Local Leaders Join Legal Fight to Stop Koi Nation Casino Near Windsor

The fight against the planned Shiloh Resort & Casino in Sonoma County heated up this week when two local government officials jumped into the court battle to block the project. 

Sonoma County and Windsor Officials Oppose Tribal Casino on Fire-Prone Farmland

Sonoma County Supervisor Lynda Hopkins and Windsor Town Manager Jon Davis both filed declarations in federal court. They are challenging the US Department of the Interior‘s choice to put 68 acres of land into trust for the Koi Nation, a decision that paved the way for the casino development, reported The Press Democrat.

The proposed site sits just outside Windsor in a rural area along East Shiloh Road, the land has agricultural zoning and lies in a region known to have a high risk of wildfires. The Koi Nation plans to build a large complex there. Their proposal includes a hotel with 400 rooms, a huge casino floor housing over 2,700 gaming machines, and more than 100 table games.

Hopkins, speaking for the county’s Board of Supervisors, highlighted widespread worries from experts about the project’s effects. She pointed to current land use limits and the area’s fragile environment as major problems that should have stopped federal approval. Her court filing included past resolutions and public input from the Board during the environmental review.

Davis voiced similar concerns for Windsor. He claimed the Final Environmental Impact Statement did not address the potential results of the development. His statement included a resolution backing farm use for the land, several comment letters, and old messages with federal officials.

Graton Tribe Leads Lawsuit as Koi Nation Moves to Defend Casino Project Rights

The Koi Nation, from Santa Rosa but with ancestral connections to the Clear Lake area, is not involved in the main lawsuit. The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria started this legal action. However, the Koi have asked to join the case. In their latest court papers, the Koi say that past court decisions support their right to take part since the result could impact their land and gambling rights.

Graton Rancheria runs the biggest casino in the Bay Area. They are challenging the federal government’s decision to put land into trust. They warn that this move might weaken the protection of cultural heritage and tribal independence.

Hopkins and Davis are not alone in their fight against the casino. Nina Coté, who leads the grassroots group Our Community Matters, has also joined the opposition. In her statement, she expressed worry about how the casino might change the neighborhood’s feel, make it less safe, and make it harder to get out during emergencies in an area that already faces wildfire risks.