After weeks of community speculation and closed-door discussions
with investors, the California Valley Miwok tribe has announced a
new location four miles from downtown for its proposed casino, and
the tribe says it will benefit Hollister’s ailing economy.
Hollister – After weeks of community speculation and closed-door discussions with investors, the California Valley Miwok tribe has announced a new location four miles from downtown for its proposed casino, and the tribe says it will benefit Hollister’s ailing economy.
The new site is a little more than 200 acres, according to Miwok spokeswoman Nicole Ratcliff, and is located between the eastern side of San Felipe Road and Highway 156 near the airport. The tribe had originally proposed a site off of Hwy. 25 near the Santa Clara County line, but scrapped the plans when locals expressed concern over environmental and traffic issues.
The five-member California Valley Miwok tribe has teamed up with investors from Game Won to build a casino in Hollister similar in size to the 66,000 square foot, 1,762-slot machine Cache Creek casino in Yolo County. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has said he will not grant gaming compacts to tribes without overwhelming support from local residents, but according to a recent Farm Bureau poll of 400 registered voters, 66 percent oppose a casino in San Benito County near the county line. But the casino’s location change is an indication of the tribe’s dedication to working with the community, Project Manager Gary Ramos has previously said.
Casinos Represent A Poor Solution Chairman Steve Merrell couldn’t be reached for comment by press time. In the past, Merrell has stated the group will continue to oppose the casino regardless of its location.
The new location, according to a press release, is served by three highways (156, 52, and 25), which the will decrease traffic impacts on the area, Ramos said in a statement. The new location is also not located near a flood plain or a chemical plant, as the previous site had been, the release states.
Ramos said in a statement the new location will also benefit Hollister economically. Its location four miles from downtown will bring tourists to Hollister’s shops and restaurants, and the casino’s proximity to the airport will encourage development in the area, the statement said.
But some local officials said the new location has the potential to create the same problems as the Hwy. 25 site would have.
“Traffic is still going to be the issue, and I just read the governor’s budget is taking the 152 and 156 interchange out. Unfortunately I don’t think any place in San Benito County is a good place for a casino as far as traffic is concerned,” said County Supervisor Pat Loe, who is forming a regional planning forum to investigate the possible impacts of a casino.
Local Director of Economic Development Al Martinez said Wednesday the proposed casino’s new location closer to downtown Hollister is better than the previous site. He also said its new location could help the local economy, but he personally doubted it would.
“If you’re going to have your druthers of having it on the Bolsa, which nobody wanted for environmental and traffic reasons, or having it over here closer to the city… if it’s going to happen then there’s more benefit in my mind over here. But it’s my belief that all casinos want to keep people on site and that’s why they furnish lodging, food, etc.,” Martinez said. “But if you do find people that say ‘OK fine, let’s go take a look at Hollister’ when they’re done with the casino, then they’d be much closer to Hollister than if they were on the Bolsa, where they’d be much closer to the big shopping center.”
Ramos has confirmed that the tribe intends to eventually add restaurants and entertainment venues once the casino is constructed.
Newly-seated Dist. 2 Supervisor Anthony Botelho is the only supervisor who has publicly come out against the casino. He said while his concerns with the previous site had included environmental and traffic impacts, the new location would not change his mind.
“The three highways they’re talking about have major issues, and the entire length of them probably needs to be improved. And it (the new location) still doesn’t address the fact that the casino has some tremendous social impacts that affect the community, and I am not moved by this location or the previous one,” Botelho said.
Ramos couldn’t be reached for comment by press time.
Hollister City Councilman and San Benito County Marshal Robert Scattini he saw some potential benefits to the new site, but he thinks the decision should ultimately be up to the voters.
“The only benefit I see having it there (by the airport) as opposed to the other site (off Hwy. 25) is that it’s next to the airport, so maybe it would encourage more people to fly into the airport,” Scattini said. “But you’ve got people who hate the casino on one side and people who want it on the other side. If I had to make a decision on it right now, I’d put it up to the voters.”
The site near the county airport is not completely wrapped up yet, according to investors. They are in the process of due diligence on the property including conducting an environmental review, according to the statement. Once the review is finished, the investors will sign a final purchase agreement with the landowner.
Jessica Quandt covers politics for the Free Lance. Reach her at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or at jq*****@fr***********.com.
