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Poarch Creek Indians Partner In $24 Million Pensacola Hotel Development
January 14, 2012
The Poarch Creek Indians of Atmore are partnering in a $24 million development that will bring a new hotel, retail and offices spaces and over 200 jobs to Pensacola.
Innisfree Hotels official began construction of their “Airport & 12th” development connected to the Pensacola International Airport terminal with a groundbreaking ceremony Friday morning.
The project includes a 127 room Hyatt Place Hotel along with office and retail sites on 12 acres
“We’re proud to introduce a new prototype of the Hyatt Place Hotel brand to the Pensacola area market and will choose the tenants of the other outparcels carefully to ensure quality amenities at our city’s international gateway,” said Rich Chism, Innisfree’s director of development.
The $24 million project, when completed, is projected to generate over $420,000 annually in non-airline revenue for the airport through lease fees, and $100,000 in local option sales taxes for the City of Pensacola. It will also create over $4 million in payroll revenues through the addition of about 235 new jobs to the local economy.
Innisfree’s founder and CEO Julian MacQueen said the company is proud to partner with the Poarch Creek Indians on the project.
“Our relationship with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians has spanned almost two decades. We’ve collaborated on other successful projects during this time and are very excited to work with them again,” he said.
Tim Martin, president/CEO of Creek Indian Enterprises Development Authority, said, “We are fortunate enough to be able to reinvest into the community with quality investments like the Airport and 12th project.”
In addition to the Windcreek Casino in Atmore, the Poarch Creek Indians operate several other properties, including the Pensacola Dog Track and Poker Room. The Florida Legislature is considering allowing additional casinos in Florida, or allowing existing dog and horse tracks to add slot machines. None of the laws have passed that would allow gaming at the Pensacola airport property.
The groundbreaking came on the heels of a recent announcement that project financing was secured with the support of two local credit unions; Pen Air Federal Credit Union and Navy Federal Credit Union.
“The commitment of the credit unions and the Poarch Band of Creek Indians to this project has helped Innisfree expand in very difficult economic times”, MacQueen said. “We’re fortunate to have their support. They are good neighbors to the Pensacola community.”
The land for the development is being leased from the City of Pensacola and will be connected to the main airport terminal via a covered walkway. Robins & Morton, the project’s general contractor, has completed some key infrastructure work and is currently building the foundation for the hotel. The hotel is expected to open in the spring of 2013.
Innisfree currently owns and operates six full service hotels and resorts in the Gulf Coast region of Florida and Alabama as well as four focused service properties in the southeast United States.
Courtesy images for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Comments
17 Responses to “Poarch Creek Indians Partner In $24 Million Pensacola Hotel Development”
What have the Commissioners been spending the $100,000 a month on that Poarch has been giving them…FOR MONTHS??? (just asking)
Here is a few things Poarch has done for Atmore:
Jobs, they gave thousands of dollars to our local schools, they are a sponsor to the Chamber helping them to be able to provide us with all the great events that they do, they gave money to the YMCA (I think it was to help with the Y building that was in much needed repair) and probally much more that we dont know about.
What has Atmore done for Poarch: …wait I’m thinking…let me know if you think of something.
What does Poarch NEED to do for Atmore?…nothing
Poarch is doing this to better their tribe and people, and they do take in consideration of the communities surrounding them. The tribe services tribal members in 5 counties, Escambia Co FL being one of them(which includes Pensacola)…so they didnt do this to “take” anything away from Atmore.
As a lifelong resident of Atmore I wish someone would take some pointers because I hate the fact that my hometown that I truely love is going downhill fast.
I just think its funny how the Indians use to be outcast to the people of Atmore and that its so horrible that they brought gambling so close to town…but when it comes to money or if its a benefit in any way to Atmore its ok.
You asked what Poarch has done for Atmore?
Why not ask what Atmore has done for Poarch?
Poarch has just given each tribal member an annual allotment (birthday check) of $10,000 each. They just loaded $2000/member onto a medical visa card that can be used for medical bills/doctor copays/prescriptions, etc.
Atmore lost their chance years ago to Bay Minette and Brewton for the Walmart.
It’s not Poarch’s problem (tribe or members) that Atmore has few choices for shopping…so most will take their $7500 (after taxes were withheld) out of town to shop.
Those of you against gambling…ask yourself this—-
If someone won a large amount of money—and then tithed to the church—would you accept it?—or say no thanks, we don’t want to use gambling money to do God’s work…
To move a town forward, there has to be a vision.
Atmore isn’t even stuck in time…back in the 70’s and 80’s–there was growth.
When I come home, all I see is run down businesses—-and pot hole patched roads.
Jobs created?—-I can only imagine the number of workers (tribe members and non tribe members) that it takes to work their operations.
Just like the birthday checks—-not Poarch’s problem that people decide to spend their $$$ at Walmart instead of a run down Piggly Wiggly.
