An equally controversial proposal down in the Sonoma Valley area is in the spotlight this month, thanks to a new short film by local filmmaker and environmental educator Carolyn Scott.

Carolyn’s half-hour film, called “Small is Beautiful: The Quest to Save the Valley of the Moon,” takes a look at one developer’s wild proposal for turning the spooky, abandoned Sonoma Developmental Center site near Glen Ellen, which used to be a mental hospital campus of sorts, into an entire new neighborhood — complete with 900-plus homes, tons of shops, a luxury hotel and a conference center.

“This region, nestled at the base of Sonoma Mountain and serves as a crucial wildlife corridor, which will be destroyed by this development,” Carolyn’s website says. “Also, this area is in a high fire zone area which has already experienced extreme fires, putting lives at risk during an evacuation.”

The film just debuted last weekend with a sold-out screening at the Sebastiani Theatre in Sonoma, and will show again next weekend at the Sacramento Underground Film & Arts Festival. Check out the trailer here.

And here’s the latest on the proposed development at the heart of the documentary, courtesy of the Press Democrat:

In March 2023, the California Department of General Services selected Napa-based developer Keith Rogal and his partner, the Grupe Company, to lead a $100 million project to redevelop the site. These developers then found a loophole that allowed the housing total to increase to a minimum of 930 units.

A coalition of Sonoma Valley citizens groups objected to the plan and filed a lawsuit. After reviewing the lawsuit, in April 2024 Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Bradford DeMeo ruled that the county had violated the California Environmental Quality Act by failing to clearly define he number of housing units allowed; respond to community concerns in the draft environmental impact report (EIR); adequately assess impacts on biological resources and wildlife evacuation; and address the cumulative impact of a project planned at neighboring Hanna Center.

“I was thrilled and delighted to read the judge’s ruling,” [filmmaker Carolyn Scott] said. “Bravo DeMeo! He clearly recognized the duplicity and illegalities in that EIR, and he recognized the need for a plan that actually addresses the environmental sensitivities of this particular region. However, Rogal already submitted another plan on July 2, so the fight is far from over. And we have to look at the big picture of these mandates overriding all environmental laws and local controls.”

One American Indian tribe’s bold proposal for a massive new resort and casino in the ranch lands east of Windsor just took a baby step forward, in the form of a nearly 300-page “environmental impact statement” compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs. You can check out the document here.

Officials from the bureau are asking the public to submit any input on the doc by Aug. 26. You can send your opinions to Chad Broussard, an environmental protection specialist for the bureau, at ch************@*ia.gov. (Using the subject line “EIS Comments, Koi Nation Shiloh Resort and Casino.”)

There will also be a virtual public hearing at 6pm on Tuesday, July 30. Register here to attend.

The Shiloh Resort & Casino would be located on 69 acres of unincorporated land between Old Redwood Highway and the Shiloh Ranch Regional Park, currently quilted in vineyards. It butts right up against a Windsor neighborhood, so it has some nearby residents spooked.

A Pomo tribe from Lake County called the Koi Nation of Northern California reportedly bought the land for around $12 million a few years ago, and now they want to make good use of it. Here’s their proposal, from the new federal report:

The Tribe proposes to develop a casino-resort facility that includes a three-story casino, five-story hotel with spa and pool area, ballroom/meeting space, event center, and associated parking and infrastructure. The gaming component of the facility would be approximately 538,137 square feet and include 2,750 gaming devices with 105 table games. The hotel component of the facility would be approximately 268,930 square feet and consist of 400 rooms.

Approximately 5,119 parking spaces would be provided on the ground floor of the casino, as well as in a four-story parking garage and a overflow surface parking lot on the eastern side of Pruitt Creek. An enclosed clear-span pedestrian bridge would connect the parking garage with the casino-resort approximately 12 feet above Pruitt Creek. Other supporting infrastructure, including the proposed water treatment and wastewater treatment facilities would be located on the southeastern portion of the Project Site.

At first, their proposal seemed like a long shot — especially since some other tribes nearby that run their own casinos pushed back. But since then, the Koi have announced the support of “a broad coalition of 18 California tribal governments, several political figures and one key ally in state government — California Treasurer Fiona Ma,” the Press Democrat reports.

The Koi argue: “The property site is just over 10 miles from the Tribe’s historic lands within California’s Pomo territory. It gives life to negotiated treaty rights dating from the 1850s, undoing decades of woeful federal mistreatment.”

According to Sonoma County government officials, tribe leaders have asked the feds if their property can be “placed into trust to become sovereign tribal land.” The Koi application is still under review — but if it’s approved by the U.S. Department of the Interior, the county says it will “not have regulatory jurisdiction or decision-making authority” over whether the casino is allowed to open.

In any case, the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs is going ahead with the environmental impact process.

Here’s some more info from the Casino.org industry mag:

Chad Broussard, an environmental protection specialist with the BIA, wrote in the abstract that the Shiloh Resort and Casino poses numerous environmental threats.

Broussard concluded that the destination would create potentially significant impacts to groundwater and biological resources, public services, traffic noise and congestion, wildfire hazards, and wildlife evacuation. But those concerns could be addressed, he said. 

All potentially significant impacts would be minimalized or avoided with recommended mitigation measures,” Broussard wrote. 

… The tribe is partnered with the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma, one of the nation’s richest gaming tribes. While the Koi Nation would own Shiloh, the Chickasaws would manage the resort and share in its profits.

It’s pretty much official: One of Santa Rosa’s last indie movie theaters, Summerfield Cinemas across from Howarth Park on the east side of the city, is being replaced by a new outpost of the Planet Fitness gym chain, according to the Press Democrat. “The decision dealt a blow to a growing chorus of cinema buffs and community members who have joined in support of Summerfield Cinemas,” the paper reports.

Neighbors on nearby streets were notified a few months ago about the potential takeover, and started pushing back. They even held a protest outside the theater on Wednesday, braving this crazy heat to fight for arthouse cinema. But by the next day, Santa Rosa’s city “zoning administrator” had reportedly approved the gym-conversion permit.

The Press Democrat reports:

The approval marked another sign of the end of an era for the theater, operated for the past 14 years under the business umbrella of the Tocchini family.

“We put all our love and care into that space since 2010 and before that,” said Dan Tocchini. “It’s sad. No question about that.”

Reached Thursday afternoon, Tocchini was informed by a reporter the conversion had been approved. He had already been put on notice by the new owners of the Lakeside Shopping Center that a decision was imminent.

Tocchini said he’d yet to receive formal notice requiring the theater to close and he planned to continue operating “until we have to leave.”

More from the PD:

The Summerfield theater in its current form dates back to the 1980s, but some cinema buffs can remember watching movies there as early as the late 1960s.

About 30 people, including the theater’s manager and other cinema staffers, rallied outside Summerfield on Wednesday to drum up support ahead of the hearing. The group launched an online petition in early June that had been signed by more than 1,300 people and even purportedly reached famed Hollywood director Quentin Tarantino, who wrote that he saw the 1994 comedy “Clerks” there during a trip to the area.

Stefan said he wasn’t surprised the permit was approved but he hoped the growing opposition would make the new property owners reconsider their plans. He vowed to keep the campaign going and indicated that members are considering appealing Thursday’s decision and thinking of other ways to keep pressure on the owners.

“If the community is overwhelmingly against it, it could be putting this Planet Fitness organization into a very negative light if they choose to demolish this beloved landmark,” he said.