Three-hotel campus proposed in Oak Creek near airport

A developer is planning to build three hotels, retail space and a large airport parking lot on a 26-acre site southeast of Howell Avenue and College Avenue, near Mitchell International Airport, in Oak Creek.
The developer for the project is Illinois-based Syner G. The plans include one hotel near Howell Avenue and two hotels near College Avenue. Each hotel would have 120 to 140 rooms.
The hotel near Howell Avenue would also have an attached 15,000-square-foot banquet facility.
The plans also include a 1,531-square-foot parking area for long term airport parking, which includes 166 spaces for overflow hotel parking.
The project plans also include two restaurant buildings, each with 5,000 square feet of space, along College Avenue, a 10,000-square-foot retail building along College Avenue and a 20,000-square-foot building for retail space, automotive services and pet care, which could serve hotel guests or travelers who leave their cars in the long term airport parking lot.
The developer has talked about seeking tax incremental financing (TIF) from the city for the project, but no formal application has been submitted yet, said Oak Creek community development director Doug Seymour. Also, the developer and the city have had preliminary discussions about a 50-cent per vehicle fee that the city would receive for cars parking in the long term airport parking lot, he said.
Some nearby residents have objected to the plans for the development, expressing concerns about stormwater runoff to their properties. Residents submitted petitions to the city opposing the project. If enough of the adjacent property owners (20 percent) signed the petitions, then a supermajority of five of the Common Council’s six members will need to support it in order for the project to be approved. The Oak Creek city attorney is review the petition to determine if they are a valid protest petition that triggers the supermajority rule.
The project will be reviewed by the council during its Oct. 19 meeting.