Medford Casino | 2024 Updates

Nation | Tribe: Coquille Indian Tribe

THE CEDARS AT BEAR CREEK

2355 South Pacific Highway
Medford, OR 97501

(541) 779-1501

A federal decision is pending on whether to approve or reject a Medford casino proposed by the Coquille Indian Tribe. The casino would be named 'The Cedars at Bear Creek' and would be located in the southern part of Medford on Highway 99.

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The Cedars at Bear Creek

The Coquille Indian Tribe wants to build a a 30,000-square-foot casino in Medford, Oregon and name it "The Cedars at Bear Creek". The location would be in the southern part of Medford along the east side of Highway 99.

The total size of the Cedars at Bear Creek casino will be a 30,284 square-feet. This will include a 16,700-sq-ft gaming floor and a 5,100-sq-ft bar and deli. Parking will have 520 surface spaces.

The Medford casino will have three phases of construction. Phase 1 will open with 150 slot machines. Phase 2 will expand to 300 slot machines. The final phase will have 650 slot machines. No estimated timeframe for each phase has been announced.

The Medford casino would be the second casino owned by the Coquille Indian Tribe. The Tribe owns and operates The Mill Casino Hotel in North Bend, Oregon.

In 2012 the Tribe purchased Roxy Ann Bowling Lanes and the old Kim's Restaurant which totals 2.42 acres. This land acquisition was submitted to the U.S. Interior Department to determine if it qualifies as a building site for a tribal casino.

In 2017 the Interior Department found the Tribe has the right to build a casino on that land once it is transferred into federal trust.

The Coquille tribe then formally applied to the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs to place the land into federal trust for the purpose of building a casino. This is a multi-step process that takes years for a final decision. The application is currently under review.

Renderings of The Cedars at Bear Creek

News

Medford Casino | One Step from Fed Approval November 25, 2024 - The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has published its Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) on the proposed Medford casino. The BIA report purposes ... Read more Medford Casino Approval at Critical Decision Point November 21, 2024 - The Medford off-reservation casino plan of the Coquille Indian Tribe has reached a critical point in the approval process of the federal government. The Bureau of Indian Affairs ... Read more Medford Casino Project Status | March 2024 Update March 23, 2024 - The Coquille Indian Tribe is waiting for a final decision from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) regarding the tribe's plan to build a casino in Medford, Oregon ... Read more Medford tribal casino plan opposed by Gov. Kotek May 4, 2023 - Gov. Tina Kotek does not support the plan of the Coquille Tribe to build a tribal casino in Medford. In early April the Governor issued a letter to all Oregon gaming tribes announcing her opposition to new ... Read more Medford Casino Proposal Moves Ahead March 9, 2023 - The Coquille Tribe has renewed its efforts to open a casino in Medford, Oregon, after fighting earlier opposition from Governor Brown, the Cow Creek Tribe, and the federal government. A renewed application has ... Read more Medford casino application rejected by BIA June 15, 2020 - The Medford casino project is dead. The Coquille Indian Tribe, which owns The Mill Casino Hotel in North Bend, had plans to build a second casino in Medford to be named The Cedars at Bear Creek. ... Read more More Headlines ...

The Cedars at Bear Creek Location

The Coquille Tribe plans to build the Medford casino on a 2.42-acre parcel located on South Pacific Highway adjacent to Interstate-5. The location is the existing Roxy Ann Lanes at 2375 S Pacific Highway. The tribe plans to remodel the bowling alley and add new construction for gaming space to host 650 electronic gaming machines.

The following images illustrate the construction plan. The top picture is Roxy Ann Lanes today and the bottom picture is the new casino named 'The Cedars at Bear Creek' with a northwestern theme.

The tribe also owns the existing hotel next door, the Compass Hotel Medford by Margaritaville at 2399 South Pacific Highway.

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The Cedars at Bear Creek Features

Gaming

The Medford casino will offer Class II gambling as defined by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. Class II games are played against other players and not the house.

The Cedars at Bear Creek casino will be built in three phases.

