Prior to the holidays the Cubs received unanimous approval from the Mesa City Council to build a Sheraton Hotel on the Wrigleyville West site next to Cubs Park. According to multiple reports, East Valley hotelier Bob Yost will construct a full service hotel that includes 175 rooms and a 12,000 square-foot conference center.
The Sheraton Hotel will be built in the commercial area near the Cubs’ new Spring Training complex.
According to a report from The Arizona Republic, the hotel “will be the first component of the Wrigleyville commercial area in Mesa’s new Chicago Cubs complex.” The addition of Wrigleyville West “is the last piece of a 140-acre project meant to turn a former municipal golf course and city park into a tourist destination.”
Gary Nelson explained Wrigleyville West “will be privately financed” and built on the 15 acres the city set aside for the construction. The land is located near “a scenic walkway between the stadium and the park, specifically for hotels, shops and restaurants.”
Another hotel development was proposed but rejected because the hotel would not have included a bar or a restaurant. The construction on the Sheraton Hotel must begin by June 30 and be completed by December 2015. And an additional 20,000 square feet of commercial space is to be completed by June 30, 2018 according to Nelson’s report.
The Cubs have an exclusive agreement with Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. And the hotel chain has already agreed to build the boutique hotel across the street from Wrigley Field. Sheraton is a branch of Starwood Hotels and Resorts which will make booking official Cubs-travel related programs possible.
The players are using the Cubs’ new state-of-the-art facilities and for the first time both the Major League team and minor league players will be under the same roof this spring. Cubs Park will host its first game on Feb. 27 when the Cubs take on the Diamondbacks.
The grand opening for the new facility is scheduled for Jan. 25.
Cubs Park, as it is currently called, features a 15,000-seat stadium, four full size practice fields and a half-field. Mesa is expected to “add several mixed-use athletic fields in 2014.”
- Full Report from The Arizona Republic
- Full Report from The East Valley Tribune
- Full Report from The Arizona Republic – Mesa Steps In To Develop Wrigleyville Park
- Report from the Tribune on the Cubs New Facility – Includes Photos
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