Lytton Band paid $4.6M to use land as parking for Class II facility

Friday, February 27, 2015

A view of the San Pablo Lytton Casino in California. Photo from Adobe Associates Inc

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The Lytton Band of Pomo Indians in California paid $4.6 million up front to use a property as a parking lot for its Class II facility.

The tribe will be using the 2.5-acre site for 20 years, The Marin Independent Journal reported. The land is adjacent to the San Pablo Lytton Casino.

The land is currently owned by the financially-troubled Doctors Medical Center. The tribe at one point was in talks to buy the property outright but that no longer appears to be on the table.

Instead, the city of San Pablo might be acquiring the land. The tribe would still be able to use it for the parking lot under the 20-year easement.

The tribe is limited to Class II gaming at the casino. Efforts to advance a Class III compact have been met with opposition in the state.

Additionally, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) has repeatedly introduced bills to prevent the tribe from expanding the size of the facility without undergoing additional federal and state reviews. The measures have never advanced very far in Congress but they have created some uncertainty for the tribe.

The casino site was acquired through an act of Congress in 2000. The law backdated the acquisition in order to avoid review under Section 20 of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

Get the Story:
San Pablo confirms details of its offer to buy some Doctors Medical Center properties (The Marin Independent Journal 2/26) Related Stories:
Lytton Band might purchase property next to gaming facility (09/22)