ELK GROVE, Calif. — The Boyd Gaming Corporation is set to break ground on a new casino at the site of the Elk Grove “ghost mall."
The 64-acre property along Promenade Parkway and Grant Line Road was sold by the Howard Hughes Corporation (HHC) back in December 2020. Boyd Gaming along, with the Wilton Rancheria Tribe, will hold the groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday, March 9, with plans to open in the second half of 2022, the group announced.
According to Boyd Gaming, the yet-to-be-named casino will be the closest casino to Sacramento.
"This will be a transformative project that will provide resources to invest in housing, education, and healthcare for our more than 800 members, to preserve our language and culture, and to give back to the community for decades to come," Wilton Tribal Chair Jesus Tarango said.
The casino is being developed and managed by Boyd Gaming on behalf of the Wilton Tribe. When it opens, the casino will have as many as 2,000 slot machines and more than 80 table games.
The site sat unused for more than a decade, only partially completed, after the original developer, General Growth Properties, went bankrupt in 2007. HHC bought the property in 2007, but was never able to get the level of pre-leasing it needed to continue with construction.
“While we are disappointed that HHC was unable to deliver on their mall project for our community, we are excited for the opportunity to work with Boyd Gaming to make the best use of this long-neglected property in our City,” Elk Grove’s City Manager Jason Behrmann said back in December.