The Cache Creek Casino in Brooks has dropped planned expansion as a result of the flagging economy. (Courtesy)

One week before Yolo County's Yocha Dehe Wintun tribe was scheduled to enter arbitration with county government over its proposed casino expansion, the tribe announced it will abandon the project in light of the economic downturn.

"There has been some difficulty because of the global economic crisis, which is reflected in our decision," said tribal spokesman Brent Andrew Tuesday.

The tribe had proposed tripling the size of its Cache Creek Casino, establishing it as the largest in the world, according to county documents. The most apparent changes would have been increasing the number of hotel rooms from 200 to 694, and expanding the number of slot machines from 2,600 to 8,000.

A Tribal Environmental Impact Report prepared for the expansion was at the heart of the disagreement between county and tribal officials.

Supervisor Mike McGowan said the proposed mitigation and impact estimates in the EIR did not properly address the expansion's accompanying increase in traffic and water usage, nor the effect on air quality, affordable housing and available public services.

"The tribe needs to fully and completely mitigate for all of the impacts of the expansion, not just offer the legally required minimum," McGowan said in a Daily Democrat Op-Ed piece published in January.

Earlier that same month, supervisors announced they would take the tribe to court, and set aside as much as $1 million to pay for the proceedings. The money came from tribal mitigation funds meant to offset the impact the casino has to the county.

Beth Gabor, the county's public information officer, didn't know how much of that $1 million had been spent, but said bills are still coming in from lawyers, traffic experts and others hired in anticipation of arbitration.

Andrew would not comment on the amount spent by the tribe for its side of the potential legal fight, or project preparations.

The tribe continues to pay the county more than $5 million annually under an intergovernmental agreement for its last expansion.