Sonoma County almost gained its third casino.
Last year, the Koi Nation of Northern California proposed a project to build a casino right outside the Town of Windsor. The proposed casino would reside on the South side of Windsor near Shiloh Park, and would cover 68 acres. Luckily, Rita Lin of the U.S. District Court’s Northern District of California halted the project due to land disputes with the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria.
Growing up here in Windsor, my hometown, things have always been quaint and quiet, but as the town got more foot traffic, it wanted to compete with neighboring cities like Healdsburg and Santa Rosa. Nowadays, when I drive through town I see residential construction at every corner. Santa Rosa and Rohnert Park have Costco, Graton Casino and large shopping plazas, but Windsor is a small town that does not have any of those big corporations. People can feel the difference. Although the Town of Windsor is getting bigger and busier, we still don’t have those same attractions that change the whole dynamic of my small, quaint town.
Sonoma County already has two casinos within 35 miles of each other, so there is no need for another. Casinos cause more traffic and an influx of tourists. The proposed location of this casino does not leave any room for the community that resides in the residential areas nearby. There is already construction going on at the Shiloh Terrace near the four-way intersection that takes you to the proposed casino site, and the roads are already backed up from construction that has been going on since early 2025.
The thought of a casino being put in this location is unfathomable and would do the Town of Windsor an injustice. It would turn the small Town of Windsor that everyone knows and loves into something else entirely.
I had the chance of speaking to a fellow student at Sonoma State University, Taylor Brogden. She is also a Windsor resident and has been living here since she was three. I asked Taylor how she felt after she heard about the proposed casino in our small town, and she responded “This is not a town that needs one, there is already two.” Brogden said, “Windsor is a small, family-oriented, tight knit community and that is why my parents moved here. It was for the small community so they can raise kids.”
The halting of this project was a blessing for the community and me. Neighboring communities near the proposed project were relieved by the news of the casino being put to a stop for now. It is a major win for the community, so that we can remain the small town that the community knows and loves.
