Not long ago, there was a short list of local developers who could pull off big projects. Their names were Lukenbill, Benvenuti, Tsakopoulos, Petrovich and a few others. Successful people with deep community roots, they had big ideas and access to money. They got things done.
Today, major new players have much deeper roots.
Two Native American tribes, Wilton Rancheria and Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, are investing heavily Downtown, bringing excitement and cash.
“These tribes are making a lot of money and they are investing a lot of money in the core. That is a great thing for the city,” developer Sotiris Kolokotronis tells me. “We should be grateful for that.”
Since 2024, the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, whose ancestral lands are rooted in the Central Valley, purchased two signature properties. Most recent was the former Macy’s at 414 K St. The tribe, owners of Red Hawk Resort + Casino in El Dorado County, paid $15 million for the property.
Earlier, it bought 301 Capitol Mall for $17 million from the California Public Employees Retirement System. That site has long been targeted for something special but is still known as the notorious “hole in the ground.”
When I contacted the tribe for an interview, its spokeswoman promised to connect me with someone. She later balked, saying the tribe is still trying to figure out its plans.
But last year, Chairwoman Regina Cuellar released a statement that provided a glimpse of the tribe’s thinking.
“The land is part of the foundation of our existence. It is where our ancestors lived and flourished. By re-acquiring our ancestral lands, we’re reclaiming our history, our traditions and a deeper connection to our ancestors,” the statement said.
Cuellar noted the tribe wants to develop the properties as a major attraction.
“We’re thinking hotel, family entertainment, maybe some type of a nightlife thing going on,” she said. “We want it to be a destination. It’s a great visibility right on Capitol Mall, right next to DOCO. I mean, we couldn’t ask for better properties.”
The tribe may reconsider those plans, given the market and an investment climate bounced around by tariffs. For now, it’s keeping its thoughts private.
Not so with Wilton Rancheria, which assumed majority ownership of the Sacramento Republic soccer team in 2024 and is building a $175 million stadium with 20,000 seats in the Downtown railyards by 2027. The tribe owns Sky River Casino in Elk Grove.
“We’re proud to be creating a modern gathering place here between the rivers,” Wilton Rancheria Chairman Jesus Tarango Jr. said at the groundbreaking. “Today, we reclaim that legacy by creating and restoring the land to something not exact, but close to the gathering place it once was, a space that honors our past, speaks to our future, a place that brings people together to compete, celebrate and share.”
The groundbreaking date—Aug. 18—was not random. On that date in 1958, the California Rancheria Termination Act became law, resulting in the loss of federal recognition for Wilton Rancheria and 40 other tribal nations. After years of wrangling, Wilton’s sovereignty was restored in 2009.
Wilton Rancheria’s interest in Downtown extends beyond real estate. In September, it was a prime sponsor of the Terra Madre Americas food festival, patterned after Italy’s Terra Madre Salone del Gusto. It was a celebration of the slow food movement, drawing an estimated 100,000 people (see Gabrielle Myers’ report in this month’s Inside).
As for the big projects, there’s lots of optimism. But we’re still three or four years from seeing anything other than the soccer stadium, says Ken Turton, whose commercial real estate firm is involved with many big local projects.
“These things just take time,” Turton says. “The tribes are ambitious. They want to be a meaningful part of the region because this was their region. It only makes sense they want to play an important part in its economic development. It’s a great story and it’s a happy story and we all hope it has a happy, wonderful ending.”
Gary Delsohn can be reached at gdelsohn@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento.
