Koi Nation Resort and Casino Project

The Koi Nation, one of the state's federally recognized Native American tribes, announced on Sept. 15, 2021, that it intends to build a resort and casino that includes a 2,500 Class III gaming machine facility, a 200-room hotel, and six restaurant and food service areas on a 68-acre vineyard site just outside of town limits, in unincorporated Sonoma County, just west of the U.S. Highway 101 exit to Shiloh Road.

More information on the $600 million project (including building illustrations) is here: https://koination.sitedistrict.com/project/. To share your opinion on the proposed project, please see the contact list of tribal and elected representatives below.

Location
The Koi Nation would like to build this project, on its property at 222 E. Shiloh Road, outside of Town Limits, within County property. The pink line connotes the Town limits.Koi Casino Project Site

Next Steps for Koi Nation
Before constructing the proposed project, the Koi Nation must secure approval from the federal government to take the land into trust to allow the tribe to exercise its sovereignty over the land. The tribe must also secure approval of a gaming agreement from the governor of California.  

Taking Land into Federal Trust

Placing tribal land into trust is a process whereby the secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior acquires title to the property and holds it for the benefit of a Native American tribe or individual tribal members. A summary of the department’s “Fee-to-Trust” process and frequently asked questions can be found here: https://www.bia.gov/sites/bia.gov/files/assets/bia/ots/pdf/Fee-to-Trust_Process_for_Discretionary_Acquisitions.pdf 

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has initiated the preparation of an Environmental Assessment (EA) to analyze the potential environmental consequences of the Koi Nation Resort and Casino project. The federal actions necessary to implement the proposed project trigger the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). For the purpose of the EA, the BIA will serve as the Lead Agency for compliance with NEPA.  More information can be found at shilohresortenvironmental.com.

California Gaming Compacts

The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 requires tribes to sign negotiated compacts, or agreements, in good faith, with their state governments to clarify a range of jurisdictional issues surrounding regulation and scope of gaming. Each compact must be negotiated with the state governor, ratified by the state legislature, and finally, approved by the U.S. Department of the Interior. A primer on tribal gaming and community planning in California can be viewed here: https://cproundtable.org/static/media/uploads/publications/tgncp.bw__.pdf 

Press Coverage

Documents

Who Can I Contact to Express My Opinion on the Koi Nation Proposal?

Koi Nation: Sam Singer, Singer Associates Public Relations, singer@singersf.com

Windsor Town Council: towncouncil@townofwindsor.com 

Sonoma County District 4 Supervisor James Gore: https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/Board-of-Supervisors/District-4/Contact-James-Gore/

State Senator Mike McGuire: https://sd02.senate.ca.gov/contact

Assemblymember Jim Wood: https://a02.asmdc.org/contact

U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein: https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

U.S. Senator Alex Padilla: https://www.padilla.senate.gov/

U.S. Congressman Jared Huffman: https://huffman.house.gov/contact

California Governor Gavin Newsom: https://govapps.gov.ca.gov/gov40mail/