A vast casino and hotel complex proposed north of Galt would dramatically change the local landscape, according to a new draft environmental impact study announced Monday.

The Wilton Resort project, proposed by the Wilton Rancheria tribe, would include 12 stories and 302 hotel rooms on 282 acres just north of Twin Cities Road near Highway 99. The complex would include 110,260 square feet of gaming with slot machines and table games, according to details listed in a public notice published this week.

The plans also call for a 2,900 square-foot retail area, fitness center, spa, and 48,000-square-foot convention center. That would make it one of the larger convention and gaming venues in the Sacramento region. In comparison, Thunder Valley Casino Resort north of Roseville is 17 stories with a capacity for 400 rooms.
 
The draft environmental study is part of Wilton Rancheria's proposal to the federal government to put the 282-acre parcel into a trust. The process would enable the tribe to convert the land into a sovereign domestic nation, giving the land tax-exempt status and opening the property to casino development.

Several local tribes have moved from poverty to self-sufficiency and even wealth by operating casinos, including the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation with its Cache Creek Casino Resort and the United Auburn Indian Community with Thunder Valley.

The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Wilton Rancheria are accepting public comments through Feb. 11 on the draft environmental study. A public hearing will also be held Jan. 29 in Galt.

A copy of the draft is available at the Galt branch of the Sacramento Public Library or from the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Pacific Regional Office in Sacramento. More information about the Wilton Rancheria project is also at www.wiltoneis.com.