Restaurants & Bars

Entertainment

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Hotel

Compass Hotel Medford by Margaritaville
2399 S Pacific Hwy, Medford, OR 97501
(541) 646-9700

Compass Hotel Medford by Margaritaville - Opened in 2022

Bear Creek Golf Course

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News Articles

Medford Casino | One Step from Fed Approval

November 25, 2024

The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has published its Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) on the proposed Medford casino. The BIA report purposes transferring a 2.42-acre site in Medford into federal trust for the Coquille Indian Tribe for the purpose of building an Indian-gaming casino.

The BIA report is available online at coquille-eis.com.

COQUILLE INDIAN TRIBE FEE-TO-TRUST AND GAMING FACILITY PROJECT FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT
Dated November 22, 2024

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Coquille tribe on what proposed Medford casino may offer - Courtesy of KOBI-TV NBC5, Nov 22, 2024. Available from YouTube

A 30-day window is now open for public comments about the report. All inputs must be received at the BIA by December 23, 2024. Comments may be submitted by mail or email:

MAIL TO:
Regional Director
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Northwest Region
911 Northeast 11th Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97232-4169.

Please include your name, return address, and the caption: "FEIS Comments, Coquille Indian Tribe Fee-to-Trust and Casino Project," on the first page of your written comments.

EMAIL TO:
Tobiah Mogavero, NEPA Coordinator
Bureau of Indian Affairs
tobiah.mogavero@bia.gov

Use "FEIS Comments, Coquille Indian Tribe Fee-to-Trust and Casino Project" as the subject of your email.

Any time on or after December 23, 2024, the BIA will issue its final decision on whether to authorize or reject the Medford casino project. The decision will be issued in a formal document, called a Record of Decision for the Proposed Action, and published in the Federal Registry.

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Medford Casino Approval at Critical Decision Point

November 21, 2024

The Medford off-reservation casino plan of the Coquille Indian Tribe has reached a critical point in the approval process of the federal government. The Bureau of Indian Affairs is expected to issue a final environmental impact statement (FEIS) this month that will support the casino.

The FEIS incorporates the public comments collected last February from the draft EIS along with necessary updates and revisions. Another 30-day public comment period may follow the FEIS.

The last step in the process will be the formal publication of the final decision to approve or reject the Medford casino application. The decision will be documented in a record of decision (ROD) and published in the Federal Registry.

If approved, the proposed Medford casino will be named The Cedars at Bear Creek, and will be located at 2355 South Pacific Highway in south Medford. The casino will be adjacent to the Compass Hotel Medford by Margaritaville, which is owned by the Coquille Indian Tribe, and will feature 650 Class-II slot machines and no card games.

The BIA published a draft-version of the EIS report two years ago. A public comment period was opened late last year and all kinds of inputs were collected from local residents, political people, and opposing tribes. The comment period was closed last February and was followed by an extensive evaluation of the information.

The Medford casino would be the first off-reservation casino in Oregon. Four other regional tribes strongly oppose building any off-reservation casinos anywhere. These tribes and their casinos are the Cow Creek (Seven Feathers Casino Resort in Canyonville, Oregon), Elk Valley (Elk Valley Casino in Crescent City, CA), Karuk (Rain Rock Casino in Yreka, CA), and Tolowa Dee-ni' Tribes (Lucky 7 Casino & Hotel in Smith River, CA).

A news release from the federal government about the Medford casino is expected any day.

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Medford Casino Project Status | March 2024 Update

March 23, 2024

The Coquille Indian Tribe is waiting for a final decision from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) regarding the tribe's plan to build a casino named 'The Cedars at Bear Creek' in Medford, Oregon.

The BIA has been reviewing a draft-version of an Environmental Impact Statement since February 2023 to determine whether to final the report and transfer 2.42 acres of land owned by the tribe into federal trust. The land is located on the east side of Highway 99 in southern Medford. The trust status would allow the tribe to build a casino with Class II gaming, which would be exempt from state and local jurisdictions.

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Fight continues over where tribes can open casinos as leaders gather for sum - Courtesy of KOCO 5 News, Dec 5, 2023. Available from YouTube

Earlier this month four tribes sent a letter to Secretary Deb Haaland, Secretary of the Department of the Interior (DOI), requesting she visit their tribes before the BIA makes a final decision on the Medford casino.

