Private developers announced plans on Wednesday for a 48,000 square-foot conference center and 200-room hotel at a former refinery site in Casper — more than a year after consultants recommended a center farther east in the city’s downtown.
Plans to build on part of the former Amoco refinery site, now known as the Platte River Commons, received initial approval from the Amoco Reuse Agreement Joint Powers Board. But developers must still meet a number of contingencies to make the project a reality.
“We believe that the Platte River Commons is the best site for this project because of all the things that are already over here and the ways that we think that it will infill,” Richie Bratton said.
He and Dick Bratton, of Refined Properties LLC, updated the plan they first presented in 2011. The real estate development company, which manages land in the Platte River Commons and Salt Creek Heights Business Center, submitted one of three proposals for a conference center that year.
The varied project plans prompted the city of Casper to seek a market study, which the Strategic Advisory Group, a consulting firm, completed last year. The group recommended a 200-room hotel and conference center with a ballroom that could serve more than 1,000 people. Consultants estimated the project to cost $42 million, which would have been funded with a mix of private and public funds.
When that plan failed to receive enough Casper City Council support this spring, the Brattons partnered with Narender Taneja, of JJM Group Hotels, to renew their proposal. They plan to build a Crowne Plaza hotel and conference center on 17 acres of what’s known as the Opportunity Area of the Platte River Commons, leaving a few acres on either side to be developed.
“It will increase the other property values and enable us to be able to transition the property that we have into assets that we could use in other ways too,” joint powers board member Laura Angelo said Wednesday.
The hotel is estimated to cost $24 million and the convention center is estimated at $14 million, for a total cost of $38 million. The joint powers board agreed to sponsor an application for a $5 million Wyoming Business Council grant for infrastructure costs, pending city and county support. Members also authorized a $6 million loan commitment for JJM Group Hotels, which depends on the grant and agreement to terms that have yet to be negotiated.
In addition to the joint powers board’s loan and WBC grant, Dick Bratton said the city of Casper has tentatively agreed to lease the land, paying $2.6 million up front and then leasing it to the hotelier for $100,000 a year at a 2 percent return on investment.
JJM Group Hotels will be responsible for $23 million in private funding, and the developers expect to receive $2 million to $4 million for naming rights.
The conference center will have a ballroom that would serve 1,500 people and flex space that could be broken down into smaller rooms. The hotel would feature a public restaurant, spa and outdoor area facing the North Platte River. Shuttle services would also be offered to local attractions.
The plan meets the consultant recommendations in all but one regard. It is not downtown.
The commons consists of 340 acres west of downtown, bordered by Poplar and 13th streets and the North Platte River. It is a former industrial area, which Dick Bratton said could present a challenge.
“We are in a little bit of a brownfield site,” he said. “When we get digging that type of an area, we’ll probably find a few unknowns, but we have in all of the projects.”
Bratton said construction would begin in the fall and the project can be completed in two years pending the business council grant.
Reach city reporter Kelly Byer at 307-266-0639 or kelly.byer@trib.com. Follow her on Twitter @KellyByer.
