CALEXICO — It was smiles all around Tuesday night as the City Council here unanimously approved plans for 111 Calexico Place, a massive commercial development that includes a 60-acre casino at its core.

Proposed for the southwest quadrant at Highway 111 and Jasper Road, the project includes nearly 1.7 million square feet of commercial space that would be built over about 10 years. It’s been in the works since 2003.

The casino portion of the project still requires approval from the California state government and from the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs, which so far have been reluctant to approve “off-reservation” casinos like the Calexico proposal.

Several members of the Manzanita Band of Kumeyaay Indians, the tribe that is seeking to build the casino, were present for the vote Tuesday night.

“It really means a way for us to sustain our own government,” said Angela Santos, a Manzanita council member, about the possibility of a casino. “It means self-sufficiency to us.”

She said her tribe, which has a reservation about 60 miles east of San Diego, survives on government grants.

Before the vote, the united members of the council spoke of their hopes that the casino and the rest of the development will become an engine for Calexico’s economy.

“This venue that the casino brings is true economic development,” said Councilman Daniel Romero.

“Calexico will be a destination, an attraction, if you will,” added Councilman John Moreno.

Mayor Louis Fuentes said the project would bring jobs that could boost the standard of living in the long term.

“I’m always thinking about the future and our kids,” he said.

Udo Walther, a senior vice president with Hallwood Realty, the company that is developing 111 Calexico Place, urged the city to stay involved with supporting the project.

“With today’s approval, the marathon’s just beginning,” he said.

>> Staff Writer Nicolas Taborek can be reached at 337-3439 or ntaborek@ivpressonline.com