The four tribes and their casinos are the Cow Creek (Seven Feathers Casino Resort in Canyonville, Oregon), Elk Valley (Elk Valley Casino in Crescent City, CA), Karuk (Rain Rock Casino in Yreka, CA), and Tolowa Dee-ni' Tribes (Lucky 7 Casino & Hotel in Smith River, CA).

The land for the Medford casino was purchased by the Coquille Indian Tribe in 2012. It is not part of the tribe's reservation unless the federal government transfers it into trust for the tribe. The four opposing tribes are challenging the rights and the ancestral ties of the Coquille to the Medford casino site, and they believe the casino will have a devastating impact on their own casino incomes.

Coquille Tribal Chair, Brenda Meade, says the Coquille Restoration Act, which was passed by Congress in 1989, created a five-county reservation restoration area in which the federal government can place land - including land in Jackson County - into trust for the tribe for the purpose of economic development.

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Medford tribal casino plan opposed by Gov. Kotek

May 4, 2023

Gov. Tina Kotek does not support the plan of the Coquille Tribe to build a tribal casino in Medford. In early April the Governor issued a letter to all Oregon gaming tribes to announce her opposition to opening any new casino in the state.

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Governor Kotek against Coquille Tribe's proposed gaming facility in Medford - Courtesy of KOBI-TV NBC5, Apr 13, 2023. Available from YouTube

The Bureau of Indian Affairs is expected to make a final decision on the Medford casino proposal within the next few months.

"We're continuing forward, and this 12-year NNEPA process that has taken much longer than it should have. It doesn't impact our progress or our position on the project at all."

- Brenda Meade, Tribal Chair

The Coquille Tribe says the governor and state do not have approval nor oversight authority over Class II casino gaming per the U.S. Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

The Tribe has proposed Class II gaming in Medford, using bingo-based slot machines where players bet against a player pool instead of the house. Class III gaming is Vegas-style slots and table games, which requires a compact agreement with the state.

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Medford Casino Proposal Moves Ahead

March 9, 2023

The Coquille Tribe has renewed its efforts to open a casino in Medford, Oregon, after fighting earlier opposition from Governor Brown, the Cow Creek Tribe, and the federal government. The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) rejected the tribe's proposal in 2020. However, with a new president and administration, the Coquille Tribe reapplied for a Medford casino.

During the past year the BIA has prepared a 250-page Draft Environmental Impact Statement and souoght public comments on its findings. Those comments were collected from November 25, 2022 to February 23, 2023. They will now be incorporated into a final Environmental Impact Statement to be published later this year.

Since the proposed casino gaming is Class II rather than Class III, the final decision of the BIA will supersede the jurisdiction of the local and state governments. However, the BIA considers local inputs in its decision.

Since 2013 the City of Medford had officially opposed the casino. However, last week the City Council passed a resolution to change its position to neutrality on the issue.

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Medford City Council 'neutral' on casino plan in city limits
Courtesy of KOBI-TV NBC5, Mar 3 2023. Available from YouTube

NEWS ARCHIVE

The following news videos summarize the recent public responses to the casino proposal over the past six weeks.

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Tribes weigh in on proposed Medford casino
Courtesy of KOBI-TV NBC5, Jan 27, 2023. Available from YouTube

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Medford considers casino as tribes for & against make their case
Courtesy of KOBI-TV NBC5, Jan 26, 2023. Available from YouTube

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Medford to weigh in on Coquille Tribe's 2nd casino effort in the city
Courtesy of KOBI-TV NBC5, Jan 25, 2023. Available from YouTube

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Medford casino application rejected by BIA

June 15, 2020

The Medford casino project is dead. The Coquille Indian Tribe, which owns The Mill Casino Hotel in North Bend, had plans to build a second casino in Medford to be named The Cedars at Bear Creek.

Planning began in 2012 and proceeded with filing an application filed with the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to transfer 2.42 acres of land in south Medford into federal trust for the purpose of building a Class II gaming casino.

On May 27 Coquille tribal leaders received letter of rejection from the BIA. The letter was written by the principal deputy assistant secretary for Indian Affairs, John Tahsuda, who explained the application for the Medford casino is denied.

