Depending on who is talking, the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians' proposed 535-acre land annexation and casino-hotel development would be untenable for up to 1,000 nearby residents, or would offer more jobs and an economic infusion to the San Jacinto Valley that outweighs neighbor concerns.

The public has until Tuesday to submit written comments concerning the proposal's draft environmental impact statement to the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs regional office in Sacramento.

The tribe proposes relocating its casino to a site near Lake Park Drive and Soboba Road and building a 300-room hotel, an event center and other amenities. The bureau has the final say.

At a Bureau of Indian Affairs public hearing Aug. 5, Riverside County officials asked for more time to comment on the voluminous report. John Rydzik, agency environmental scientist in Sacramento, said the agency's regional director turned down the county's request. The agency previously gave a 30-day extension to the usual 45-day comment period.

The county Board of Supervisors will discuss the county's response when it meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

If the development had been proposed in an unincorporated area, it would "likely be denied because it's inappropriate land use without buffers," Verne Lauritzen, chief of staff for 3rd District County Supervisor Jeff Stone, said by phone.

He noted that the proposal shows development less than 100 feet from residential neighborhoods.

Lauritzen and others, including San Jacinto Mayor Dale Stubblefield, have said if land previously purchased by the tribe were added to the reservation, it would create virtual "islands" of non-Indian land whose residents would have to drive through the reservation to get to home.

Calling the draft study "very superficial," Lauritzen said the county has serious concerns about the lack of details about traffic, air quality, planning and other effects, and how to mitigate them.

City and council officials have said development would have regional effects, including on traffic.

At a recent Hemet City Council meeting, city planners noted that the draft environmental report evaluated 11 intersections, but only one of them in Hemet. If proposed in the city, planners said developers would typically be required to analyze 20 to 25 intersections.

The San Jacinto council voted 4-1 to oppose the project Aug. 5. Councilman Steve Di Memmo cast the dissenting vote. He said then and at the Sept. 3 council meeting that he didn't have enough information to make an informed vote. Fellow council members insisted he had had plenty of time to study the issue.

The final environmental report, including responses to comments, is not expected until next year. Larry Echo Hawk, the U.S. Department of the Interior's assistant secretary of Indian affairs, will make the decision about the proposal.

Reach Gail Wesson at 951-763-3455 or gwesson@PE.com