City Planning approves casino in Palm Springs

Public Record, The, Sep 02, 1994 by Hercules, Neil

PALM SPRINGS -- The AguaCaliente Band of Cahuilla Indians and their joint venture partner, Caesars Palm Springs Management Co. got the news they wanted to hear Wednesday, Aug. 24, when the City Planning Commission did the following.

(1) It approved the necessary changes in the General Plan and zoning to allow the construction of a two-phase gambling casino complex in a planned development district near downtown.

(2) It limited such casinos to tribal lands only in the 17.25-acre development district.

Downtown merchants generally were expected to applaud the commission's action, because the project is crafted to utilize the Palm Springs Convention Center and create traffic flow from the casinos/hotels and center to the downtown stores.

Making this flaw logical and easy for both pedestrians and vehicles will be the vacating of some key streets and the improvement of others.

While city officials, merchants and planners were cheering the string of approvals necessary to get the casino project to its next step--Council approval--residents of the nearby residential condo projects--Plaza Villas and the Dauville--were dubious of the proposed construction of a multi-level parking structure on the casino site.

Joe Carroll, a representative of Las Vegas--based World said the tribe has gone all the way to modify the exterior of the casino and has sought to follow the guidelines of the various environmental agencies or to propose mitigation measures where it cannot meet their rules.

(Incidentally the Indians are not required to go through the entire planing since they are a sovereign nation and subject to the Department of Interior and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. While they have chosen to go through planning they have reserved the right to turn down anything which they cannot accept).

The Environmental Assessment and mitigated Negative Declaration were prepared by the city and the national Gaming commission in cooperation with the tribe and the B.I.A (Bureau of Indian Affairs) and was open for public review until August 30.

Proposed is the construction of a 75,000 square foot casino, in the first phase, on 10.3 acres of the 17.25-acre development district, located south of Amado Road, east of Calle Encilia, west of Calle El Segundo and north of Andrews Road.

The first phase, scheduled to be completed in the Fall of 1995, would provide Class II gambling, every kind of gambling which the casino selects form currently-permitted games, allowed in the state. Projected for the 24-hour a day operation would be 525 employees and crowds averaging about 4,000 daily.

When Phase II kicks in with Class II gambling--including slots, in all likelihood--there would be 800 employees required on the payroll and patronage of 7500 daily, it is projected.

The planned development district could allow a four-way parking structure, in addition to surface parking at locations near the casino.

Parking in the first phase will comprise 625 spaces; 1,094 in the second phase. Of the 625 spaces, 85 are located on the U.S. Postal Office property and 43 on the Hirsch property. The Post Office will look for replacement parking within 500 feet of the Post Office for its employees.

City planners indicated that they will look for alternative parking on nearby sites or casino patrons. One suggestion made by the city planning Department was to store buses at the airport until such time as they we needed.

Chief Planner Doug Evans said he would hate to see a proliferation of card rooms ... This will be an additional entertainment feature of the city ... It will be done more on the flavor of Europe, like Amsterdam ... It isn't going to dominate the city ; the concept a healthy one ... to maintain the flavor and essence of Palm Springs.

Plan have bee made to move the Hilton Hotel tennis courts, which are on the casino site, to a portion of the old Prairie Schdoner site to the east.

Some opponents of the project -- at least at what they conceived to be the speed at which is was offered at a public hearing-spoke, complaining that the project was being rushed through.

Carroll said the project has been widely publicized since its inception back in November 1993. Three study sessions have been held and there were 160 persons present at a meeting called by Plaza Villas homeowners.

Still as it moved laboriously but steadfastly through its approval process, it had its final detractor shout from the back, Done deal!"

The spokesperson, Don Frank, a promoter of plans to build a monorail from the airport to the convention center, believes that the public should have given more time to speak for or against the project Their last big chance will come Wednesday, at 7 pm., Sept. 7th when the City Council will take up the entire matter at a public hearing.