valley view casino

LOCATION:

Valley Center, CA

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

In 2005, the indigenous people, the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians operated a casino in Valley Center, which was small at the time. However, they had big plans to make their reservation site a regionally recognized gaming center inclusive of several casino expansions and an added resort hotel.

The site’s natural landscape is arguably the most beautiful in northern San Diego County. Perched on a steep hillside, this property is at the far south end of a grand valley with panoramic views of Palomar Mountain and the Hellhole Canyon Preserve. The entire property is roughly 40 acres, a large majority of which was steep hillside with a solid foundation of granite rock. McCullough had worked with tribes for many years leading up to this project at Viejas in Alpine, Paiute in Bishop, Running Creek in Upper Lake, and others throughout California.

The first phase led to expansion of the existing casino, which was over-capacity for guests. McCullough helped to plan this first expansion as well as create flexibility for easy expandability of the irrigation system and its controls which has enabled them to complete additional expansions over time. This feature became important when, a couple years after the first casino expansion, McCullough was brought back to assist in the design of a luxury hotel to accommodate the “high roller” and weekend guests.

An additional expansion was recently completed during the summer of 2019. McCullough, in collaboration with the local architecture firm Delawie and general contractor Swinerton, a stunning entry was designed to give guests a unique experience when arriving at the casino under what is now a breathtaking porte cochere.