SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES
Chambers Bay one step closer to getting a hotel
Oct 19, 2016, 5:55 AM | Updated: 9:27 am
A developer was selected for a proposed hotel at Chambers Bay. (Absher Construction via Pierce County Parks)
(Absher Construction via Pierce County Parks)
The Chambers Bay Golf Course that hosted the 2015 U.S. Open is one step closer to adding a resort.
Absher Construction, a Puyallup Company, was chosen to build a 160-room hotel at the Chambers Bay Golf Course recently. The resort will include a 5,000-square-foot event center, plus a spa with six treatment rooms and a 200-seat Tom Douglas restaurant.
The hotel will offer 80 rooms for short-term lease to establish revenue flow. Those rooms will gradually be converted to hotel rooms.
Neighbor Annette Falk says it’s a great idea.
“I think it will be good for the county — for the money — because it will bring in a lot more people,” she said.
The project has a price tag of $45 million. It will be completely funded by the developer.
The county offered an opportunity to develop similar amenities in 2008. However, the effort flopped due to the recession.
“Financing hospitality projects during the recession was extremely challenging and limited the ability of developers to move forward with their proposals,” Director of Pierce County Parks and Recreation Tony Tipton previously said. “We believe the financing markets have improved enough to warrant another attempt to bring needed amenities to Chambers Bay.”
The Chambers Bay Golf Course is part of the Chambers Creek Properties, 930 acres of open space that includes two miles of shoreline, two-and-a-half miles of forested canyon, 6.5 miles of trails, and two playfields. It drew thousands of visitors last summer when it hosted the U.S. Open.
The site already has sewer, water, power, and natural gas. Land use entitlements have already been obtained. That will make building on the site a relatively quick process, once a developer is selected.
Absher Construction’s proposal was selected over two other finalists.
“The vision for the Chambers Bay Resort is clear; provide an enhanced public amenity through the infusion of private investment,” Absher Construction wrote to Tipton. “As local developers, we are committed to creating a clubhouse and resort that fulfills the county’s needs, expands public use of the park and is financially successful.”
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