ELK GROVE, Calif. — When some people moved into an Elk Grove neighborhood near Sky River Parkway, they had no idea they were moving their family across from the Sky River Casino.
Carol Naka, a mother of four, says the big influx in visitors is spilling in as guests park right by their homes.
"This was around 9 o'clock and I took a walk with my kids and I'm seeing all these cars. I'm like, is something going on? Then I'm like OK, it's the guys from the casino," Naka said.
She said her family moved to the area because it was new and quiet.
"My kids come out in the evening when it's cooler, you know, to come to the park, and then when I saw that last night, my husband and I were like you can not come out again at this time if these people are gonna be parking here because we don't know them," she said.
Her friend, Katherina Higashi, believes it makes the area less desirable.
"I saw a big sign - the casino - and as I was turning left to meet her at this park, which is less than a mile... my first thought was 'Oh no.' I know they're bought by young families who want to have a certain kind of life," Higashi said regarding the neighborhood.
Now that the casino is going nowhere anytime soon, both women are wondering what it could do to help those living nearby.
"One of them is the parking, like keep their activity contained. The parking, put another parking structure underground - whatever they need, so they can contain it," Higashi said.
Nonetheless, Naka said has no plans on staying in the neighborhood.
"Definitely move out because then it becomes unsafe," she said. "I mean, what good is having all this, you know, facility that's a beautiful park when you can't let your kids come out and play unless you're with them?"
ABC10 reached out to the Sky River Casino to ask about some of these concerns. They provided the following statement below.
“We’ve been excited to see the response from guests who are eager to come for their first visit at Sky River Casino. Through advanced planning and partnerships we were able to successfully open the entire property this week – over 100,000 square feet of gaming space with 2,000 slot machines and over 80 table games, 17 unique restaurants and bars, and three large parking areas, including an overflow lot.
Guests visiting our property on the first day may have experienced intermittent closures of our parking areas as we took proactive measures to ensure a focus on guest service. Traffic flows in to, out of, and around the property have remained clear and steady throughout the day today and we have parking available. We remain thankful and appreciative to the City of Elk Grove, Elk Grove Police Department, and California Highway Patrol who have gone above and beyond to execute traffic control and communication with the public. We always encourage guests planning their visit to consider ride share services, public transportation through SacRT, and carpooling.
As with the opening of any business, visitor levels are high, however, all our restaurants and bars are open for service and our gaming floor is fully operational. Our staff remains focused on providing guest service while managing increased operation levels and we appreciate those who extend their patience and positive attitudes to our hard-working team members in return.”
Elk Grove Police Department told ABC10 that they are monitoring the area and have assigned an officer to the neighborhood for patrol. Police said they're also working on a long-term plan with the city to address any concerns.
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