What Do You Think of the Proposed Casino?

In the week since for a proposed Vegas-style casino and resort on the outskirts of Rohnert Park — giving the green light for the Federated Indians of the Graton Rancheria to build —  the public is talking. I've overheard conversations at coffee shops, at restaurants and in local grocery stores, and the message is mixed.

Some are excited, and say the casino will brighten the local economy — it'll bring investment, tourism and spark new business in Rohnert Park. Some fret an increase in crime and traffic; others are wary about how the casino deal was passed, and others are concerned about the harm on the environment here. ()

We invite the public to weigh in on the casino. Tell us how you feel in the comments or send your letter to the editor by emailing angela.hart@patch.com. Here's what one reader had to say:

We are totally against the graton casino proposed on our boarder. 

Neighborhoods soon degrade, car thefts rise exponentially, homeless gambling addicts sleep in yards and store fronts because their lives have been torn apart by the product at hand, fine businesses are replaced with pawn shops, auto pawn shops and quick cash stores.  

This casino entrance according to transcripts is scheduled to be on Wilfred Ave now known as Golf Course Drive West allowing traffic to pass by Honeybee Pool and park and within 125 feet of Hahn Elementary School (so much for safe rides/walks to school) when the interchange is completed. We have talked to and visited Highland, Calif. in So Cal where all of the above happened to their community when a casino was dumped in their back yard. 

The gentleman I talked to had a sister who’s car was stolen two times within weeks. Usually this happens when a losing patron runs out of gas and has to get from point a to point b. 

We witness their devastaion. Those living near Golf Course Dr. interchange will have all this to look forward to. The casino should be called Feinsteinville (i.e. Pottersville vs. Bedford Falls in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’).  

Thank you, Linda M. Long

Editor's note: Gov. Jerry Brown signed a tribal-state gaming contract compact last Friday with the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria to operate a casino outside Rohnert Park city limits. The compact, which allows 3,000 slot machines, must still be approved by the state Legislature and Department of the Interior.