By Aidan Martin
The $600-million Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tejon project, which broke ground on December 14, 2023, promises to inject vitality into the Bakersfield suburb of Mettler. Phase I encompasses 150,000 square feet of gaming space, multiple dining options, and a 2,800-seat event venue. Phase II will include a 400-room hotel and additional dining and entertainment amenities. Phase I is slated to open in October 2025, with Phase II following 20 months later. Though situated 30 minutes from Bakersfield, this project is poised to become a prominent leisure demand generator for the region.
In October 2023, plans were approved to relocate the Golden West Casino from South Union Avenue to the northwest corner of Merle Haggard Drive and Landings Way. The new 31,000-square-foot building will be approximately 81% larger than the existing building and will feature 45 gaming tables, a restaurant, a VIP lounge, event spaces, and entertainment facilities. This development is part of a larger project that includes speculative warehouses, a hotel, a Starbucks, and a gas station/convenience store, situated on the north side of Merle Haggard Drive across from Meadows Field Airport.
Other approved developments in the area warrant attention, although timelines have yet to be established. One project is a new master-planned community with 378 residential units ranging from apartments to estates, located at Brimhall Road in Northwest Bakersfield. Additionally, Adventist Health plans to construct the Roth Family Campus, a 50-acre medical facility east of Coffee Road and on the eastern portion of the Bakersfield Commons site. The campus will feature a 250-room hospital, a cancer center, and medical office buildings. The Bakersfield Commons, a 250-acre development project, would host the medical campus alongside new residential housing, retail space, restaurants, entertainment venues, offices, hotels, healthcare facilities, and open spaces.
Overall, these developments are anticipated to benefit hotels in the area, with a rise in leisure demand expected from the casino developments, as well as an increase in commercial and group demand from potential medical facility developments. The new housing developments are expected to bolster the overall growth and vitality of the area, leading to increased hotel demand.
Sources:
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hard-rock-hotel–casino-tejon-breaks-ground-302017195.html
https://www.bakersfield.com/news/development-plans-rise-near-meadows-field/article_6e050366-6acd-11ee-9e03-7b677b3f1734.html
https://www.bakersfield.com/news/master-planned-community-with-378-units-okd-for-northwest-bakersfield/article_d638aa2a-d17f-11ec-b8ed-0b9f495f1fa6.html
https://www.turnto23.com/news/local-news/adventist-health-to-open-50-acre-campus-as-part-of-the-bakersfield-commons-project
https://sjvsun.com/news/golden-west-casino-previews-renderings-for-new-location/
https://casino.hardrock.com/tejon/project-vision
https://www.bakersfield.com/news/golden-west-casino-eyes-possible-new-home-near-meadows-field-airport/article_b825fec8-5d99-11ee-9f9e-9b73dc84290e.html