Poarch Creek Indians have provided many jobs for local people who would be unemployed otherwise. They are a great Tribe with vision and compassion. If you dont believe me ask someone who works for them how nice it is to have a job and benefits….
Leave Atmore? So basically what you’re saying is that if you don’t agree with the leadership in city hall that you should abandon your home, your history and all you have ever known and move? Isn’t that what people had to do in the Soviet Union during the Cold War?
Atmore needs better leadership, better than what we’ve had lately. We also need news coverage of what goes on at city hall. One of the two atmore newspapers buried that tax increase in the back pages of the paper. The other one came out in support of it.
I bet ya a wooden nickel that neither of these papers will give any media coverage to the candidates that run for mayor. These papers have a way of giving a “news black out” when it helps the candidates that city hall support. I’m glad PCI is out there with their casino…I’d rather hear people giving “hurtful” comments hear than see people “hurting” economically b/c nobody cares about helping business in that town.
If all of you want to support our wonderful community of Atmore, why do you spend at least $20.00 for gas to go to Wallmart, etc. to do your shoping. The town does not have any casinos that bring in millions daily but have to survive on taxes the Indians do not have to pay. The town is an asset to this part of the state because we have services that you need daily. If you don’t like Atmore, why don’t you just pack up and leave and try to go to the reservation to live and you’ll soon see you are not welcome. Let’s all work together and quit saying “hurting” things to our city officials. Atmore is growing and if you would check and see, Wallmart has been contacted and they only put stores in small towns that have the correct mileage between them. Look around, things are coming. Support the local town and quit “running them down”. No, they cannot have a casino and no one else in Alabama can that would help education along but that’s not your Atmore leaders but your state leaders. We lived before casinos and we’ll live again.
Atmore residents have given a rubber stamp to the Shell regime for generations and what do they have to show for it? Boarded up windows, burned out homes and a city sales tax that holds businesses down with a city hall boot on their throats.
What will you do Atmore? Will you continue to validate city hall cronyism and elect Shells chosen successor, Staff? Or will you embark on a different course?
If the voters in Atmore continue to be more interested in college football and what church their leaders attend instead of what gets this city out of a rut then this city will continue to be mired in failure. Don’t blame PCI for getting off their duff and doing something for their people. Yeah I know, they get preferential treatment from the federal govt that white businesses couldn’t hope to get but at least they didn’t fumble the ball…what’s your excuse Atmore City Council?
Thanks Eli
Ill tell you what its done for atmore, I have alot of friends and My very own family that they employee, my own Mom moved from Pensacola to work for them, and she dose very well there. Its the town of Atmore thats on a stand still, and dose not want any growth or change. They just want to keep the taxes very high and keep outsiders OUT
Well you need to blame your mayer and the people that run this town all the old money. Plenty of businesses have tried to make atmore ther home to benifit the towns people. but was kept out becauce it was going to hurt down town businesses, Really there is nothing downtown worth shopping at. At least the Poarch creek indians have shed some new light on this town. The Casino has been good for Atmore and the people of Atmore! What Trafic?????? Atmore dont want anything new im glad Pensacola has a young mayer that wants to change his town for the better of the people!! Why is change so bad??? Atmore needs A trible person as mayer maybe then much needed change will come to atmore!!
@ me We have a Mayor an City Councilmen that will not allow Walmart and certain business to come in due to may hurt the small business owners that are here in town. That is why when you vote for a new Mayor and City Council person you know where they stand on getting businesses out by the interstate, regardless whether it is walmart or some other department stores, which may or may not put a hurt on the small local business owners. Maybe we need some indian blood on city council. Just saying.
why don’t they partner with atmore to finally get some shopping out by their own casino
What it’s done for Atmore is that it’s created some 1,500 or so jobs for people who wouldn’t otherwise have one!
It hasn’t really done a lot for Atmore other than make traffic a nightmare. But it has done wonders for pensacola with buying the dog track, building new hotels, shopping complexes and sponsoring the mardi gras season. Glad we could handle the traffic headaches so others could benefit.
I guess in this economy if they throw enough money into our town and
jobs, we will finally say yes to gambliing.
Be careful what you vote for people. What has gambling done for Atmore?
I am pleased ot see that the Hyatt brand was accepted by Innisfree that I suggested while serving as Innisfree’s VP of Marketing 2006-08. Many alternate brands were discussed but after presenting my thoughts to Jeff Townsend, Innisfree President of Development in 2007, the consensus was to go forward with the Hyatt over other considerations. This new brand will open new avenues of corporate travelers to the Pensacola market. MacQueen and I spent time with Hyatt in the 70’s when he was a sales rep at the Hyatt in Knoxville where I later was named Director of Sales. It is good to see plans come together after months and years of due diligence. Chism has been given a strong brand to launch and I wish them much success.
It’s about time for some major construction activity. Thanks to those credit unions for their support on this.