30-Story Casino Set for Development

JAMUL, CA-Although its development has met with strong opposition, the Jamul Casino, Hotel & Resort is set to break ground on December 10. The project includes a two-story casino, a 10-story garage and a 30-story, 412-room hotel, that would be the tallest building in the county outside of Downtown San Diego. Early plans call for an opening of December 31, 2007.The Jamul Indian Village, a federally recognized tribe, is developing the project, and will move forward on the site despite opposition from county Supervisor Dianne Jacob and an action committee that believes the project will cause major traffic congestion.Undeterred, Leon Acebedo chairman of the Jamul Indian Village, a Kumeyaay nation, says, “Our project will greatly benefit the members of our tribe as well as the local economy.”Acebedo adds that the potential traffic congestion problems are being addressed. “The Jamul Indian Village is committed to working with the county and the local community,” he says. “We are on record as offering the county three times the amount of money any other tribe has offered to mitigate impacts.”The construction phase for the casino and resort will create hundreds of construction jobs, according to the tribe, and when open will generate an estimated 1900 jobs.”After years of waiting, the time is finally at hand,” says executive council member with Jamul Indian Village, Robert Mesa. “The tribe is firmly committed to working with the state and the county to minimizing impacts, including constructing a new fire station to serve the entire local community.”The casino and resort will join a growing number of similar projects in San Diego County. Earlier this year, Peter Morton, of Hard Rock Café fame, and founder of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, was selected over several competitors, 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.At the time of the announcement last January, Morton said, “We are excited about working with the Pauma Band to produce one of the great resorts in California.” The project calls for 300 hotel rooms, 100 gaming tables, 2,000 slot machines, a concert venue, restaurants and a spa. The casino could open as early as June 2006, but more likely sometime during the fourth quarter of that year.