No big box stores on Indian land

A large-scale commercial development on land owned by the Dry Creek Indian tribe would be nearly as harmful to Petaluma and the county as a casino.|

Imagine 10 years from now, driving south over the nice wide Petaluma River Bridge and smack into traffic. Not from the freeway construction - that will hopefully be finished in a decade - but from shoppers trying to access a big box mega mall on the city’s southern fringe.

That could be the case if the Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians decides to build a large retail development on 277 acres of tribal land along Highway 101 at Kastania Road. Several steps would need to happen between now and a Wal-Mart super center on our doorstep, but the process for developing tribal land is very opaque, allowing for little local input. Our local officials need to keep a close eye on this issue - and some already are - so that we can be prepared to mitigate any impacts of a potential large-scale development.

The tribe has recently changed leadership. The former chairman, Harvey Hopkins, had, over the years, pursued various projects on the land that the tribe acquired in 2004. At one point, the tribe sought to take the land into federal trust, which would give it sovereignty over the property and few restrictions on development. The Dry Creek tribe was reportedly pursuing a casino, ostensibly as a defensive move against the Federated Indians of the Graton Rancheria, a rival tribe that opened an $800 million casino near Rohnert Park in 2013.

The Graton Resort and Casino took a significant chunk out of the profits from the Dry Creek tribe’s River Rock Casino in Geyserville. At some point, the Dry Creek tribe shelved its casino plans and designed a tribal housing project with some sports fields.

Chris Wright, the new chairman who ousted Hopkins in November, recently told the Argus-Courier that the legal bar is too high to pursue a casino off of its original reservation. We believe Wright and hope the tribe doesn’t seek to build a casino on the land. Petaluma residents, who overwhelmingly passed an advisory measure opposing a casino, agree that it would be bad for the city.

Wright also said that the tribe is focused on shoring up the finances at River Rock and is not currently looking to develop the Petaluma land or take it into federal trust. Because of the complex and often secretive process surrounding tribal lands, we would have no way of verifying if there is an application to take land into trust until the very end of that process.

Even if the tribe does not pursue a casino, if the land is taken into trust, the tribe could build a large commercial development to offset losses at its casino. For the city and the county, this could be just as bad as a casino. Petaluma has worked hard, at times even fighting land use battles, to build commercial developments and increase its sales tax base. If shoppers could drive two miles south for tax-free TVs, Levis and flatware, Petaluma could take a huge hit in the sales tax revenue it worked to capture.

Supervisor David Rabbitt has seen this happen in several states on the East Coast that have retail developments on Indian land. He has been in close contact with the Dry Creek tribe to understand its plans for the Petaluma property, and make sure that local governments get the best from a possible deal.

Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, has also navigated tribal issues. He recently introduced a bill to take into trust for the Lytton Band of Pomo Indians 124 acres of land near Windsor that would not include a casino. That planned development includes housing, a community center and a retreat. Perhaps Huffman could work out a similar deal with the Dry Creek tribe to ensure a positive outcome for local governments.

The best possible outcome for the city and the county is if the land is never taken into trust. In that case, any development on the property would have to conform to the county’s General Plan. Even if the land is in trust, the tribe could, as a good neighbor, chose to develop the land in accordance with the wishes of Sonoma County.

We can think of several revenue-generating developments that the tribe could add to the land that would find favor with local governments.

The property could be a suitable location for a composting facility to replace the one that was recently forced to close at the county’s Central Landfill. The tribe could install a large solar array on the property and sell the power back to the grid.

The Dry Creek tribe already has a deal in place with the Army Corps of Engineers for a 5-megawatt solar project on the hills nears Lake Sonoma.

Even better, the tribe could plant a vineyard, taking advantage of cheap recycled water from the city’s wastewater treatment plant across the Petaluma River, and join the growing Petaluma Gap appellation.

The property sits at the gateway to Petaluma and Sonoma County. Whatever is developed there will be the first thing visitors from the south see, and it will inform their initial impression of our homeland. A large shopping center is not the kind of development that we want on our front doorstep.

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.