Arizona’s Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe has resumed study of a site near Prescott for a casino two years after putting the project on hold. The casino would be its third.
The tribe is now conducting soil sampling on the 12-acre site, which is located along Highway 69 at the Yavpe Connector. The Yavapai Gaming Agency last week told the Prescott Daily Courier: “Until soil sampling is complete and a ground breaking is set, nobody can predict completion.”
The land is part of the 1,400 acre Yavapai-Prescott Indian Reservation, which is adjacent to the city of Prescott. The tribe hopes to build a 50,000 square foot casino and resort, including an 80-room hotel, conference space and several restaurants.
According to tribal President Ernest Jones Sr. “the economic impact of the project to the Prescott region is estimated to be $80 million over the course of the project.”
Once the soil sampling has completed the tribe will select a contractor to design and build the project. The tribe had previously selected the architectural and engineering firm of Leo A Daly Inc. But that relationship did not last, which led to the delay of the groundbreaking, which was originally planned for last autumn.
The tribe currently operates two other casinos, including Bucky’s at the tribe’s Prescott Resort and Conference Center and the Yavapai Casino. Its tribal state gaming compact entitles it to operate 566 slot machines and 90 gaming tables. The new casino will probably hold most of those machines and tables, meaning that the older casinos will be emptied and repurposed to non-gaming activities, said a spokesman for the tribe.
