New Live Oak convention center planned

A crane moves large pieces of metal and concrete Jan. 31 as workers clear debris of the former Live Oak Civic Center on Pat Booker Road. A crane moves large pieces of metal and concrete Jan. 31 as workers clear debris of the former Live Oak Civic Center on Pat Booker Road. Photo: Jeff B. Flinn / NE Herald Photo: Jeff B. Flinn / NE Herald Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close New Live Oak convention center planned 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

The Live Oak Civic Center is no more, but a new hotel and convention center is just around the corner.

The Live Oak Economic Development Corp. has a memorandum of understanding with the Phoenix Hospitality Group to allow the company to begin the steps necessary to erect a five-story hotel with a convention center as part of the offering.

Assistant City Manager Scott Wayman last week addressed the hotel-convention center project, as well as the retail build-out of the land that formerly housed the civic center.

“City council took action in January to allow City Manager Matt Smith to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Phoenix Hospitality Group. They have a piece of property in mind, under contract,” Wayman said.

While he could not now disclose the exact location of the hotel and conference center, the assistant city manager said announcements will be coming soon.

“It's a great location. It has not been platted, and there will be plenty of publicity because it is going to need some variances,” he said. “It is going to be five stories, and we currently don't allow five stories in that zoning category. So there will be some variances granted, and there will be a couple of platting meetings.”

Sale of the former Live Oak Civic Center property — and council's retention of those funds — helped clear the way for the city's participation in bringing a convention center to town.

“Our council held on to that $1.62 million it received in the sale of that property. They didn't take it and spend it, knowing full well that they had intentions of partnering with a developer for a hotel-convention center,” Wayman said.

He added Phoenix is calling the hotel “full service, with a bar, a restaurant, everything from room service to catering and everything.”

The city is going to partner with the company by including some hotel occupancy tax (HOT) funding. “I think the big thing here is, there will be no property taxes granted, and no general fund money used in that. It's all HOT money, money from the industry, going back into the industry, to promote the industry,” Wayman explained.

The civic center on Pat Booker Road was bulldozed during the final week of January, nearly one year after the Riata Real Estate Services took control of the property Feb. 1, 2013.

Final platting for the cleared property is expected to occur during Thursday's Planning and Zoning Commission meeting for five lots. Riata Real Estate has signed with 54th Street Grill and Bar, Burger King, McAlister's Deli and Starbucks.

“Riata used the civic center as a convention center while they were lining up their tenant mix,” Wayman said. “Once they had that all in line, it was time for them to move on the structure.”

He added the existing drive cuts for the property will remain, with none added or removed. “Starbucks cues a lot of vehicles,” he said, as that Starbucks unit has one of the busier drive-through lanes in the industry.

jflinn@express-news.net