The Tule River Indian Tribe is moving forward with its proposal to move Eagle Mountain Casino to the southern part of Porterville. The Bureau of Indian Affairs will hold a public scoping meeting January 23 to inform the public about the plans.
The casino would be relocated to a parcel near the city’s airport at a cost of about $180 million. It would include a hotel with 250 rooms, 36,000 square feet of food and beverage, administrative space, an events center, conference center and associated infrastructure.
Recently the tribe printed an article explaining the rationale for the move:
“It won’t be long before the Tejon Tribe will be building their casino between Bakersfield and the Grapevine. Right now, a major part of Eagle Mountain Casino’s profit comes from the Bakersfield area. It is thought that building a new improved casino that has easier access will help maintain this customer base. The proposed build will include a 250-room hotel, a sports bar, restaurant, buffet and food court, an entertainment lounge, a 20,000-square foot convention space, a 1,700-seat entertainment center, banquet hall and meeting space. This will generate more income.”
The existing facility would be converted into a school, a clinic, tribal offices and possibly dining.
The project would require that the BIA take the 40 acres that the tribe has owned for 25 years into trust, making it reservation land. The tribe hopes to negotiate a new Class tribal state gaming compact with Governor Jerry Brown. Newly minted compacts during Brown’s administration have usually required environmental impact reports to address off reservation impacts.
