The Great Wolf hunt is about to start in earnest.

The Manteca City Council Tuesday is expected to certify the environmental review study for the 210.7-acre Family Entertainment Zone (FEZ) planned on city-owned land south of the wastewater treatment plant. Once that is done, public discussion of a development agreement  and financing mechanism designed to lure the $200 million plus Great Wolf investment in a 500-room  resort complete with a 75,000-square-foot indoor water park, a 15,000-square-foot outdoor waterpark, 37,500 square feet of restaurants and a 30,000-square-foot conference center will start.

City Manager Karen McLaughlin has said the final council vote for a thumbs up or down on the resort proposed on 30 acres west of Costco is expected by year’s end.

But before then a public airing of the city’s partnership with McWhinney — the developers of the resort — needs to take place.

In its simplest terms, Manteca is trying to parlay a $28 per night tax surcharge on a $200 a night room into a $200 million plus private sector investment that has the potential of generating 560 new jobs, an annual payroll of $9.4 million, and generate at least $600,000 yearly to underwrite city services.



What Manteca

could be on the

hook for in deal

To secure McWhinney’s $200 million investment, Manteca reportedly will spend $32 million to build a 30,000-square-foot conference center, the parking lot, and install some infrastructure.

Manteca wants McWhinney to finance the $32 million in improvements with the city paying them back with interest over 30 years.

The proposal calls for a 14 percent room tax collected by the city from Great Wolf guests — the current 9 percent room tax with a 5 percent resort tax added — to repay McWhinney.

At no time, however, would Manteca in a given year be required to pay McWhinney more than 75 percent of the room taxes collected. The cost including borrowing would represent up to a $116.2 million liability for the city’s room tax fund collected exclusively from Great Wolf. While the city could accelerate payments if they so chose, at the end of 30 years of money is still owed McWhinney the balance will be dismissed with Manteca collected 100 percent of the room tax starting in the 31st year.

McWhinney expects to generate $2.4 million in room taxes in the resort’s first full; year of operation. That would equate to Manteca receiving $600,000 in room taxes after making a payment to McWhinney.

Once the EIR is certified — action the Planning Commission recommended — the final details can be vetted and council members decide the resort’s fate that was first proposed more than five years ago.

 The FEZ concept is devised to build on the success of Big League Dreams, Bass Pro Shops and Woodward Park (in the form of soccer tournaments) in attracting regional visitors’ dollars to Manteca.



FEZ designed for

recreation, dining

There would be 62 acres set aside for indoor and outdoor amateur sports activities. That’s in addition to 28.5 acres for the expansion of the BLD complex and the creation of multiple use fields with the primary emphasis on soccer. The fields, just like BLD, would be operated and games booked by a private sector partner. And just like the BLD fields, the multi-use fields would be available for free use by the public weekdays before 4:30 p.m.

The project also envisions a stadium built around an internationally sized field.

It also is aiming to tap into a younger market that is developing in the Northern San Joaquin Valley and the growing trend of families to take vacations built around their children’s sport activities.

The heart of the FEZ would be a manmade lake. The EIR notes that is the preferred option for an area that would otherwise end up being used as a storm retention basin.

Some 33 acres could accommodate up to 337,000 square feet of restaurants and retail.

The sports portion is proposed to include an indoor arena designed for basketball, volleyball, gymnastics and cheerleading competition.

Other sports envisioned include a BMX track, a race course for mini-electric race cars, and a hard surface skate park.

The city is hoping to encourage private sector partners to offer activities such as miniature golf, family arcade games, laser tag, and ball crawl. Significant facilities could include a rock climbing wall, ropes course, zip line, and a flow-ride facility that creates waves for surfing and similar uses employing boards.

The council meets Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Civic Center, 1001 W. Center St.