Foothill Oaks Casino Plans
The Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, which currently includes 462 members, unveiled their
fast-moving plans for constructing a new Foothill Oaks Casino to a large number of Shingle Springs/Cameron Park Chamber of Commerce members this week. Held at the Cameron Park Country Club, the presentation was made by Tribal Council member Elaine Whitehurst complete with slides indicating how the new access interchange will look from Hwy 50. The casino itself will not be visible from Hwy 50 - a great improvement from initial sketches and the temporary tent located on the site for years. The project has been re-designed from initial sketches and is not as tall as early proposals indicated.
Often unknown is the fact that in the 1960s Caltrans realigned Hwy 50, which resulted in tribal lands being taken for a proposed underpass for access to the reservation. The project was ultimately abandoned, but the lands were not returned to the tribe. This left the reservation
an island without access except via a winding rural private road now controlled by the surrounding homeowners' association and their ability to restrict road use. This situation left the Miwok Tribe without the ability to pursue commercial development although the reservation sits only 300 feet from Hwy 50. The newly designed overhead Hwy50 interchange will solve the access issue once and for all, allowing the tribe to pursue its dream of a casino.
The site consists of 160 acres; the EIR is complete and now out of the courts as a result of the EDC Board of Supervisor's Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Miwok Tribe. Groundbreaking for the casino is expect-ed to occur in January or February of 2007, and the inter-change (located between Shingle Springs Drive and Greenstone Road) construction will proceed as well.
The tribe has mitigated many issues brought forward, including addressing the potential for light pollution from the facility. New diffused lighting technology will be incorporated that includes shutters in the five story, 2,800square foot parking structure to reduce glare. The casino itself will incorporate numerous gambling areas, including high-stakes room and five individual restaurants.
Future plans include a 250 room hotel and entertainment will be offered after the hotel is built, and there's discussion of a future performance center at the site. There will be a supervised kid's program available including a nurse on staff, movies and activities and a security ID system to protect the children. A shuttle is also in the plans to go between several area casinos, and may eventually include Apple Hill and other area tourist attractions.
Financial mitigation measures include funding of $104million for a new HOV (high occupancy vehicle) lane along Hwy 50; $500,000 annually to El Dorado County for public safety; payments of all in-lieu taxes that
would otherwise be avoidable under the tribe's sovereign nation status; and $10 million to El Dorado County for discretionary use. The tribe will also be offering hiring preferences for members of the tribe and local residents, and will construct a new health care clinic on their land located on the south side of Hwy 50. The tribe's published "help wanted" brochure claims $88.4 million in local economic benefits and 1,500 new jobs.
Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians | Casino | Restaurants | FoothillOaks.com
