The Tejon Indian tribe breaks ground today on the much anticipated Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tejon site.
The casino will be located less than 15 miles south of Bakersfield. It will be the casino Kern County.
Hard Rock Tejon will be located near California State Routes 99 and 66. The project includes a massive casino, a 400-room hotel, a Hard Rock Live concert venue, a Rock Spa and 13 restaurants and bars. Construction will to begin next week.
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tejon built in two phases
Developers are building the newest California tribal casino in two phases. The initial phase is centered around the construction of the 150,000-square-foot casino. The casino will house 3,000 slot machines and 48 table games.
It will also have several restaurants and bars, including the iconic Hard Rock Cafe. Officials plan to finish construction of the first phase in October 2025.
Meanwhile, the second phase will focus on the facility’s non-gaming areas. This includes the hotel and the 2,800-seat Hard Rock Live event center. Phase two will also include more casino space, restaurants, a pool, a gym and a spa.
The Chairman of the Tejon Tribe, Octavio Escobedo III, and the Chairman of Hard Rock International, Jim Allen, will be in attendance. State dignitaries will join the duo for the groundbreaking. Officials estimate the construction cost of the project is $600 million.
New casino will create around 5000 jobs
Construction is expected to take at least 20 months from the groundbreaking to the grand opening. Upon completion, the casino will be California’s 67th Class III casino.
The Tejon Tribe’s casino project received local support since the start of the project. The people in Kern County were especially In particular from the people in Kern County, where the casino will be located.
Kern County spokesperson Ally Soper said the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino will add up to 5,000 new jobs.
Construction alone should create about 1,000 jobs. Afterward, the casino should add around 4,000 new permanent, direct and indirect jobs. The projected payroll will be in the neighborhood of $60 million.
With this project, there is also a local hiring provision, which means that at least 50% of the casino’s workforce must be made up of Kern County residents. Soper says bringing the casino to the county will bring in an estimated $85 million in revenue.
