The Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians in Riverside County, California has announced that is purchasing the 305-acre Temecula Creek Inn Golf Course from JC Resorts for an undisclosed amount. The sale is expected to be completed in March.
The property, whose Temecula Creek Inn was built in 1969, is adjacent to the reservation. It includes a 27-hole golf course, 130 rooms, a restaurant, meeting space and wedding venue that can accommodate several events at once. JC Resorts bought the property in 1986.
Pechanga Chairman Mark Macarro announced the purchase in a statement. “We are very pleased to regain this property that holds special historic and cultural meaning to our Tribe,” he said. “For Pechanga, this acquisition also represents diversification of our tribal economy in an industry in which we have significant expertise.” He added, “The boundary overlays a piece of our original land, where we actually began. That’s a critical piece of land and an important part of our history.”
The purchase comes as Pechanga Resort & Casino is poised to open the doors to its $300 million expansion, which will cement its status as the largest Indian casino resort in California. It already possesses 1,090 hotel rooms and its 18-hole championship golf course, Journey.
In the recent past the tribe has also made other real estate investments, including marketplace south of the casino that has retail and restaurants.
Macarro said the tribe has no plans to expand the Temecula property, unlike JC Resorts, which wanted to add a hotel and residential development before it sold to the tribe. He told the Union-Tribune: “I’ll say that the property needs some TLC here and there, but the business does quite well and there are no plans to make any major changes. People can expect the status quo.”
