Elk Grove casino construction months away, but Sky River resort hotel will have to wait
Elk Grove residents should start seeing work in the coming months on the new Sky River Casino in the sprint to a late 2022 open, but will have to wait for a hotel to rise from the site.
The Wilton Rancheria tribe and Las Vegas-based Boyd Gaming turned shovels in a Tuesday groundbreaking for the $400 million project off Highway 99 and Kammerer Road. Boyd spokesman David Strow on Thursday said the tribe and Boyd will focus on erecting Sky River’s casino and dining options in time for the target late-2022 date.
The approach, Strow said, will allow the Wilton Rancheria to begin generating the revenue tribal leaders say will lead the tiny, long-struggling tribe toward becoming self-sufficient.
Wilton Rancheria pledges to invest $186 million in the city and Sacramento County over the next 20 years to support public safety and education, roads and other services. The project is expected to employ about 1,500 skilled construction workers and create another 2,000 jobs once the casino is complete.
Rancheria leaders say the infusion from gaming will help to improve housing, health care and educational opportunities; and preserve tribal language and culture.
Elk Grove leaders past and present at Tuesday’s ceremony said the casino would position Sacramento County’s second-largest city as a regional entertainment destination and revenue engine.
“This creates a vibrant entertainment district. This is a good day for the city but a great day for the tribe,” Elk Grove mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen said prior to the Tuesday ceremony. “This will become a destination driver (and) a great opportunity to capture those tax dollars.”
The tribe, at little more than 800 members, struggled for decades without federal recognition. The recognition was reestablished in 2009, but it wasn’t until 2017 that then-Gov. Jerry Brown signed the state compact that allowed the Wilton to open up gaming.
Project renderings on the Sky River Casino’s website show a group of dining options including a steakhouse, an eatery featuring Chinese cuisine and a pub.
“Dining is important, too,” Strow said. “There’s a range that people will want to check out.”
Boyd officials have also sketched out a gaming floor with 2,000 slot machines and 80 tables.
Absent are drawings for the hotel and a convention center that Boyd officials say will be among the Sacramento region’s largest when built.
Strow said those schematics were not yet available Thursday, but echoed Boyd and tribal touts that the newly named Sky River will become a premier gaming attraction in Northern California.
Boyd Gaming Corp., purchased the 64 acres for an undisclosed amount in December. The sprawling but scuttled Elk Grove outlet mall project languished unfinished there for years before the December deal.
The Wilton Rancheria’s casino will join increasingly crowded Sacramento-area company. Area casinos include Thunder Valley Casino Resort near Lincoln, Red Hawk Casino in El Dorado County; Cache Creek Casino Resort in Yolo County; and Jackson Rancheria Casino Resort in Amador County.
“We’re trying to create a compelling experience for people across the region,” Strow said. The Wilton Rancheria project is Boyd’s maiden voyage into California’s nearly $8 billion Indian gaming market. The gaming conglomerate has 11 Las Vegas casinos and properties in nine other states.
“This is one of the most compelling locations we’ve seen,” Strow said. “There is tremendous opportunity with this location. It’s an exciting time for both of us.”
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