The Turlock Planning Commission approved the construction of a brand new, 88-room, four-story hotel at their May 4 meeting, marking the second four-story hotel to be approved and to receive a 35-foot height limit exception in the city in under a year.

The location of the latest four-story building, which will be a 78,450 square foot Staybridge Suites hotel constructed by AO Architects of Orange County, is in a 2.58-acre parcel at 2931 Sun Valley Ct. Room for 94 onsite parking spaces and four motorcycle parking spaces will also be made. Additional onsite improvements include paving, parking lot striping, landscaping, onsite lighting, an outdoor multiuse lawn and seating area. Off-site improvements such as curbs, gutters, and sidewalks have already been installed.

There are currently 11 hotels or motels within in the City of Turlock. Once built, the Staybridge Suites will be the 13th hotel in town, as the Marriott Towneplace at 201 N. Tully Rd., approved by the Planning Commission on Sept. 1, is expected to be finished first.

The existing hotels in town seem to be paying dividends for the City of Turlock. The Transient Occupancy Tax that all hotel guests must pay is 9%. From June 22, 2022 to May 10 of this year, the tax has generated $1,892,914.03. Of those funds, 66.7% go to the City’s General Fund while 33.3% go to the City’s Tourism Fund.

The Tourism Fund is managed by the Public Works Director and other staff members. During the annual budget process, the Turlock City Council has the authority to determine how all funds are spent.

Programs and staff funding that are proposed for the Tourism Fund for the fiscal year 2023-2024 include a part-time event assistant, the community grant program, city sponsored special events, public art projects and the operations and maintenance of sports complexes.