Council to vote on hotel site plan

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The Maricopa City Council will meet Tuesday night to discuss and possibly approve a site plan for 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.

Mayor Anthony Smith first announced the project in February 2010 at the state of the city address. At the time, Miller had a November 2010 completion date in mind.

The developer said roadblocks he hit when trying to get approvals from the Arizona Department of Transportation were responsible for the delay. He added he is now in the final stages of securing ADOT approval for the project.

“We should be breaking ground early second quarter and be open by the holidays,” Miller said.

No timetable has been provided by Miller for the second phase, but the developer said he is in negotiations with a coffee shop, sandwich shop and sit-down restaurant.

“There is a huge need in this community for a hotel because of all of the employees at the two test tracks, out-of-town visitors and others,” Miller said.

Danielle Casey, city of Maricopa economic development director, said a hotel would create revenue for the city in the form of a 2-percent sales tax and a 2-percent bed tax. Assuming an average nightly occupancy of 60 rooms at a rate of $100 per night, that could translate into nearly $90,000 in annual revenue for the city.

When property taxes, wages to employees and other factors are weighed, Casey said the financial windfall for the city could approach $2.3 million during a 5-year timeframe. There would be other positive economic impacts as well.

“When companies look at Maricopa as a possible place to locate a business, a hotel is one of the things they are looking for,” Casey said.  “Businesspeople do not like to have to stay out of town and drive into the city. If they locate here, they want to have a place near their company for potential partners to stay when they come to town.”

The council will also consider spending $45,000 to construct a pedestrian beacon at the intersection of Allen Stephens Parkway and Porter Road.

Council will meet for regular session at 7 p.m. at the Maricopa Unified School District Office, 44150 W. Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway.