The development company, led by Mark Madkour, has been working on assembling land and pulling together the necessary permits for the better part of two years. The development site is located at the intersection of Scottsdale and Camelback roads.

The developer is seeking permission to strip the Salt River Project's electrical substation from his land and rebuild it about one mile away on another tract that he owns at 68th Street and Indian School Road. The developer plans to foot the bill for the new substation, but the city does need to abandon an alleyway so there is enough room.

A spokesman for the local developer says the continuance was requested so there was more time to review comments by city staff and get more feedback from the public. The request will go before the planning commission Oct. 22. The project tentatively is scheduled for a city council vote Nov. 18.

The spokesman tells GlobeSt.com that, in the interim, the developer is clearing old apartments from the development site. If the planning commission and city council vote in favor of the rezoning, he says the resort's groundbreaking could take place as early as first quarter 2009. Construction is projected to take 30 months.

"Solis is very particular about where they put their hotels and to have them choose Scottsdale is a real benefit," the spokesman says. "This would bring a five-star hotel to an area that doesn't have one."

Solis Hotels & Resorts is headquartered in Atlanta. According to the company website, it has only one other US property, Solis Sunny Isles in Florida, which is scheduled to open in 2009.