Coquille Tribal Chairman Brenda Meade was upset by the decision and said:

"By ending the normal, fact-based process for making trust land decisions, Tahsuda has silenced the many people in the community who are supporting our efforts. He also is denying our local officials the opportunity to express their growing appreciation for the tribe's work in the community and their interest in pursuing economic development on this property. They all were promised that their voices would be heard every step of the way."

The Coquille Tribal Council will consider the options and decide what steps the tribe should take next.

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Tribe acquires more land around Medford casino site

February 20, 2019

The Coquille Indian Tribe plans to build a casino in Medford on the 2.42-acre site of the Roxy Ann Lanes, which it bought in 2012 for $1.6 million. Since that initial purchase, the Tribe has bought or leased additional land around it.

• 32 acres at the site of the former Kim's Restaurant was leased by the Tribe. It lays between South Pacific and Interstate 5 and borders U.S. Cellular Community Park.
• 3.6 acres south of Roxy Ann Lanes was puchased in November 2016.
• 2.43 acres north of Lowry Lane was purchased in November 2018.
• 2.36 acres north of Charlotte Ann Road and south of Habitat for Humanity Rogue Valley were purchased in December 2018.

The land now leased or owned by the tribe is about 45 acres. It includes a quarter-mile of frontage along South Pacific Highway.

Plans have not been announced for these properties and will not be finalized until the federal government announces its decision on the Tribe's application to place the original 2.42 acres into federal trust for the purpose of building a casino.

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Medford Casino Meets Opposition by OR Senators

November 04, 2013

Oregon senators, Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, have contacted Washington DC in hopes of stopping the Medford Casino project.

The proposed project would allow for the Coquille Indian Tribe to build a casino where currently there is a bowling alley. Tribe, as of now, has a casino in North Bend. This would be their second casino if approved.

Currently there are nine casino in the state. Each of the nine casino are owned by a separate tribe.

The two senators have set a letter the U.S. Department of Interior. The letter was addressed the assistant secretary of Indian Affairs, Kevin Washburn. It was expressed in the letter that the proposed casino is being opposed. Support of the opposition also includes commissioners of Jackson County. As well as Gov. John Kitzhaber.

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Proposed Medford Casino Opposed

September 24, 2013

Much opposition has been given to the proposed Medford casino. The Coquille Indian Tribe wants to open an additional casino. This has many speaking out against it.

As of now there are nine casinos in Oregon. All of them are tribal owned. At North Bend, on Central Oregon's coast, the Coquille own their casino. They want to transform a bowling alley in Medford into their second casino location.

The Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians own a casino north of Medford. Their fear is the new casino would hurt their business.

Medford is 165 miles away from the Coquille casino in North Bend. The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs has been asked by the tribe to put property in Medford into a land trust. If approved the Medford property would be considered part of the tribe's reservation land. Therefore allowing for the development of a casino.

Currently the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 allows for tribes to developed casinos in locations where they choose. On September 19 there was a hearing by a congressional panel about the proposed casino location. It was advised that certain portions of the gaming act should be rewritten to discourage tribes from being able to build casino so far from their tribal land.

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Coquille Tribe Plans for Medford Casino

April 23, 2013

This week there is a meeting planned between local officials and the Coquille tribe. The meeting is to discuss the tribe's proposed casino project in Medford.

The Coquille plan to use a Medford bowling alley that was purchased as the building location. The Secretary of Interior has also been notified that the tribe would like to place the land into trust. If the casino project is approved, they will operate 600 gaming machines.

It was agreed upon by the governor and by the state's tribes that they would each operate one casino on their reservations. Casinos would not be approved if built off of tribal land.

If the Coquille receive their approval, this will be the second casino for the tribe. Currently the tribe operates the Mill Casino.

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News Headlines Continued

Tribe acquires more land around Medford casino site February 20, 2019 - Over the last few years the Coquille Tribe has been buying additional parcels of land around their proposed casino site. The Tribe now owns or controls about 45 acres. ... Read more 11.04.2013 Medford Casino Meets Opposition by OR Senators 09.24.2013 Proposed Medford Casino Opposed 04.23.2013 Coquille Tribe Plans for Medford Casino