Medford City officials have weighed in during a hearing session on a proposed casino in south Medford, which has long been proposed by the Coquille Tribe in Oregon. The Tribe currently operates the Mill Casino in the Beaver State and has been pursuing this new casino for the past decade.
City attorney Eric Mitton commented: “What that would require legally speaking is for the land to be placed into trust what that means is basically giving it sovereign designation which is part of establishing a casino under Oregon law.”
The Coquille Tribe already owns the property where it wishes to build a casino in south Medford, although it is currently a bowling alley called Roxy Ann Lanes. It wants to transform this venue into a 16,000-square-foot gaming floor with 650 gaming machines, a bar and support services.
Mitton remarked: “We’re working on analyzing what we think would make this city whole in terms of services provided to sovereign land and the financial consequences that coincide with that.”
The Bureau of Indian Affairs has issued a 250-page environmental impact statement on the development project. Mitton summarized the statement last week for the city council, saying: “It's really just four different options related to the Coquille Tribe and gaming.”
These four options include a casino located on an undeveloped property in Phoenix, expansion of its existing Mill Casino and no additional casino development. Potential impacts on police and fire, transportation, stormwater and building safety were also touched upon.
Other Oregon Tribes oppose the proposed Medford casino. Members of the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians listened in on the study session. Cow Creek member Terri Hansen said: “I don’t approve of the casino at all I was born and raised here and I don’t want to see it put other Tribes out of business.”
