The Tejon Native Indian Tribe in California wants to put a Hard Rock-branded venue in Mettler, California. The hotel and casino would run about $600 million to build and the tribe has shared its plans with local government officials to try to gauge support. That support has come with resonating thunder as the Board of Supervisors of Kern County, to which Mettler pertains, has unanimously approved its own multimillion-dollar plan to provide services for the venue.
According to The Bakersfield Californian, the Board of Supervisors has announced that it will provide $218 million via a support package over the next 20 years for the property. This includes a one-time payment of $13.3 million that will see a new fire station and law enforcement substation built close to the resort, which is expected to be located about 25 minutes south of Bakersfield.
The property will offer 165,000 square feet of gaming space, more than 400 keys and as many as 13 different eateries. It will also include an RV park, spa, entertainment area and a convention center. To help offset the costs associated with running the firehouse and police substation, the Tejon will turn over 6% of the hotel’s occupancy to the county. That money should cover nine firefighters and 13 sheriffs.
The Tejon tribe has previously said of the venue, “The Hard Rock Tejon project’s economic impact on Kern County will be substantial. The project is expected to create more than 1,000 construction jobs and over 2,000 permanent jobs once completed, plus creating additional jobs due to the economic-multiplier effect during construction and after opening.”
The Board of Supervisor approved the supplemental package by a vote of 4-0. The board has five members, but the fifth vote wasn’t registered due to that member not attending the meeting this past Tuesday.
In order for the project to proceed from this point, the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs has to weigh in. It is now conducting an environmental impact study on the plan and the results of that study will either allow it to make a recommendation to the Department of the Interior to allow the project to move forward, or will provide areas that need to be addressed prior to any federal approval.
