The move by the Federated Indians of the Graton Rancheria to build a Las Vegas-style casino on a piece of land roughly the size of 250 football fields on Park's west side — a lengthy process that started in 2003 — is gaining momentum.

A gaming compact is under negotiation between the tribe and Gov. Jerry Brown's office, said Nedra Darling, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, part of the federal Department of the Interior.
"We have received no word that the state and the tribe have come to a final agreement, so the compact — as far as we know — is still being negotiated," Darling told Rohnert Park Patch Sept. 30.
Once the tribe has an agreeement with the state, the application would have to go to the legislature, then come here, Darling said.
Officials with Brown's office couldn't elaborate on plans, but Evan Westrup, a spokesman with the governor's office did say the tribe would need to negotiate a compact with Brown in order to move forward.
"We're obligated to negotiate with the tribe in good faith," Westrup said. "We will not disclose the status of a compact because it's confidential, but once it's signed, it will be announced and we will make available the compact itself."
Under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, a state is obligated to negotiate compacts that lay out the conditions, regulations and limitations for class three gaming operations in good faith.
After dozens of calls to officials with the Federated Indians of the Graton Rancheria, a spokeswoman for Greg Sarris, the tribal chairman, said the tribe has no comment on the status of the casino.
The process of building a casino in Rohnert Park has been contentious, at best, since it started in 2003. The proposal was stalled by lawsuits led by a group called "Stop the Casino 101 Coalition," but last October plans were revitalized when the 254 acres were taken into trust by the tribe, which was approved by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Environmental hurdles were cleared Aug. 31, when the proposed casino was left out of the federally protected land for the endangered Tiger Salamander.
Indian gaming is a right of Indian Nations, derived from sovereignty recognized by the Supreme Court and Congress in 1988, according to the National Indian Gaming Association.
"It is the only economic development tool that has ever worked on reservations, bringing increased economic benefits to Indians and non¬-Indians," the Association said in a statement. "Most [tribes] are still struggling to lift themselves out of a centuries-¬long cycle of poverty."
But Chip Worthington, a local pastor and active member of the "Stop the Casino 101 Coalition," says the casino will invite blight and increased crime to Rohnert Park.
Worthington said the coalition is currently challenging a National Environmental Policy Act ruling based on water probelms, sewer, traffic, pollution and further endangering the Tiger Salamander.
"We're looking forward to having the court weigh in on the casino's very flawed environmental study," Worthington said in a statment.
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Editor's note: The tribe has estimated when built, the casino will inject millions of dollars annually into the local economy. And, city officials confirmed last month that the Graton Rancheria has promised to pay the city an estimated $200 million over 20 years, assuming revenues come in as anticipated.