Hard Rock To Develop, Manage Casino

SAN DIEGO-Peter Morton has long since sold his Hard Rock Café chain, but the entertainment and leisure mogul apparently hasn’t lost his golden touch. The chairman and founder of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino was selected over several competitors, including Foxwoods Resort Casino, to develop and manage a $300-million hotel and casino in Northern San Diego. The project will go up on the Pauma Band of Mission Indians’ reservation land. Officials of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino could not be reached for comment, but in a released statement, Morton says “we are excited about working with the Pauma Band to produce one of the great resorts in California.” Early specs call for 300 hotel rooms, 100 gaming tables, 2,000 slot machines, a concert venue, restaurants and a spa.The Pauma tribe held a vote on Tuesday, according to a spokesman, and voted “overwhelmingly for the Hard Rock,” says tribal chairman Chris Devers. He adds that the casino could open as early as June 2006, but more likely sometime during the fourth quarter of that year. Morton’s group could begin development of the project once the Pauma tribe reaches an agreement with San Diego County that calls for the tribe to pay off-reservation impacts of a new casino. The project also needs to meet approval by the National Indian Gaming Commission. The Washington, DC-based federal organization, generally takes six to nine months in its approval process.Currently, the Pauma tribe operates an 800-slot casino on its land, but last year was among those signing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s gambling initiative that allows for unlimited slot machines. Earlier this month, the Santa Ysabel Indian band and San Diego County officials reached an agreement allowing that tribe to build and operate a 349-slot casino on its reservation.It’s been a busy time for Morton, who last September announced plans to build a $1-billion, 1.5-million-sf hotel/condominium project on the 24 acres adjacent to his Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. When combined with the current Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, the two properties will cover a total of 41 acres. Last year, Morton acquired the additional 24-acre parcel for $86 million.