Mayor Steve DeBrum is convinced the acronym “FEZ” will in the not-too-distant future be associated with jobs and prosperity.

Calling the family entertainment zone (FEZ) envisioned for 210.7 city-owned acres near Big League Dreams Manteca’s “next catalyst project,” the mayor on Tuesday joined his colleagues in blessing the environmental impact report that’s critical for the endeavor to move forward.

A representative of the Colorado-based McWhinney Development — the investor/developer for the water park hotel/resort portion of the project — made it clear his firm was still committed to the Manteca project. City officials were confident a resort would materialize whether it is Great Wolf or another player in the indoor water park resort industry.

“It (the project) is a gateway to jobs,” DeBrum said.

A 500-room hotel resort with a 75,000-square-foot indoor waterpark, a 15,000-square-foot outdoor waterpark, and 37,500 square feet of restaurant space would create 414 permanent jobs and 156 part-time jobs making it the city’s largest private sector employer.

The hotel portion of the EIR was specific enough to allow the city to proceed with making that 30-acre site shovel ready for a resort. The rest of the FEZ that includes restaurants, recreation, entertainment and amateur sports venues was more conceptual. That means any project outside of the hotel may require additional environmental scrutiny. The EIR took 18 months to complete.

DeBrum compared the FEZ potential to that of two other projects — Spreckels Park and Orchard Valley anchored by Bass Pro Shops.

Next up before a resort can break ground is public scrutiny of a development agreement that would hammer out expectations and financing for the public portion of the endeavor. Manteca is using redevelopment agency funds for infrastructure such as streets, sewer, water, and storm lines while part of the room tax will finance a 30,000-square-foot conference center that would be city-owned.

The negotiations are with McWhinney to lease and build the proposed resort.  That means Great Wolf — which two weeks ago after investing five years in the Manteca project indicated they wanted to look at possible Bay Area locations — or another indoor resort could actually end up operating the project when it us built.

Great Wolf representatives have made it clear to city officials Manteca is still in the running.



To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com