Courtesy Art A Marriott Fairfield Inn is proposed for downtown Alpena. A purchase agreement for the property on Water Street near the Second Avenue bridge is in place and the developer has six months to complete environmental and geological studies, and move forward with the project.

ALPENA — A new hotel on the Thunder Bay River took a large step toward becoming a reality late last week, as a developer reached an agreement with Marriott International, Inc. that may lead to a Fairfield Inn being built downtown.

The proposed hotel would have five stories: the first level for parking on the street level, and four stories of about 70 hotel rooms and other amenities.

Alpena Area Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Director Mike Mahler said the developer, the chamber, and Target Alpena have been working on a sale of the former Alpena Power Co. office property on Water Street, and a purchase agreement is in place and a deposit made on the property.

Mahler said Marriot signed off on the developers plan late last week, and now environmental and geological studies need to be done to determine if the site will allow for the hotel.

“They need to see if it can support a five-story building,” Mahler said.

Mahler said the developer has six months to complete the needed research and to close the deal, and admitted the design of the hotel could change, as could other aspects of the deal. Still, he said after years of trying to develop on the vacant site downtown, things look promising.

“I feel really good about it,” Mahler said. “The developer is very committed to finding a way to do this and I just feel very hopeful. Things are still very fluid, so there could be changes to the design, but overall I’m really excited about this.”

Marriott International, Inc. is an American company that operates, franchises, and licenses lodging including hotels, residential, and timeshare properties.

Marriott is the largest hotel chain in the world by the number of available rooms. It has 30 brands with 7,642 properties in 131 countries, its website states.