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SAN MARCOS: Hotel project under way
Marriott Residence Inn scheduled to open in fall 2009
By ANDREA MOSS - Staff Writer | ∞
Construction worker Mario Ruiz clears dirt where a concrete footing will be poured for the new Marriott Residence Inn being built on a 2.2-acre site off Highway 78 in San Marcos. (Photo by Don Boomer - Staff Photographer) SAN MARCOS ---- The city's third hotel is under construction on a vacant, 2.3-acre lot along Highway 78.
City officials attended a groundbreaking celebration earlier this month at the construction site of a Marriott Residence Inn on the southeast corner of Los Vallecitos Boulevard and Las Posas Road.
On Friday, the project had progressed to the point where workers were digging trenches and installing pipes before concrete footings that will hold up the hotel are poured.
When the project is finished in fall 2009, it will include 112 rooms distributed throughout a four-story building. The hotel also will include a small conference center, a fitness center and pool, and other amenities.
San Marcos has two existing hotels: an 85-room Ramada Limited Suites on San Marcos Boulevard and a 69-room Hampton Inn of Twin Oaks Valley Road. Together, they generate about $320,000 in revenue for the city each year.
The money comes from a 10 percent transient occupancy, or hotel, tax added to guests' nightly bills.
The Marriott Residence Inn is expected to bring about $375,000 of additional hotel tax money into the city's coffers each year.
Mayor Jim Desmond said the extra money will be welcome, as will the new option for temporary accommodations.
"It'll give people a place to stay along the 78 for people coming to town visiting their college students or something like that," he said.
Councilman Mike Preston predicted the new hotel will boost the city's image as well.
"Having a nice Marriott Residence Inn here for your friends, guests, business travelers to stay at, that's nice for the city," he said, adding that the hotel is a Series 8 prototype for Marriott.
"There's a Series 7 in Carlsbad," he said. "Series 8 just means the next step that Marriott wants to do. So the new hotel will have a little bigger gym, some other changes. And it will be the first one of that series. And then they'll build more around the country."
Longtime San Marcos residents may remember the hotel site as the former home of industrial buildings. They were torn down after the city bought the property along with adjoining land nearly 20 years ago because the site was needed as a right of way for the Las Posas-Los Vallecitos Boulevard-Highway 78 interchange.
The 2.3-acre lot was no longer needed after the interchange opened in 2006, and the city sold the site to OTO Development for $3.9 million a year ago.
The developer has built more than 50 hotels in California in recent years.
Contact staff writer Andrea Moss at (760) 739-6654 or amoss@nctimes.com.
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GFN wrote on Sep 12, 2008 9:05 PM:Great!!! Bring in more people to use up our precious water!! Do you think anyone paying $160 a night and up is going to conserve water??? NO!!! I don't get it, dire commercials about how desperate our water situation is and we just keep bringing in more folks. Idiots!!!
To GFN wrote on Sep 12, 2008 9:15 PM:Why don't you leave town GFN and save us your water. What a dumb comment. We need a hotel in this town that is of quality for our business travelers. This is a great thing for our city and will also bring jobs.
SanMarcosMom wrote on Sep 12, 2008 10:25 PM:Another destination to block traffic on Las Posas. It's amazing the amount of traffic on Las Posas even though it's a relatively new on/off ramp. I hope the city doesn't screw it up since it's a major use thoroughfare for Palomar College. No problem during the summer months when Palomar is out for the summer. However, during school months, traffic is very backed up. City, take notice and don't try to implement your smart growth policies which will back traffic up even more than it already is!
Yes wrote on Sep 12, 2008 10:34 PM:Finally some decent accomodations. Better turn down that NO growth initiative otherwise this will be the last we see in progress around this city.
--SM Resident
SM resident wrote on Sep 13, 2008 12:05 AM:GFN - you might actually need this hotel at some time in the future. When my apartment had a pipe break and we had to go to a hotel for a few days, I was so thankful for the Hampton Inn. The continental breakfast was awesome however, it would've been great to have a Marriott Residence Inn since we would've had a kitchen. Its nice to have a nice place in town to go to if needed, especially for an entire family.
Stan wrote on Sep 13, 2008 6:34 AM:Sorry folks - it ain't going to work. The only hotels that work in San Marcos/Escondido are those used by blue color works by the week and the music by the night. I spent three months in a Marriott Residence Inn with my wife. I hope that the city has not promised a percentage of occupancy. At any rate five years from now Marriott will have sold it and the county will be using it as they do those in Escondido now.
To San Marcos Mom wrote on Sep 13, 2008 8:35 AM:We need to connect Las Posas to Dear Springs so some of us have an alternative route to the 15. It's rediculous that we have this awesome wide road that just dead ends. Extend Las Poses Now.
Whalah... room hotel wrote on Sep 13, 2008 10:29 AM:Amazing how during the presentation to the residents the City Manager expounded on the value of flipping this parcel from Industrial to Commercial...saying that it would make the land more appealing to a potential buyer. Wahlah! Three weeks later the Permit Application sign was posted to build the 112 room hotel!
This is the perfect example as to why the Prop O Managed Growth Initiative is needed. The blatant abuse of the Process. The new crowd of "boys in the back room" at the City absolutely think they will force feed the citizenry whatever excess bloat they want...the hell with the established General Plan.
With these blatant demonstrations of "development cramming," the need for the Growth Initiative becomes OBVIOUS. Remember that it is not no growth but rather "check and balance" growth that will keep the slicksters from passing abominations like Palomar Station...333 condos right next store to a chemical factory.
I'm for smart growth and will vote YES on Prop O in November.
Sylvia S wrote on Sep 13, 2008 11:40 AM:who in the heck wants to stay in San Marcos? It's awful! I do business there all the time and I'd rather stay and drive from Carlsbad or Del Mar.
To Whalah... wrote on Sep 14, 2008 6:56 AM:Your veiled comments are just that. Prop O would be a colossal mistake-don't you know? Just open your mailbox and see that mailer. One more thought you didn't think about, maybe? When the city makes $$ it is for the citizens, not staffers. Also, there is NO CHEMICAL FACTORY in our city, that is complete fabrication. No on Prop O NO!
Correction to A.M. wrote on Sep 14, 2008 3:13 PM:Our quality of life is NOT for sale! You developers are the one that takes the $$$$$$$$$ and runs! It's all about YOU! When you are finished trashing our city, you will just move on to another.
VOTE YES ON PROP O.......PROP O IS FOR THE CITIZENS, BY THE CITIZENS! LET'S TAKE BACK OUR CITY! WE ARE THE CITY! WE WANT THE RIGHT TO VOTE!
SanMarcosMom wrote on Sep 14, 2008 4:47 PM:Residents already have to wait through multiple lights to get through Las Posas during the hours of 4:00 - 6:00. After the hotel goes on-line and possibly Palomar Station, that area is going to be so gridlocked that a possibility of an extended Las Posas won't even be able to be considered.
Hotel Jobs OH BOY wrote on Sep 14, 2008 11:14 PM:The comment above says that this hotel will bring us jobs. Oh boy, I can't wait. I'm applying to clean those rooms right away. Where do I get my app? I won't be able to live here in SM though if I grab this opportunity for such a high paying job. I hope they pay minimum wages at least. Maybe they will provide me room in board as exchange for cleaning their toilets. Great jobs are hard to find.
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