ARLINGTON, TX—Arlington's mayor, Robert Cluck says developers are hoping to lure a top- shelf hotel and a new entertainment venue to the city's entertainment district.
Arlington has been working since 2008 to attract a private developer to expand the Convention Center on Ballpark Way and to develop a hotel nearby, according t a report in the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram. Those additions would help the city attract larger meetings and conventions to the center as well as entice tourists visiting Arlington's sporting venues or theme parks to stay in town overnight instead of leaving for Dallas or Fort Worth hotels, Cluck told the paper.
“We've been working to get a new hotel in the entertainment district,” he said. “That's no secret. We're finally once again making progress on that front. I feel more positive about it now than I have for several months. I'm not saying we are going to get it but the next several months will be very important."
Convention Center Director Mark Wisness said a handful of developers have expressed interest in the project but no serious proposals have come forward to the city recently. Arlington has $150,000 budgeted this fiscal year to vet convention-hotel proposals but so far most of the money has remained unspent, Wisness said.
"There have been tire kickers for three or four years now. Some proposals come through. I have seen a couple of them but I haven't seen the money," Wisness said.
The Arlington Convention Center has lost business because of the meeting and exhibit space limitations and shortage of entertainment and hotel options for convention and meeting visitors, Wisness said.
Click Star-Telegram to read the full story.
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