DCR CEDS Report – PUBLIC COMMENT
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Bellacana Vineyards and Wines DRY CREEK RANCHERIA BAND OF POMO 2018-2022 COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY (CEDS) Prepared by This Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (“CEDS”) was written by Bluestem Consulting, Inc. for the Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians and adopted by the Board of Directors on ___________, 2017. The plan was developed and written in compliance with the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s CEDS requirements as provided for in 13 CFR Part 303. In partnership and with special thanks to Board of Directors CEDS Committee DCR Tribal Departments and all of the Tribal staff, Tribal members, and community stakeholders who provided input to this plan. 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3 SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 4 SECTION II: SUMMARY BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Demographic and Socioeconomic Profile .................................................................................................................................................................. 7 Geography & Climate .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 9 Economic Environment and Trends ......................................................................................................................................................................... 10 Housing ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 13 Education ................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 14 SECTION III: SWOT ANALYSIS ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 15 Process Summary ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 15 Industry Clusters ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 15 Tribal Assets & Resources ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 18 Culture & History ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 21 Public Input ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 22 SECTION IV: STRATEGIC DIRECTION & ACTION PLAN .................................................................................................................................................. 29 Vision & Strategic Goals ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 29 Action Plan – Priority Projects and Activities ........................................................................................................................................................... 34 SECTION V: EVALUATION FRAMEWORK ...................................................................................................................................................................... 39 APPENDICES ................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 40 Appendix A – Public Input Summary ........................................................................................................................................................................ 41 Appendix B – CEDS Tribal Member Survey .............................................................................................................................................................. 42 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chris Wright – Chairman This five-year, Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), funded in part by a planning Betty Arterberry – Vice-Chairman grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), is the result of a one-year planning Marjie Rojes – Secretary/Treasurer process designed to build the capacity and guide the economic prosperity and resilience of the Dry Tieraney Giron – Member at Large Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians. The process included a review of the current economic and Jim Silva – Member at Large financial position of the Tribe, a comprehensive SWOT analysis, and significant public input through interviews, focus groups, and a Tribal member survey. CEDS COMMITTEE Dora Azevedo – Tour & Travel/Sales, Underlying the planning process was the Tribe’s vision for a resilient and sustainable Tribal economy River Rock Casino that leverages and preserves the strengths of the Tribe’s history and cultural heritage, builds Dave Cade – DCR Housing Director diversified assets in an environmentally responsible way that can support the Tribe for current and Melissa Napoli – Marketing future generations, and provides opportunity, hope and, ultimately, an improved quality of life for Coordinator, River Rock Casino all Tribal members. Tina Rojes – Manager, OHOSA Tobacco Shop Jim Silva – Member at Large, DCR As a result of the planning process, the following strategic goals were adopted: Board of Directors David Smith-Ferri – DCR Business GOAL 1: Income Growth and Diversification Authority Board Member and Tribal GOAL 2: A Strong and Cohesive Tribal Community Grants and Contracts Officer GOAL 3: Development of Our Most Valuable Resource – Our People GOAL 4: Support the Building Blocks of a Resilient and Sustainable Economy There are key strategies, actions and evaluation measures connected with each goal, described in later sections of this document. As a requirement of EDA funding, the Tribe will evaluate, report on progress made and update this plan annually. 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION The Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians (“DCR” or “the Tribe”) is a federally-recognized tribe whose homeland is in Northern California, some 75 miles north of San Francisco along the Russian River and Alexander Valley region. There are approximately 1,174 tribal members, with the majority residing close to their ancestral lands in Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake Counties. Tribal headquarters are in the city of Santa Rosa, California. The DCR land base includes the 93-acre Dry Creek Rancheria in rural Sonoma County, as well as three fee properties in Sonoma County totaling an additional 580+ acres. The Tribe’s main revenue source has been the River Rock Casino which opened in 2002 and is located on the Rancheria. The casino has provided many jobs, contributed substantially to the local and regional economy, and supported the provision of essential services for tribal members including education support, child health care, elder care, and affordable housing programs. New competition in the area over the last three years has had a significant impact on the casino. As a result, there has been a reduction in Tribal revenue available to support critical services and the casino has been forced to reduce its workforce, causing a loss of jobs. While casino revenues have now stabilized and there are plans in place to strengthen and grow operations in the future, the Tribe is also focused on building economic resiliency by developing a plan that will allow for diversified revenue sources, helping to support the long-term economic viability and vitality of the Tribe and its tribal members. Resiliency is an ingrained attribute of the Pomo people. Settlement of Southern Pomo bands in the Alexander Valley dates back over 5,000 years. As descendants, DCR tribal members have demonstrated resilience and persistence not only by still inhabiting their ancestral homelands, but also through the preservation of their cultural heritage including tribal ceremonies, Pomo language, basket weaving, jewelry making, and through utilizing and protecting the rich natural resources of the area to enhance economic survival. 4 SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION The CEDS process was undertaken to develop community-driven economic development goals, associated strategies,