Koi Nation Reestablishes Tribal Land Base, Plans To Build Resort, Casino In Sonoma County
SONOMA COUNTY (CBS SF) -- The Koi Nation announced Wednesday it plans to build a resort and casino on land in unincorporated Sonoma County that will become the tribe's new land base.
The Koi Nation is a federally recognized tribe of Southeastern Pomo people who have historically occupied land in Northern California. Now the tribe is reestablishing its tribal land base on a 68-acre plot of land near its historic lands in California's Pomo territory.
Part of the land will be used to build the Shiloh Resort & Casino at the site on East Shiloh Road east of Windsor and north of Santa Rosa. It will include thousands of gaming machines and tables, a 200-room hotel, six restaurants, a meeting center and a spa.
The resort and its construction will create hundreds of jobs for local workers, the tribe said in a statement, and will allow the Koi Nation to become economically independent.
Tribal chairman Darin Beltran said the Koi Nation has had more difficulties reestablishing its right to sovereignty than any other tribe in California. The tribe was forced to fight in federal court to win back its recognition and land rights after they were driven off their historic lands. The Koi Nation regained its status as a federally recognized tribe in 2000, but only obtained permission to engage in commercial gaming in a 2019 federal court decision.
"With this land and the Shiloh Resort & Casino, we are taking long overdue steps to preserve our cultural and historic integrity and secure a brighter future for coming generations," Beltran said in a statement.
Koi Nation attorneys have filed an application to place the Sonoma County land into trust with the federal government to make it eligible for casino construction under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.
Prior to construction, the project will undergo an environmental review and public comment period, set to begin in two to three months.
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