Nov. 30–The private investors in the city-backed downtown hotel and conference center plan to finish the design of the $77 million project in January and say they do not plan to ask the city for additional incentives.

Sondra Eoff of Eofficial Enterprises, which is building the Marriott brand hotel, said designers are tweaking plans for the pool and plaza area after consulting with executives of the hotel company. They are also finalizing the layout of hotel components including the restaurant, fitness room and the connection to the conference center to be owned by the city but leased to the private company.

Marriott has standards for hotels operating under its name including minimum room sizes, and Eofficial Enterprises will submit designs to the company by Dec. 20 for review, Eoff said.

"Within those guidelines we are just trying to figure out where everything will be," Eoff said.

So far, changes from the original design requested by Marriott call from moving the swimming pool to the ground level in an enclosure beside the plaza in front of the hotel. Initially, schematics showed the pool on top of the valet area front of the lobby, called a porte-coch?re.

Eoff said the company may also lease the plaza from the city and take on maintenance costs because of the pool, but they would keep the plaza open to the public and use it for public events.

The city is investing $30.8 million in the project intended to anchor a broader downtown redevelopment, including costs of the 78,000 square-foot convention center, the open air plaza, a 300-car parking garage and a remodeled Ector Theatre.

Eofficial Enterprises is investing the remaining $40 million, financed through Prosperity Bank, for the 150,000 square foot Mariott Hotel with more than 200 rooms.

"We are still working within that budget," Eoff said

The project is scheduled to break ground around March. A management company, Aimbridge Hospitality, will run both the hotel and conference. The targeting opening date for the hotel and conference center is early 2019.

The Odessa City Council met in closed session in October to discuss offering additional incentives for the project if costs were to rise after the design.

At the time City Manager Richard Morton declined to say what those incentives might be, but weeks later he said "I don't think we are going to go that direction." Eofficial Enterprises had not requested any new incentives.

And Eoff said Tuesday they do not plan to.

Contact Corey Paul on Twitter @OAcrude on Facebook at OA Corey Paul or call 432-333-7768.