Some residents worried about Agua Caliente Band casino plans

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

The Agua Caliente Spa Resort Casino in downtown Palm Springs, California. Photo from Facebook

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The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians is renovating its casino in downtown Palm Springs, California, and is making plans to redevelop the land around the facility.

But some residents are worried about the direction the tribe is going. They say search lights that were placed atop the Spa Resort Casino are a hint of bad things to come.

"This is just the beginning, as many of us believe," Gary Johns, the chair of the the city's Historic Site Preservation Board, told The Palm Springs Desert Sun. "Wait until they finally do reveal their plans for what is coming. The lights on the casino rooftop will pale in comparison."

The tribe has demolished the hotel adjacent to the casino and has hired JCJ Architecture to come up with a master plan for the site. Details are still being worked out.

But the search lights -- which went up about a month ago -- are coming down. They were only temporary as the tribe prepares its holiday installation, a spokesperson said.

Get the Story:
Tribe: Lights atop casino to come down Dec. 15 (The Palm Springs Desert Sun 12/1) Related Stories:
Agua Caliente Band selects planner to revamp land near casino (11/26)