Jan. 31–A Colorado Springs businessman is scrapping his plans for a hotel and water park, five years after it was announced that the high-profile projects would help anchor the sprawling Polaris Pointe retail center on the city's far north side.
Randy Scholl of Randal Construction Inc. in the Springs, who owns about 15 acres at Polaris Pointe, said Monday he's walking away from the Colorado Grand Resort & Hotel for personal reasons. He said he and his wife plan to retire and he's already closed his construction company.
"I'm ready to retire, and my wife and I have decided it's the best thing for us at this point in our lives," said Scholl, a home builder since the early 1980s. "That's just the direction we're going to go."
The hotel was supposed to have 165 rooms in its first phase and perhaps 165 to 200 more in future phases; the water park was supposed to cover 60,000 square feet. They were planned for a site next to Bass Pro Shops, which anchors Polaris Pointe southeast of Interstate 25 and North Gate Boulevard.
The arrival of Great Wolf Lodge only a few miles south of Polaris Pointe wasn't a factor in his decision, Scholl said; Great Wolf, a 311-room family resort with a 50,000-square-foot, indoor water park, opened in December.
What happens next with Scholl's site isn't certain.
He's put the 15 acres up for sale, and it's being marketed by local brokerage Colorado Springs Commercial. Mark Useman of Colorado Springs Commercial said Monday the site is perfect for a hotel and retail uses; a water park, however, is less certain what with Great Wolf — which operates 14 resorts nationwide — as a competitor, he said.
Gary Erickson, the master developer of Polaris Pointe — formerly known as Copper Ridge at Northgate — couldn't be reached for comment Monday.
Erickson had announced in February 2012 that the hotel and water park were coming to his project, and reaffirmed several times over the last few years that architectural plans and other work was proceeding. Erickson had sold nearly 10 acres to Scholl in 2008 and 2012 for the site, El Paso County land records show.
Whether Erickson might re-purchase that land and another 5.7 acres owned by Scholl isn't known. Likewise, it's uncertain what effect — if any — the scrapping of the hotel and water park could have on Polaris Pointe.
Polaris Pointe is envisioned by Erickson as a 200-acre, 2 million-square-foot retail center. Besides Bass Pro, it's already home to a variety of retail and entertainment uses, including Magnum Shooting Center, Southern Hospitality Southern Kitchen, C.B. & Potts, Kneaders Bakery & Cafe, Ace Hardware, Sprouts Natural Grocers and Overdrive Raceway, an indoor, electric go-kart complex.
Last week, Erickson updated the Colorado Springs Urban Renewal Authority about Polaris Pointe, which the city declared an urban renewal site several years ago. Afterward, he said another 40,000-square-foot entertainment retailer is considering coming to the area.
Also, Erickson said he expects construction to begin this year on a bridge that would link the northern and southern portions of his property — spanning a future extension of Powers Boulevard.
