Gainesville's city commissioners are growing tired of excuses from a development group wanting to construct a $54 million hotel.

Commissioners say they just want the deal done.

After nearly three hours of negotiating, the Gainesville city commission Thursday agreed to extend and amend a contract it has with a development group with plans to build an Embassy Suites or like hotel, often referred to as Lot 10, at Southeast 1st Avenue and Southwest 2nd Street. It is the second time the city has amended and extended the contract, which was originally signed in October 2015.

In October 2016, city commissioners amended dates and extended the length of the contract, adding in more explicit performance benchmarks along with four $25,000 fees. Since then, the development group has missed its first two benchmark dates on Nov. 11, 2016, and Feb. 1, 2017.

Several commissioners voiced their aggravation with the project's sluggish pace due to missed deadlines by the hotel’s development group, Horizon Hospitality Management (HHM), but were eager to move forward nevertheless.

“This is just as important as the biomass plant, as far as I’m concerned,” said Commissioner Charles Goston said.

After deliberating, commissioners agreed to extend dates outlined in the contract, which includes obtaining letters of intents from involved parties, by 62 days and tacked on an additional $50,000 charge to be paid within 30 days by HHM CEO Nim Patel.

Erik Bredfeldt, the city’s economic development director, said the group has since paid its November $25,000 amount and will have until April to pay another $25,000.

Commissioner Craig Carter initially suggested tacking on an additional $100,000 fee to grant the extension, which commissioners largely voiced their disdain for, but then lowered the amount to $50,000 after speaking with Patel, who drove from Atlanta specifically for the meeting.

Carter said if the developers couldn’t afford putting up the additional fee, then he wouldn’t support the project. Patel then soon stood up and bluntly said the amount wasn’t an issue, regaining support from some commissioners.

Patel agreed to pay at least $150,000 in total to the city, while he works on deals with others involved, to assure commissioners of his commitment to the project and avoid any further delays.

Commissioner Harvey Budd pleaded with HHM’s consulting group to close the deal and said he wasn’t interested in hearing the “he said-she said” issues regarding the deal that took up much of Thursday's discussion.

“I want to close,” Budd said. “I’m a businessman.”

Budd urged his fellow commissioners not to be distracted by minor details and lose track of ultimate goal: closing the deal.

In order to make the deal work, the city must purchase interest owned by Ken McGurn, a local developer, who has a 99-year lease for approximately 200 parking spaces in the city’s southwest downtown garage.

The spaces are needed for developers to have a total 383 spaces for the hotel, Bredfeldt said.

Bredfeldt said the cost for buying out McGurn’s deal could cost the city about $1.9 million, a price continuing to grow due to interest. The costs will be partly offset by $1.1 million of land value obtained by the city, he added, and the difference of funds are factored into the city’s budgets.

Bredfeldt said building the proposed hotel will bring in additional taxes for the city, have a direct economic impact and will bring jobs throughout the construction and operation of the project.

“We’re all very much wanting this project to happen,” Bredfeldt told commissioners. “As the economic development director, it’s my responsibility to try and see these things happen.”

Commissioners still need to review and vote on a draft of the extended contract and will also need to amend its deal with McGurn.

The project is tentatively set to begin construction in early February 2018.

Also Thursday, the city commission unanimously supported the mayor signing an agreement for a strategic partnership between the city and University of Florida.

Earlier in the week, Commissioner Todd Chase expressed his interest in the city becoming more involved with UF’s strategic plan.

“I’m really excited about the opportunity that this has to offer to the community,” Commissioner Helen Warren said.

The agreement will be signed during the “state of the city” address planned for Feb. 14.

“It’ll be a good day on Valentine’s Day to share the love in a romantic signing of a (MOA),” Mayor Lauren Poe said.

Contact reporter Andrew Caplan at andrew.caplan@gvillesun.com or on Twitter @AACaplan.