Fort Collins Chuck E. Cheese's may get razed for six-story hotel

Fort Collins developer Les Kaplan has been holding on to the Chuck E. Cheese's building at Prospect Road and College Avenue for nearly a decade.

The lease for Chuck E. Cheese's — a popular place for children's birthday parties — expires in November 2019 and Kaplan's thoughts have turned to redevelopment.

He is teaming up with Fort Collins development consultant Stu MacMillan and Saunders Commercial Development, which would develop and own a six-story, 149-room hotel that would replace Chuck E. Cheese's and Fort Collins Furniture and Mattress.

MacMillan, formerly of Bohemian Cos., and Trae Rigby, who previously ran McWhinney's development arm, were involved in developing The Elizabeth Hotel in Old Town. Bohemian, McWhinney and Sage Hospitality partnered on The Elizabeth, the city's only 5-star hotel.

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MacMillan subsequently left Bohemian and Rigby left McWhinney for Saunders. MacMillan brought the idea of a hotel to both Kaplan and Saunders. Rigby and his team got to know the site and Kaplan, "and decided a hotel was the highest and best use for such a prominent corner and with such great proximity to CSU and the stadium," Rigby said.

MacMillan added: "It's a great opportunity to be right beside CSU at its gateway."

No hotel flag has been chosen yet, Rigby said, but the group is looking at new concepts "that have a clean, minimalistic style and approach. We are looking at a few flags that have a focus on design."

Since Kaplan purchased the building in 2007, the area has seen a construction boon with CSU's new football stadium and health center, a rebuilt intersection at College and Prospect and Prospect Station I and II apartments just west of the site.

Schrader's convenience store and gas station sits at the corner. "I'd like to include the gas station (in the hotel development plan), but they're not interested in being included," he said.

But they are interested in making the property architecturally compatible with the hotel when they're ready to renovate the store, Kaplan said. "It seems like now is the time to reposition that key intersection to respond to the opportunity and need."

The hotel will back up to a small strip center with offices and several retailers, including Black Bottle Brewery, Music City Hot Chicken, Bawarchi Biryani Point Indian restaurant, Taqueria Los Comales and Edward's Cigar Shop.

Chuck E. Cheese's and the furniture store have until their leases expire next year to find new locations.

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"What I like about the location is it is less dependent on the business economy than any of the hotels that have been built or are contemplated," Kaplan said.

Convenient to CSU's football stadium, adjacent to the MAX bus line and on the edge of campus, it could be a base camp for families coming to Fort Collins to look at CSU, attend football games or CSU events, he said.

"It will be a much needed complement to the university in addition to all the other potential patrons of the hotel who want to be near downtown and the government center. It has easy access from Prospect and I-25, it's near restaurants and it's on the Spring Creek Trail and MAX," Kaplan said.

"It's a great opportunity to be right beside CSU at the gateway, MacMillan said.

If the hotel comes to fruition, it will be the sixth hotel to open recently or be in the city's development pipeline. MacMillan and Rigby are scheduled to meet with city planners next week to discuss preliminary plans.

If approved, construction would likely begin as soon as the leases expire and the building is razed. Construction would take about 15 months and likely open in early to mid-2021.

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Hotels in the pipeline or just completed

Staybridge Suites: 107 rooms on Lincoln Avenue

Fairfield Inn and Suites: 106 rooms on Harmony Road

Home 2 Suites: 108 rooms at Timberline and Harmony

The Elizabeth: 164 rooms at Walnut and Chestnut

Total: 485 rooms

Conceptual proposals:

Brinkman: 100 rooms at proposed mixed-use project at Drake Road and College Avenue

Saunders/Kaplan: 149 rooms at 1623 Prospect Road (the southwest corner of Prospect and College Avenue)

Total of open and planned new rooms: 734