By Gary Nelson | The Arizona Republic
Only the shell of a new stadium is poking out of the ground, but the Chicago Cubs’ new complex in northwest Mesa already has landed its first major commercial development.
Mesa-based Sunridge Properties Inc. has agreed to build a 100-room Marriott SpringHill Suites hotel on the edge of a city park that will serve as the eastern gateway to the $99 million baseball complex.
Although Vice Mayor Alex Finter hailed the development as “great news,” City Council members questioned several aspects of the project during a study session last week.
Marriott’s SpringHill brand features limited-service properties without restaurants or expansive conference space. The hotels offer free breakfasts and larger-than-normal rooms divided into small suites.
“Is this too small for what we’re looking for in the area?” Councilwoman Dina Higgins asked. “Is it really the quality of hotel that we’re going to need?”
Scot Rigby, the Mesa economic-development officer who is handling the deal, said the hospitality market is still soft and the Riverview site, although strategically located, is unproven.
If SpringHill does well there, he said, more elaborate hotels may follow with the Marriott or some other brand.
