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Tribe seeks casino rights south of
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Mayor Charlotte Lehan saw a copy of the plans in December, but told the Spokesman she saw no need to publicize them, despite the City Council’s readily apparent opposition to them. “We had a hard time taking it seriously,” Lehan said. “Who would put a plan together and call it a mega casino?” Other aspects of the plan, which Lehan considered inflammatory, led her to believe that it could be designed to scare local communities. 6/30/06 Tribe seeks casino rights south of Wilsonville Klamath plans may be related to Langdon Farms proposal By David Jagernauth There’s been all kinds of talk about all kinds of casino proposals in the Portland area. But never one so close to home. The Klamath Tribes of Oregon have asked the federal government for the right to build an off-reservation casino on an unspecified 153-acre site just south of Wilsonville, in rural Aurora. A tribal representative said the Klamaths were prompted to file due to pending federal legislation seeking to curtail off-reservation gaming. Local leaders believe the application is an attempt to revive a “mega casino” proposal circulated late last year by Eugene developer Wayne Johnson. That plan proposed to combine a 200,000 square foot casino, hotel and convention center with an expanded Langdon Farms Golf Club to create a world-class “destination resort.” An accompanying map superimposed on aerial photos shows that the resort would take up most of a triangular area bounded by Interstate 5, Airport Road and Arndt Road. Chris Maletis, who co-owns Langdon Farms with his brother Tom, confirmed that the brothers hold an option to buy the land where the casino is proposed. Maletis said he was approached late last year with the casino plan, and that he is “not opposed” to the idea. “It is an urbanized area,” he said. “We are in favor of economic development. ...This is an area that has been earmarked by arms of the state as an area for job creation.” Local residents disagree. They are strongly opposed to transforming the area into a gambling destination, said Charbonneau Country Club board member Tony Holt. “The last thing they want is a casino in their backyard,” he said. “I haven’t heard any positive comments from anybody. It just does not seem like a good use of prime agricultural land.” Keeping the door open The Klamaths would need to sign a compact with the governor of Oregon before developing a casino in Aurora. Only one tribe, the Warm Springs Tribe, has been given permission to build an off-reservation casino in Oregon. Lonn Hoklin, spokesman for the governor, said it was still too early in the process for the governor to respond to the Klamaths’ application. It must first be passed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. But Hoklin pointed out that there is a rule in Oregon against tribes operating more than one casino. The Klamaths would be required to close their small casino in Chiloquin. Rodney Clarke is president of Klamath Tribal Development Corp., the economic development arm of the tribe. “We’ve had discussions about doing something out there and we’ve been in touch with landowners out there, but (the Klamath Tribes) filed the application because of a federal law that would disallow off-site casinos,” Clarke said. That bill, sponsored by U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., set an April 15 deadline for tribes to apply for new casinos, which set off a flurry of last-minute filings from more than a dozen tribes from around the country. “We had to file before the deadline, and rather than having that door shut, we filed the application to keep the door open,” Clarke said. A deal is not imminent, he added. The mega casino The 21-page casino plan, dated Nov. 29, 2005, shows that a proposed resort would have a symbiotic relationship with the Langdon Farms course. It proposes to expand the length of the course so that it could qualify as a championship course. A 200,000 square foot casino would be built complete with a 600-room hotel, a convention center, five restaurants and parking for 3,000 cars. There would also be 600 condos, close to 1,000 apartments (primarily for employees), an RV Park, and a strip mall. The estimated total cost of the project is $143 million, according to the document. Mayor Charlotte Lehan saw a copy of the plans in December, but told the Spokesman she saw no need to publicize them, despite the City Council’s readily apparent opposition to them. “We had a hard time taking it seriously,” Lehan said. “Who would put a plan together and call it a mega casino?” Other aspects of the plan, which Lehan considered inflammatory, led her to believe that it could be designed to scare local communities. During the Metro industrial lands debate, the Maletis brothers lobbied — with the support of the Port of Portland — to have their property brought into the urban growth boundary and zoned for industrial use. The City of Wilsonville fought the plans. Metro ultimately chose other sites for industry, including land between Wilsonville and Tualatin. Lehan described the attitude of the Maletis brothers as, “If you won’t let us do industrial, then we’ll do a casino.” So how realistic is the idea? A source familiar with the Indian gaming industry said the Klamath’s application makes it theoretically possible, but still not very practical. Nevertheless, Charbonneau Country Club members are not taking any chances. “We take it very seriously,” Holt said, “and we are going to work with local governments to try and stop it.” The federal government might do just that. The McCain bill could be rewritten to grandfather in only those applications submitted before April, which could shut the door on Klamath’s plans. Even if everything were to fall into place for the tribe, the process would still be a long and expensive one. It took the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde more than five years to complete Spirit Mountain Casino. And the Warm Springs Tribe has been working to get a casino in Cascade Locks for about nine years. But, for Klamath, the potential financial gain could make the casino worth the wait. “The Aurora location could net an annual $250 million to $300 million,” the plan states. “Without a doubt ... this is the best location in the State of Oregon for a destination resort and casino.” Steve St. Amand contributed to this article. http://www.wilsonvillenews.com/WVSNews9.shtml |
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