Cathedral City’s new Agua Caliente Fuel station is nearly ready.
The new station, which will add to the growing ranks of tribal gas stations offering prices often much cheaper than their competitors, is scheduled to open to the public on Thursday, Aug. 15, tribe spokesperson Kate Anderson told The Desert Sun.
The gas station was built on previously vacant land located off Highway 111 between the Cathedral City Civic Center complex and the Agua Caliente Cathedral City casino. It has been under construction for about a year.
The opening will expand the number of Agua Caliente Fuel stations in the Coachella Valley to three at a time when drivers have faced months of elevated gas prices that have recently approached all-time highs in California.
The
tribe has not yet published initial fuel prices at the station on its website. But the existing Agua Caliente gas station in Palm Springs was charging $5.23 for a gallon of regular unleaded gas Thursday afternoon, while the Rancho Mirage location was charging $5.52. According to GasBuddy, those prices are among the cheapest in their respective cities and the whole Coachella Valley.
Since its opening in late July, the Palm Springs Agua Caliente Fuel location has been engaged in an apparent price war with the nearby Walmart Fuel Station. On Thursday afternoon, GasBuddy showed a price of $5.18 for a gallon of regular unleaded at Walmart Fuel, the lowest price in the Coachella Valley.
All three stations were charging significantly less than the California state average of $6.35, as reported by AAA Thursday. At the other end of the spectrum, the valley's most expensive regular unleaded gallon could be had for $6.69 at a La Quinta Chevron.
The opening of the Cathedral City station will bring the number of tribal gas stations within easy driving distance of the Coachella Valley to five. The Morongo Band of Mission Indians owns the Morongo Travel Center in Cabazon, while the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians is behind Shelee’s Travel Center in Coachella. A gallon of regular unleaded was $5.59 Thursday at the former and $5.55 at the latter.
Like its Agua Caliente Fuel siblings, the new Cathedral City station will have 24 pumps. However, it will not have the same kind of indoor gaming area the Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage stations have, although the Cathedral City casino itself is just a short walk away.
Paul Albani-Burgio covers growth, development and business in the Coachella Valley. Email him at paul.albani-burgio@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: More cheap gas? Cathedral City's Agua Caliente Fuel to open soon
