May 08--A Japanese-themed hotel could rise amid the bonsai trees, koi ponds and towering bamboo at Palm Beach County's Morikami Park, after a measure approved Tuesday.

The Palm Beach County Commission decided to give developers a shot at building a hotel beside the Japanese gardens at Morikami Park.

Adding a Japanese inn, or ryokan, to the gardens and museum at Morikami has been part of long-term park plans for more than 30 years. Now the county is trying to revive that effort by seeking proposals

"The community has waited a very long time for a hotel at this location," said County Commissioner Mary Lou Berger, whose district includes neighborhoods near the Morikami. "I am very excited."

A New Jersey-based not-for-profit group interested in building the hotel sparked the county's renewed effort to expand attractions at Morikami, which is off Jog Road west of Delray.

Medical Missions for Children proposes turning the hospital into a revenue source for its efforts to help undiagnosed children hospitalized in developing countries.

The group proposes creating a five-star hotel and spa, connected to the Morkiami's museum and gardens.

The measure approved Tuesday opens the door to seeking more potential hotel developers interested in vying for the project.

The county envisions providing a long-term lease for about 14 acres for the hotel that would generate lease revenue as well as property taxes for the county.

Seeking proposals is just the beginning of a potential deal that would still have to be approved by the County Commission.

"See how much interest there is in developing a hotel. ... Explore the concept further," county Property and Real Estate Director Ross Hering said about the measure approved Tuesday. "There's a lot that we will be analyzing."

The Alliance of Delray neighborhood association has supported a possible hotel at the site, as long as it is designed to fit in with the park and doesn't create a traffic problem.

Berger contends that there aren't enough hotels west of Delray Beach and that adding a Morikami hotel could provide an economic boost to the area.

Morikami Park includes 170 acres featuring rock gardens, bonsai displays, towering bamboo, lakes and streams, as well as a Japanese museum.

The park land was donated by George Sukeji Morikami in honor of the Japanese farmers who came to the area in the early 1900s to start a farming colony called Yamato.

The farming colony didn't last, but Morikami's farming operation continued until the 1970s, when he donated his land to the county. The park opened in 1977.

Since then, long term plans have called for adding more gardens, exhibits, an artisan village and a Japanese-style inn.

The theory is that a hotel would supplement other activities at the park such as festivals, parties and weddings.

While pursuing the Morikami hotel, Palm Beach County is already in the midst of trying to revive another, more controversial hotel development.

The County Commission in October approved a $27 million public subsidy to help build a hotel beside the county's convention center next to City Place in West Palm Beach.

That project has been plagued by construction setbacks and was linked to corruption scandals that ousted two county commissioners.

On Tuesday, the County Commission approved issuing bonds and setting aside the $27 million subsidy for the convention center hotel deal.

Morikami hotel backers say the project is different from the convention center hotel because no public money is proposed to build the Japanese inn.

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