Council looks at $23 million in projects

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The Maricopa City Council heard last night about $23 million worth of development services projects city staff want to begin in the coming fiscal year.

ā€œThese are projects that we believe will be started in the next fiscal year, but we have yet to solidify the details,ā€ said Development Services Director Brent Billingsley.

Projected projects include a study to create a quiet zone, the second phase of a grade separation study for the John Wayne Parkway crossing, movement of the Amtrak station, construction of a public works yard and numerous street improvement and maintenance projects.

A quiet zone, if created, would prevent trains from blowing their whistles in certain areas when they travel through town.

Funding for these projects would come from four possible sources according to Billingsleyā€”grants, development impact fees, county gas tax and the stateā€™s Highway User Revenue Fund.

ā€œThese type of funds are all earmarked for transportation related projects,ā€ he said.

The projects presented to council for next fiscal year will become part of the cityā€™s capital improvement plan, which identifies both near-term, intermediate and long-term projects the city intends to complete.

At the Feb. 15 city council meeting, city staff will present projects proposed for all other departments; at the next meeting, on March 1, council will consider and possibly approve a capital improvement plan for the next fiscal year.

In addition to hearing briefly about development services projects, council approved the site plan for the Maricopa Towne Plaza.

The plaza, more commonly known as the Holiday Inn Express project, consists of a 3-story 43,500-square-foot building and three additional commercial pads. According to plans submitted by developer Larry Miller, the building will be constructed on a 6-acre site on the east side of John Wayne Parkway just south of Maricopa Self Storage, with construction divided into two phases.

An 80-room Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites will be built in the first phase. Miller said the hotel, scheduled for completion in late 2011, will feature a swimming pool, fitness center and 3,500-square-foot conference area.

The second phase is slated to include a second hotel, a fast-food restaurant and a sit-down restaurant. According to the site plan, the second hotel will have 60 rooms. A 3,000-square-foot building is planned for the fast-food restaurant while the sit-down restaurant will occupy a 5,100-square-foot structure.