Almost a dozen motels in the works for Marion County.

Publication: Ocala Star-Banner (Ocala, Florida) (via Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News)

Bookmark this article Print this article Link to this article Email this article Digg It! Add to del.icio.us RSS

COPYRIGHT 2005 Ocala Star-Banner

Byline: Ryan Conley

Sep. 4--OCALA, Fla. -- Travelers hoping to find lodging in the Ocala area will have a few more choices in the coming years if the wishes of several developers come to fruition.

About a dozen new hotel/motels are in various planning stages around Marion County, including a trio set to go at the Interstate 75 and State Road 200 interchange that is known by some as "Hospitality Avenue." And another three are in the conceptual stage near the proposed racetrack complex on U.S. 27 near I-75.

"The fact that there are new properties on the drawing board are exciting for our community -- there are peak times that push our current capacity to the limits," said Jaye Baillie, president and CEO of the Ocala/Marion County Chamber of Commerce. "It seems that there are all kinds of indicators showing our successes as a community, and this is one of them."

It is of little surprise that the I-75 corridor is the hotbed for the lodging activity, what with upwards of 78,000 vehicles zipping up...

Read the full article for free courtesy of your local library.