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Sam Penrod ReportingThe skyline of Utah County will soon be growing. Today, government leaders announced plans for a major hotel and convention center.
It's all going to be built at the new Pleasant Grove Interchange in Utah County, and city leaders are thrilled. They believe it will be a catalyst for much more economic development in the future.
The land surrounding the Pleasant Grove interchange has remained hay fields, without any development, even though the interchange has been finished for a few years now. But soon, a high rise hotel and convention center will occupy the land, built by a longtime hotel developer.
John Q. Hammons, Developer: "Our employment in this venture will be 300-400 without any question, and as I said, the quality of the convention center will really be noteworthy."
The hotel will be 12 stories and include more than 300 rooms. The convention center will include a ballroom big enough to seat 3,500 people. State leaders say it is another sign of Utah's strong economy.
Governor Jon Huntsman Jr.: "In government you don't create jobs, you create the environment for success, and that environment will either speak to the market place or not. And if it speaks positively to the market place about the positive nature of that environment, it will grow."
For Pleasant Grove city, which was bypassed by the freeway in the 1960's, it is the dawn of a new era, which city leaders believe will bring more and better jobs to the city.
Michael Daniels, Mayor of Pleasant Grove: "Now we have the freeway interchange we're brining this quality of development into this area. It will attract other quality development so rather than just having big box or retail or just restaurants, this is going to bring in class A office space as well as corporations and large manufacturing, career types of jobs."
Construction on the new hotel and convention center will start next spring. The project is scheduled to be finished about two and a half years from now.
