Valley View Casino opened its new 7,500 square feet non-smoking casino addition on March 2, 2007. The fully enclosed smoke-free space added an additional 350 new slot machines and a full bar. Valley View plans to add additional space as part of its $114 million expansion project that will more than double the size of the San Diego county casino, located in Valley Center, Calif.

The next phase will comprise of 54,500 square feet of additional casino space, and will open on April 13, 2007. Bruce Howard, general manager of Valley View, explained: "Completing our 1,200-space parking garage in November was our first milestone, and now we are elated to open our new non-smoking casino to our guests. Our next step is to open our beautiful new building in April, which will include 1,300 new slot machines, ten new table games, and our brand new steakhouse and lounge, Black and Blue. We'll also have a new guest entrance and a new players' club, a gourmet snack cart and a new lounge for our elite members where they can relax, watch TV, and grab a bite to eat. The remainder of the construction will wrap up this fall, when we debut a total of over 110,000 square feet of gaming, dining and entertainment for our guests, including 1,700 slot machines, 18 table games and five restaurants," he added.

The casino remains steadfast to its goals. According to Joe Navarro, president and chief executive officer of the San Pasqual Casino Development Group Inc., "The opening of our garage and non-smoking casino along with our subsequent grand opening this fall is an amazing achievement for the San Pasqual tribe and Valley View Casino. Our goal is to build a facility that benefits our guests, our team members, our owners and the community as a whole."

Yet, the development team greeted more than a few obstacles. Steve Davis, principal of Summit Project Management, the casino's representative and program manager for the expansion, explained: "There is quite a bit of blue granite that the property currently sits on, and so we spent months blasting the rock. Literally, we've moved mountains."

Davis noted: "One benefit of the development project is that all of this excavated rock has been moved to a stockpile location, and then the tribe contracted with a rock-crushing company that markets road-base and gravel. So they have been producing marketable rock-based material for construction for the last few months." Davis also acknowledged: "Keeping the current facility operational as a fully functioning casino and profitable every step of the way was a challenge. One of Summit's roles was to creatively plan each step of the phasing. It has been very successful in that they have continued to have an upward trend in their business, thanks to the efforts of over 700 dedicated Valley View team members, despite the fact that the existing building (about 40,000 square feet) had been enclosed on all four sides by the construction project for the last nine months. But the hard part's over now and it's nothing but smooth sailing up ahead."

Despite these challenges, Valley View expects to see continued growth. Howard said, "Our guests and team members have been truly amazing throughout the expansion and we could not have completed this project without their loyalty. The expansion hasn't had any negative impact on our business, in fact we've continued to increase business throughout the project. We are truly expanding this casino for our guests and, thanks to their support, we expect to be very busy when our expansion is complete. We appreciate the support of the local community as well as we prepare to open what we believe will be San Diego's finest gaming and dining experience."

Valley View will open the final phase of the expansion this fall, providing additional slot machines and table games, as well as numerous dining and entertainment outlets, including a new buffet and café, an ice cream shop, a pastry and cappuccino bar, an event center, and a cabaret bar featuring live music.

Key Players
Owner/Operators: San Pasqual Casino Development Group Inc.
Owner's Representative/Program Manager: Summit Project Management
General Contractors: Kitchell Contractors Inc. and Bomel Construction (garage facility)
Architects: JCJ Architecture
Designers: Theodore Barber and Company (kitchen and fixtures)
General Manager: Bruce Howard, Valley View Casino
CEO/President: Joe Navarro, San Pasqual Casino Development Group Inc.