Casino Land in Rohnert Park

Opponents paint a pristine, pastoral picture of the land slated for construction of the casino/hotel/resort so I was curious to see for myself what the area had to offer. I decided to drive by the land proposed for Graton Rancheria's casino project located off of Wilfred Avenue in Rohnert Park.

The field itself is flat grassland and free of any structures or dense groves of trees. It is located directly behind a sprawling shopping center that includes Walmart, PepBoys, Linens 'n Things and Outback Stakehouse.

The roads are full of potholes and narrow, with ditches on each side - several feet deep in some spots. About 90% of the adjacent houses are in poor condition, some with backyard livestock including sheep and cows in fields with broken chairs, abandoned vehicles, mobile homes and out buildings.

A few homes were abandoned, tagged and burnt - evidence of being party hide-outs for teens or gangs. The area appears to have been forgotten for the last several decades...