The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians has reportedly taken a giant step forward in its plan to open a third California casino resort by inking an agreement with the proposed host community of Cathedral City.

According to a Thursday report from The Desert Sun newspaper, the federally-recognized tribe is already responsible for the western state’s Agua Caliente Casino Palm Springs as well as the nearby Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa Rancho Mirage and wants to build and run its third such facility on a 13-acre parcel of land along California State Route 111 near the center of the Palm Springs suburb.

Ambitious aims:

The newspaper reported that the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians has yet to publicize a planned opening date for the envisioned Riverside County casino resort because it is still waiting for its land-into-trust application to be approved by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. But, the tribe purportedly detailed that it hopes that the as yet unnamed Cathedral City venue will eventually be able to feature an around-the-clock casino with some 500 Class III slots alongside restaurant, bar, parking and retail elements.

Employment endeavor:

Joe Wallace, Chief Executive Officer for the region’s Coachella Valley Economic Partnership, reportedly told The Desert Sun that the mixed-use plan for the California tribe’s envisioned casino resort would present some 556 people with an opportunity to have ‘careers with a stable thriving employer that has always been a good corporate citizen.’

Reportedly read the statement from Wallace…

“The strategic location with proximity to the downtown shopping district has the capacity to provide an economic stimulus to the offerings that are available while adding to the entertainment options in downtown Cathedral City.”

Particular provisions:

The newspaper reported that the state-required deal inked between Cathedral City and the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians would see the tribe contribute as much as $6.5 million to the community’s coffers over ten years including some $150,000 annually to help provide additional law enforcement, emergency medical and fire protection services. The agreement, which was unanimously ratified by the community’s leaders on Wednesday, would purportedly only come into force once the casino resort opened and moreover require the band to hand over $5 million for road improvements and to finance several traffic signal and ‘noise reduction’ projects.

Momentous move:

Kate Anderson, spokesperson for the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, described the agreement as ‘an important step in the development process’ while the tribe’s Chairman, Jeff Grubbe, earlier proclaimed that the whole enterprise is to be designed to ‘create jobs, revitalize an undeveloped downtown property and support Cathedral City’s economic development efforts.’