Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino hosted a groundbreaking ceremony Saturday for the Yokut Gas Station, a new development that will feature an 8,000-suare-foot market, smoke shop and a convenience store with 25 gaming machines in addition to fuel pumps.

---

“I am thrilled that we’ve broken ground on this new project,” Ruben Barrios, the chairman of the Santa Rosa Rancheria Tribal Council, said in a statement. “We truly believe that the convenience of having a gas station on the property will not only benefit our guests, but also our community.”

The new gas station will be located on the corner of 17th and Jersey avenues, next to the hotel and casino. Currently, the nearest gas station is more than five miles from Tachi Palace.

Construction on the new station should be completed by Spring 2017. WH Pacific, a Native American firm from New Mexico, is heading up design for the gas station and Granite Construction, a contractor specializing in tribal convenience stores, will also be working on the project.