Proposed casino site for sale in Ukiah, casting doubt on Pinoleville tribe’s plans

A former Ukiah car dealership that was slated to become a casino is now for sale, casting doubt on the future of the proposed gambling operation.

It’s unclear exactly what the sale means for the Pinoleville Pomo Nation’s casino plans. Tribal officials did not respond this week to multiple phone calls seeking comment.

For five years, the tribe held a lease option on the 8.8-acre parcel, which was once part of the tribe’s rancheria, now about ?99 acres in size. That option expired this year, apparently without a purchase agreement and the property, which includes three buildings with 27,000 square feet of space, is now listed for $3.2 million. The property is owned by Kandy Investments of Rohnert Park. Representatives of the company could not be reached Thursday for comment.

The tribe in 2009 announced it had plans to build a $50 million casino and hotel on the property, located just north of Ukiah’s city limits and near Highway 101. In 2011, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a gambling compact allowing the tribe to build a casino with up to 900 slot machines at the location.

Pinoleville Pomo leaders at the time said the project would provide jobs and independence for the tribe while critics wondered whether the Ukiah area needed another casino.

There are two nearby, one to the north in Redwood Valley and another just east of Hopland. Concerns also were raised about water and traffic impacts from a casino near an already congested intersection.

Meanwhile, two larger casinos exist to the south, River Rock Casino outside Geyserville and Graton Resort and Casino outside Rohnert Park.

The casino project failed to gain traction, reportedly for lack of investors. In the meantime, the tribe initiated plans for a commercial medical marijuana operation within the Pinoleville Rancheria. Those plans were cut short when Mendocino County Sheriff’s officials raided the site, saying it was out of compliance with county and state regulations.

Deputies eradicated some 400 pot plants from an outdoor location on the reservation. Inside the former car dealership, they reported finding a chemical laboratory where honey oil - a sticky, concentrated pot product used to make edible medicine- was being manufactured and marijuana plants were being dried.

The tribe claimed it had a right to the operations and threatened to sue the county, but a lawsuit has yet to be filed, county officials said.

Other recent tribal issues have included a lawsuit filed by the company that prepared the impact report for the casino, alleging nonpayment, and turmoil inside the tribe which resulted in numerous members being disenrolled.

You can reach Staff Writer Glenda Anderson at 707-462-6473.