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GP Properties Tries to Win Residents Approval Development of The Lodge at Carefree,
a 200 room Resort in Carefree, Arizona
By Joe Kullman, The Tribune, Mesa, Ariz.
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News 

Mar. 30, 2004 - A developer is returning Wednesday with a new plan for a Carefree resort -- seven months after his first proposal sparked protest from residents. 

Michael Peloquin, head of GP Properties, has invited public scrutiny of the design of The Lodge at Carefree on about 10 acres at the northwest corner of Tom Darlington Road and Carefree Highway. 

Peloquin's original plan, called Carefree Grand Hotel & Villas, was for a 200-room hotel and more than 70,000 square feet for restaurants, shops and a large spa in a complex designed to resemble an Italian village. 

Last year, about 75 residents jammed into a room in Carefree Town Hall to criticize the proposal. Many of them said it would bring traffic congestion, infringe on nearby residents' privacy, block scenic views and clash with Carefree's rural desert ambience. 

Plans for The Lodge at Carefree still include 200 rooms, but space for shops, dining and a spa is scaled back significantly; building heights are lower; parking is underground; and there would be more open desert space. The style is now traditional Southwestern. 

"We're not interested in building an architectural monument. Looking at (the site) from outside, this will all but disappear into the desert surroundings," said architect George Hoagland. 

Ron Grove, president of the Black Mountain Foothills homeowners association, which represents about 40 residents living near the site, said the group's board members will attend Peloquin's meeting. 

"We will keep an open mind," he said. 

-----To see more of The Tribune, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.eastvalleytribune.com. 

(c) 2004, The Tribune, Mesa, Ariz. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. 


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