federal government would determine zoning and uses for the land if it is put in trust.
Said Edwards: 'It's subject to different jurisdiction once it goes into trust. It would have a different status than land owned by the city or land owned by an individual.'
If approved for development of a casino, the tribe's property in Anderson would also have to be placed in trust.
5. To what extent does the Redding Rancheria contribute to the local economy?
Under state law governing tribally-run casinos, revenue sharing from casino operations are paid to the state, which routes money back to the community.
Shasta County receives payments from the revenue-sharing agreement. So has the city of Redding, due to its proximity to the existing Win-River casino.
During a three-year period ending in 2014, the most recent data available, Redding Rancheria said the Shasta County Sheriff's Office, city of Redding, Shasta County District Attorney's Office and Redding Police and Fire departments received a total of $580,394 in funds.
About two years ago, the rancheria awarded a $200,000 grant to pay for a full-time prosecutor and support staff for at least a year.
In the past, a committee comprised of officials from Shasta County, the city of Redding and the tribe jointly determined where the money went, said Edwards. The state is revamping the allocation process, she said.
'There was definitely a priority placed on services that were impacted by the casino,' she said about how their revenue was distributed. 'That's why there were lots of law enforcement awards, the District Attorney, fire. Those are the types of services that the casino would use, so we wanted to make sure that those were the organizations that received the money.'
She added that, in addition, the tribe makes other awards to a variety of groups as well and puts 'astronomically more money back into the community, into services, into governments, than we feel we impact them.'
Those have ranged from $1,000 to the Anderson Little League to $50,000 toward the renovations at Kids Kingdom at Enterprise Park in Redding, according to the tribe's fiscal reports.
6. What happens to the current Win-River site and tribal lands if the resort is approved and built?
Win-River's current casino, opened in 1993, would be closed. That property would be converted for offices for the tribe's staff and potentially other uses to be determined.
Win-River now has 405 employees. Should their expansion be approved, officials expect to add about 500 additional jobs of all kinds, leading to the need for more offices and administrative space.
Housing is also a possibility down the line.
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'We are kicking around the idea of turning the existing casino into housing. We've actually looked at elder housing, tribal member housing, just housing in general ... or something else,' said Edwards. She added: 'Clearly, there's nothing set in stone yet.'
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7. What's next?
Nothing will materialize for a while.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs, part of the federal Department of the Interior, will continue to collect comments about the proposal's impact from the public through June 17.
After the period for public comment on the draft Environmental Impact Statement ends, the Bureau of Indian Affairs will publish a final environmental report.
The bureau will announce its preferred alternative after considering 'economic, environmental, technical and other factors,' according to the government's Redding Rancheria Fee-to-Trust and Casino Project Scoping Report from May 2017.
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Construction of the proposed project is anticipated to begin in the summer of 2019, with full buildout being achieved in 2025, according to the government's draft Environmental Impact Statement from April 2019.
Information about the process, including the government's report and past written comments, can be found at www.reddingeis.com.
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Michele Chandler covers city government and housing issues for the Redding Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. Follow her on Twitter at @MChandler_RS, call her at 530-225-8344 or email her at michele.chandler@redding.com. Please support our entire newsroom's commitment to public service journalism by subscribing today.