New Tenant Eyes Manteca Land Great Wolf Walked Away From, But There's A Catch
MANTECA (CBS13) — Manteca's plans for a water park resort stalled when the resort operator backed off last fall, but the developer says it's found a new operator.
The real-estate developer says Manteca has no shortage of interested parties, but the new and unidentified resort front-runner wants to more than double the property.
Manteca had hoped the Great Wolf Resort would start construction this year, but the company's new CEO pulled out of the deal in September and looked at locations in the Bay Area.
Now developer McWhinney has a new suitor that wants a lot more land, going from 30 to 67 acres—more than double what was offered to Great Wolf
Manteca's city manager says there is enough land, as the entire field from the wastewater plant to Highway 120 is 210 acres. But the unidentified suitor wants a bigger hotel, which means less recreational ground.
Big League Dreams is already booked for weekend games this season. If soccer fields were included in the resort project, manager Roy Fetherolf says it can increase the number of tournaments held in Manteca, driving up city tourism.
"We're mostly excited about adding additional softball and soccer fields so we can increase our weekend business," he said. "We would like to partake in the management of the soccer fields if that was available."
The environmental-impact report for the resort has already been approved, but the city says adding acreage will require amendments to the report. If the city approves the much bigger deal, it says construction can still start this year.
The Manteca City Council will take up the issue at Tuesday's meeting.