In anticipation of opening next year, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe officially broke ground Monday on its new casino — the first within Tucson’s city limits.
Casino Del Sol — Grant Road is expected to be complete in about 18 months near West Grant Road and Interstate 10.
The 172,000-square-foot property will include a 73,000-square-foot casino floor. The project includes a second-floor escalator entrance, restaurant and sports bar. Gaming options will include slot machines, a high-limit room and table games.
Architectural rendering of the new Pascua Yaqui Tribe’s casino at Grant Road & I-10 casino.
Construction of a four-level parking garage with more than 1,000 spaces is almost complete.
A four-level parking garage next to the future casino on Grant Road and Interstate 10 is nearly complete. It will have more than 1,000 parking spaces.
The new casino will resemble Casino Del Sol on West Valencia Road, with its painted-sky ceiling and copper dome.
Tribal leaders were joined on Monday by city, state and federal representatives to celebrate the start of construction at the site of the former Tucson 5 Drive-in that later became Century Park 16 theaters.
The theaters were razed in 2023.
Officials from other Arizona tribes also were present at the groundbreaking, including Verlon Jose, chairman of the Tohono O’odham Nation.
The new casino will help ensure that future generations of tribal members have employment opportunities, said Gloria Alvarez Gomez, a member of the Pascua Yaqui council.
“We are building not only a casino, but a legacy,” she said.
Architectural rendering of the new Pascua Yaqui Tribe’s casino at Grant Road & I-10 casino.
Once open, the casino is expected to employ about 1,000 people.
Tribal Vice Chairman Peter Yucupicio was the chairman when the land was being placed into trust with the federal government, which allowed for the development.
He and 11 siblings grew up in Old Pascua, the area adjacent to the new casino site. He got emotional as he pointed out his childhood home, one block away.
After buying the land in 2011, the tribe worked with members of Congress and local government officials to make it part of the reservation.
The Old Pascua Community Land Acquisition Act, sponsored by Rep. Raúl Grijalva, was signed into law in December of 2022.
Architectural rendering of the new Pascua Yaqui Tribe’s casino at Grant Road & I-10 casino.
McCarthy Building Companies, which built the Casino del Sol’s resort towers on West Valencia Road, is the general contractor of the project. Yaeger Architecture is the project architect.
Phase two at the Grant Road site will include a resort and conference center with an additional parking garage.
Architectural rendering of the new Pascua Yaqui Tribe’s casino at Grant Road & I-10 casino.
The tribe is also working with the Arizona Department of Transportation and city officials to widen Grant Road in the area.
The new casino is expected to open in 2026.
