"It has been a very controversial issue," Goldstein tells GlobeSt.com. "Generally the Board of Supervisors and our county has been opposed to casino development, but that's really a federal policy issue; we do not have a lot of control on trust land and they do have a compact with the state that allows them to do gaming."The county has concerns because it doesn't see casinos as consistent with its general plan and it possible there could be several more in the offing because the county is home to five federally recognized tribes. Red Rock is currently the only casino in the county but another is proposed closer to San Francisco in the Rohnert Park area that would have significant traffic and other impacts, Goldstein says."We're trying to work with them so that the off-reservation impacts (such as increased crime and traffic) are fully mitigated, so the community doesn't bear the cost of the tribes' development," Goldstein says. "There are a lot of studies out there and it's not necessarily clear that casinos are an overall positive benefit when you take into account some of the social costs."

A spokesperson for the casino did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment. Shawn Smyth, CEO of the River Rock Entertainment Authority, says in a prepared statement that construction will follow "a formal environmental review and receipt of necessary financing."

The environmental review is in keeping with the Tribal-State compact and the Tribe's governing statutes. The Tribe also plans to invest approximately $76 million in infrastructure improvements to support the new facilities, including an expanded wastewater treatment facility for which it recently obtained federal permission.