"I'm not saying that anything the county wants, they're going to get," Armenta said. "I'm saying we're going to listen to them. Do we need county approval on the project? No. But we certainly want it."
Curtis Moniot, an architectural designer and Santa Ynez Valley resident, said the community was troubled by the tribe's efforts to circumvent regional and county planning laws by asserting its sovereign status.
"You have an entity able to usurp county government, Caltrans, the state water resources board and just basically everybody," Moniot said. "The voters gave the tribe a monopoly on gambling, but in effect that is being parlayed into a monopoly on development rights."
Chumash leaders are following the lead of other California tribes that are using casino proceeds to expand their investments as the political climate and public attitude toward Indian gaming changes.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is demanding that the 54 gaming tribes in California "pay their fair share" of an estimated $5 billion in annual revenues to the cash-strapped state treasury. Also, card rooms and racetracks are pushing an initiative for the November ballot that would threaten the tribes' exclusive rights to gambling.
"This is an opportunity as a business to expand and diversify," Armenta said of the partnership with Parker. "We need to look at things other than gaming that will benefit our tribe and ensure a healthy financial future for our people."
Equally important, Armenta said, the project would alleviate a critical housing shortage on the small Chumash reservation. Tentative plans include setting aside 150 homes for tribal members.
The project would be in the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley at the intersection of highways 154 and 246. Parker paid $6 million for 1,428 acres in 1998, and since then Santa Barbara County officials have resisted his efforts to develop the land, he said. In November, Parker listed the ranch for $28 million.
About the same time, Parker said, he approached Armenta about developing half the property with the Chumash.
"It just happens that our needs dovetail," said Parker, who starred in the 1954 TV hit "Davy Crockett, Indian Fighter."
He added, "If we implement our plans, we'd like to do what we can to preserve the beauty of the area. We're not out to destroy anything."
The parties hope to close escrow by June. While stressing that no formal agreements have been signed and the details are preliminary, Armenta said he is optimistic that construction could be underway within four years.
