Soboba shopping center still evolving

Amid pandemic, tribe’s plans continue to change

The Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians’ new shopping center in San Jacinto was supposed to open last summer. Then the coronavirus pandemic happened.

“The COVID-19 pandemic stopped us in our tracks,” a tribal statement reads, in part. “When Soboba Casino Resort was temporarily closed, we had to put all our plans on hold, not knowing where the pandemic would lead and what it would mean to us financially. During that sevenmonth gap, all our economic development was at a standstill.”

When the resort reopened after two months of closure, and after a seven-month break in its economic development plans, the tribe took a look at its financial situation and decided the shopping center was still worth doing and started work on the project again.

A year later, the shopping center has gone through a name

change, from Luiseño Village to Soboba Crossroads.

The Luiseño Village name was a placeholder that hadn’t been finalized, according to the tribe. The tribe recently voted on the Soboba Crossroads name.

Originally approved by the San Jacinto City Council in November 2019, the center will be at the southwest corner of Main Street and the Ramona Expressway. Soboba Crossroads will be anchored by a 7-Eleven with a convenience store, gas station and car wash. It also will have space for about nine more businesses, including two drive-thru restaurants. The tribe is speaking with other businesses about the remaining spaces.

Meanwhile, construction is underway.

The city is reviewing architectural plans for the 7-Eleven gas station, convenience store and car wash, Tara Magner, the city’s economic development & special projects administrator, wrote in an email.

There’s no timeline for when the center will be completed, according to the tribe’s statement.